6 Native Spring Ephemerals to Add Easy Beauty While the Rest of Your Garden Is Still Sleeping

The term “ephemeral” means temporary, transitory, or quickly fading. Spring ephemeral plants are those that germinate, seed, flower, and die within a very short period at winter’s end. Despite their short lifespan, ephemeral flowers return for many years. In their number are many of America’s favorite bulbs like tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths.

But even better than spring bulbs are native spring ephemerals, many of which are small flowers that seem to appear magically in early spring. Breathe in their beauty while it lasts because these little jewels of nature disappear in just a few weeks.

Here are the most beautiful native spring ephemerals for an early garden bursting with easy charm. Plant them to enjoy unique blooms while the rest of your garden is still slumbering.

What Are Ephemerals?

I first heard the term "ephemeral” in France in reference to a type of flying insect, le éphémère. Slender and delicate, these insects have extensively-veined wings held upright like a butterfly. Their adult life span is only a few hours.

Native spring ephemerals are the plant versions of these magical creatures. They light up the fields and forests between winter’s end, when tree branches are bare, and the moment when the tree leaves come in.

Why is their lifespan so short? It’s because they need sunshine to complete their life cycle. As leaves appear on trees and shrubs, they block out all available light the plants need to grow.

Benefits of Native Plants

It’s hard not to be bewitched by native flowers. Native plants are like the friends you are always glad to see at your door. They require little maintenance and help create special moments in your life.

These are plant species that have adapted to the region, fitting into the local ecosystems by feeding native insects that provide food for native birds. They have learned how to resist both local pests and weather variations.

Native plants don’t need extra irrigation or fertilizer either, making do with spring rainfall and native soil. They have developed deep root systems that keep the soil aerated and healthy and prevent it from washing away with the rains. Plus, native plants help clean the air by storing carbon.

With all these wonderful benefits, why not add a few native spring ephemerals to your garden?

Best Native Spring Ephemerals

Here are some of the loveliest and lowest-maintenance native ephemerals to add a burst of beauty to your early spring garden.

1. Bloodroot

With a name like bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), you might think we are talking about a red blossom. But no, these wild blooms are pure white with golden-orange centers – and they inspire awe in early spring.

Each 6-inch (30 cm) flower develops and rises from a single stem and, at first, the curled leaf completely surrounds the blossom. The stems and large, scalloped leaves both bleed blood-red sap when broken, as do the rhizomes from which they grow.

Look for the first blooms in early March in many areas, but they can appear as late as May in cooler areas. Plant in a location with partial shade and keep the soil moist during the entire growing season.

You can buy bloodroot plants from Native Wildflowers Nursery online.

2. Dutchman's Breeches

Imagine white pantaloons hanging on a clothes line to dry. That’s what the flowers of the Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) look like.

They hang upside-down on the stalks, nature’s way of protecting the nectar from the elements. The only pollinator that can access the pollen is the female bumblebee, with her long tongue.

The flowers appear between March and May depending on the climate. Plant in dappled sunshine in moist, well-draining soil.

Shop Dutchman's breeches plants from Native Wildflowers Nursery.

3. Virginia Bluebells

The branched and arching stems of Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) bear nodding groups of soft magenta buds in early spring. They open into drooping clusters of lavender to blue bell-shaped flowers.

These bluebells are spectacular when they grow in masses in the spring forest. But the blooms only last for a few weeks in the early to mid-season. Even the large, gray-green, oval leaves die back by early summer. Pollinators love this plant. Grow it in a part shade location and mulch with shredded leaves.

These stunning native bluebells are available from Native Wildflowers Nursery as well.

4. Red Trillium

If ever nature created a plant to celebrate the number three, it was trillium. Red trillium (Trillium erectum) has three leaves, three petals, and three sepals. All are red except for the sepals that are green.

It won’t surprise you to learn that this native wildflower is also called the trinity flower. The beauty of the flower is somewhat balanced by its awful odor, which gives it its other common name: stinking Benjamin. It emits a smell of rotting flesh in order to attract the flies that pollinate it.

It typically blooms in mid-April to mid-May, about the time the robins return. This has led to another nickname, the wake robin. Plant this shade-loving wildflower in moist, rich, acidic soil.

You can get stinking Benjamin plants from Native Wildflowers Nursery online.

5. Trout Lily

This lovely ephemeral is the first lily to bloom, opening its miniature yellow-golden trumpet flowers early in spring. The mottled leaves of the trout lily (Erythronium americanum) are splashed with purple, similar to the markings on the brook trout, which is how this wildflower got its name.

These lilies bloom for a few weeks between March and May, with most flowering in April. Although trout lily flowers do not last very long, the plants can and do. Some colonies are thought to be over a century old. Site this ephemeral in dappled sun. It prefers acidic soil and cool conditions.

You can find trout lily plants for sale from Native Wildflowers Nursery.

6. Spring Beauty

Spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) is aptly named. This ephemeral is a low-growing spring wildflower with clusters of white and pink blooms.

You can delight in a small group of flowers in a wooded area, but sometimes you may find it growing like a native ground cover en masse in an wooded field. It completely covers the ground and creates a colorful spectacle that makes you gasp.

As an ephemeral, it blooms for a long time – up to three weeks between February through April. Virginia spring beauty thrives in moist, shaded woodland settings.

Order Virginia spring beauty plants online from Native Wildflowers Nursery.