Claytonia Species, Spring Beauty, Good Morning Spring, Virginia Springbeauty

On Apr 7, 2020, Windowview from Vienna, VA wrote:

In my shady yard I have large areas covered by these lovely early spring flowers. They grow amongst the deciduous ferns, violets and primroses under large towering deciduous trees (oak and tulip poplars). I just love them. There is a grassy area that gets mostly full sun across the street and they cover a large area in a swath of white (from 100 ft away). They come back year after year.

On Feb 23, 2007, bluespiral from (Zone 7a) wrote:

Here is an addendum on germinating seeds of Claytonia virginica from the 2nd edition of Norman C. Deno's book, Seed Germination Theory and Practice -

Seed germinated for Deno equally well whether sown 70-40 (79%) or 40-70-40(78%)-70, but the seed must be fresh. Deno says that "All dry stored seed rotted and dry storage is a fatal treatment." So, this would concur with lupinelover's advice to sow freshly ripened seed where the plant is to be grown as soon as the seed ripens in early summer, as well as with the PlantFiles advice above to direct sow in the autumn.

The 70-40 means 70*F for 3 months cycled to 40*F for 3 months, and so forth. I suspect, in terms of Mother Nature in zones 5-7 at least, that the two kinds of direct sowi... read moreng (one in early spring & one in the fall) will meet those requirements.

Knees, for later in the summer when the spring woodlanders have gone dormant, a pot or few among the ferns could liven things up. A very shade tolerant association I've become partial to under our magnolia combines the gray, pebbly leaves of Plectranthus argentatus with white double impatiens (looks like polyanthus roses) and coleus Magilla Perilla (splashed with cream, gray-green and deep magenta). In front of the pot, on the edge of the shadows, you could poke a few rooted cuttings of streptocarpella with its fuzzy, succulent tiny leaves and violet-blue flowers to bring the denizens of the pot down to earth.

Putting some of those hydrating crystals that absorb many times their volume in water and release the water slowly over time into the pot and planting holes might help with watering. You'd have to read the label for exact measurements of how much to mix in. The crystals should be mixed with the medium beneath the roots.

But you also could interplant a late bloomer with the early blooming spring beauty. One of the most awesomely beautiful sights DH and I ever did see was on a bright, sunny day in early April - the top of a hill on one of our walks was completed carpeted in the light-pink haze of blooming spring beauties, while metallic, black-purple leaves of bugbane (was Cimifuga racemosa but is now Actaea racemosa) were unfurling above them. All of this was under a canopy of deciduous trees - this was before the gypsy moth hit here in the 80s, so there could have been some pretty mature oaks at the time.

On Mar 5, 2006, Malus2006 from Coon Rapids, MN (Zone 4a) wrote:

They will tolerate sandy soil in shade. They will spread but will get competitions from taller (and aggressive) native plants like Jack in the Puplit, and sometimes Early Meadowrue if you plant them together. Even trillium and bloodroots will give them trouble if you tried to plant them too close together. It will be nice if someone send a picture of drifts of spring beauty mixes with toothwort, wood anemone, rue anemone, (both this and false), or even oak fern!

On Oct 21, 2004, MsMaati from Newburgh, IN (Zone 6a) wrote:

They make a beautiful display in early Spring. Don't put it anywhere that you will need to mow early. They last a few weeks and you will not want to mow them down. I like the fact that they completely disapear after blooming and you get that wonderful surprise in mid April ( here in southern Indiana). I was glad that I found out what they were called.

On Apr 18, 2004, knees from Washington, DC (Zone 7a) wrote:

I finally found it amongst the pictures. I consider it my alltime spring favorite; it is sprinkled all over my city front yard. I am trying to imitate a scene on the edge of the woods as well as I can manage. A huge pinoak and equally large hickory on either of the yard provide nothing but shade and dried our root systems as growing medium for those plants that manage to survive here. I think I have the most imaginative, prettiest spring front yard in the whole neighborhood, if I say so myself :>)). Now that I have discovered DG, I will try to learn all the names of the plants displayed in this lovely spring scene. Later in the year, it gets pretty boring.

On May 30, 2002, KBlueberry from Allen, MI (Zone 5a) wrote:

a native woodland plant--it is one of the first to bloom in the spring....a very pretty little plant, ours are pale pink with darker pink veins. Does not appear to be invasive, I collect the seedheads when the plant has turned yellow, and the seeds are tiny, shiny black flat seeds.

On Aug 31, 2001, smiln32 from Oklahoma City, OK (Zone 7a) wrote:

Spring beauty is a delicate, much-beloved, early spring-blooming, native Missouri wildflower that typically occurs statewide in rich, moist woodlands and valleys, meadows, prairies and somewhat dry upland woods. A low-growing plant that features clusters of flowers (to 3/4" wide) with five white to pinkish petals with pink veins and pink anthers on thin stems and narrow, linear, grass-like, dark green leaves (usually in pairs). Plant typically grows to 4-6" at bloom time, but foliage continues to grow after bloom and may eventually reach 9-12" before leaves disappear in late spring to early summer as plant goes into dormancy. Naturalizes somewhat easily in agreeable environments. Small, potato-like, underground tubers (corms) are edible (chestnut-like flavor) and were in fact consumed by e... read morearly Americans, but are time-consuming to collect in quantity sufficient for a meal.