Countdown to Spring: Trout Lily

Only thirty days until spring arrives and anticipation is building for the blooms to come. The trout lily (Erythronium americanum), an ephemeral Ontario wildflower, will be among the earliest bloomers of the season.

Trout lily in Flamborough, Ontario

You'll find trout lily colonies growing in moist woodlands where they carpet forest floors with their mottled foliage and bright yellow, nodding flowers.

The inspiration for the plant's common name comes from its fleshy, grey-purple speckled leaves. Their appearance is said to resemble the markings of a brook trout or a brown trout.  If you see a single leaf, you're looking at a young plant. Only more mature plants will produce two leaves and a flower. The flared petals, which curl back to the stem with time, are striking, but it's the far more prolific and distinctive foliage that always catches my eye. 

Trout lilies are also know as yellow dogtooth violets because their bulbs look like a dog's canine tooth.

Trout lilies will take advantage of unobstructed springtime sunshine. They bloom while the trees are still bare and just coming into leaf. Keep an eye out for trout lilies in Toronto ravines and woodland settings across the province. It won't be long now. 

Bleeding Heart: In Search of a Companion

On a day dedicated to love, the heart-shaped flowers of Bleeding Heart call out for companionship.

Bleeding Hearts love moist soil and prefer to spend their time in partial shade. They are springtime showstoppers with dozens of pendulous pink flowers on long, arching stems. They will bloom for weeks, but once the show is over, it's really over.

Bleeding Hearts are ephemeral. They shrink away from too much sun and heat when summer arrives and go dormant for the season. You may be able to delay dormancy with a strict watering regimen, but it's a safe bet that this perennial will eventually fade to yellow and disappear altogether during peak summer temperatures. So, be sure to plant Bleeding Heart with a companion: a plant partner that will do the hard work of looking lush and green while Bleeding Heart rests. Astilbes, hostas and ferns all emerge later in spring and will happily fill in the space vacated by vanishing Bleeding Heart foliage.