Winterthur, Delaware, is the legacy of Henry Francis du Pont, 1880-1969, American

Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania, is the legacy of Pierre S. du Pont, 1870-1954, American

 

The vernal flowers which appear first in late February in the mid-Atlantic are not natives. 

The natives flower in late March and even April.

 

All take advantage of open skies before the bushes begin to bloom and the trees to leaf when the sun recedes from them. 

None of these below is classified as native.

 

 

 

 

Winter aconite

 

 

Snowdrop varieties (Galanthus)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum)

 

 

 

Amur adonis

 

 

 

 

Variety of crocus

 

 

Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa forbesii) with petals up towards the sun; 

Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica) with petals towards the earth

 

Siberian Squill

 

 

 

 

Striped (Lebanon) squill (Puschkinia scilloides)

 

 

 

 

Periwinkle (Vinca minor)

 

 

Spring star (Ipheon)

 

 

 

 

 

varieties of Lenten Rose (Helleborus)

 

 

 

Common primrose (Primula vulgaris)

 

 

 

Varieties of daffodils

 

 

 

 

Italian windflower (Anemone apeninna) 

 

 

A young flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) in leaf among Italian windflowers 

 

 

 

Spanish bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica).

  Among the last of the non-native ephemerals to flower at Winterthur (late April/May), it comes into serious competition with the azaleas whose time is May.

 

 

In mid- or late March, the first colour to appear on a bush is the pink of Korean rhododendrons

 

 

 

In a month or 6 weeks more, the ephemerals will be done for the year. 

 

We will witness massive colours through the year and extravagant natural shapes.

Winter will come. We will fret a little.

In February the ephemerals will begin to flower again.

We will witness the flowering as if for the first time;

reminding ourselves, contented, that this did not occur not to content us 

even if none of this is for us.