Bloodroot makes brief appearance in early spring

A few years ago, on a quest for white-blooming perennials for a green and white garden, I found some delightful woodland natives that soon worked their way into my heart.

Bloodroot, one of the first to bloom in spring, produces exquisite, waxy, pure-white, 2-inch blossoms that have golden centers. A single leaf emerges wrapped around each flower stalk, then gradually unfurls.

When bloodroot blossoms open, whoever sees them first at our place spreads the word. Bloodroot's bloom period is relatively short, and we don't want to miss the show. Fortunately, the handsome, lobed, blue-green leaves expand to fill the void after the flowers are gone.

A member of the poppy family, bloodroot grows 6 to 14 inches tall and spreads very slowly, so the plants form a small colony. If the weather turns dry, the plants protect themselves by going dormant, only to reappear unscathed the following spring.

Bloodroot's common name comes from the bright red sap -- once used as a dye -- that oozes out when the root is cut.

Rue anemone is another native favorite in my shady green and white garden. A member of the buttercup family, this small plant tops out at no more than 10 inches tall, often less. I adore its dainty, blue-green leaves as well as the simple, 1-inch white or pale pink blossoms, held above the foliage on wiry stems. Flowering continues over many weeks in spring.

Although many shade-loving perennials are programmed to bloom early and then disappear as the canopy of leaves closes in overhead, rue anemone plants seem to last longer than most spring ephemerals. If the soil doesn't dry out, the plants often persist until midsummer.

If the soil gets too dry, on the other hand, rue anemone plants protect themselves like bloodroot, sleeping through the drought, then resurrecting to bloom again the following spring.

White-flowered trilliums with their three-petaled flowers are another spring delight in my shady garden, followed in May by the white saucer-shaped blossoms of Mayapple. Both natives go dormant in hot weather.

Because the beauty of spring ephemerals is fleeting, the shady summer garden also requires some perennials with foliage sure to persist throughout the growing season.

False Solomon's seal is one native that is up to the job. Its clusters of fuzzy white flowers bloom in late spring, but the 3-foot-tall arching stems and shiny leaves remain until frost.

The spring flowers of wild ginger may escape notice, but the handsome heart-shaped leaves persist.