Tag Archives: #nativeplants

Skunk Cabbage Doesn’t Get Enough Respect

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What ephemerals can expect to see in our forests now?

Last week, bloodroot (Sanguinaria), took center stage, but another spring ephemeral flowers even earlier: Eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus).

This fascinating plant often flowers in late February, the first of the spring ephemerals to bloom in Maryland’s Piedmont Region.

Photo by Alan Cressler, LBJWC.
Though a native plant, skunk cabbage can still grow aggressively as this patch in Virginia demonstrates.

Found in wetlands and along streambanks, this native plant evolved during the Cretaceous period, 145 to 66 million years ago, when dinosaurs were at their peak.

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Don’t Despair, Ephemerals Are on the Way

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After this winter’s snow, ice and freezing temperatures, the thought of spring ephemerals pushing their way through the ground brings hope.

These plants emerge in woodlands as the forest floor begin to warm but before trees’ leaf out.

Photo by Doug Sherman, LBJWC.

One of the first harbingers of spring, these hearty souls gather energy from the sun in early spring; it must last them for the remainder of the year since their blooms disappears before many people even notice them.

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2026 Philadelphia Flower Show

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Set to Open at the End of Feb.

This year’s Philadelphia Flower Show celebrates the nation’s 250 anniversary with a show titled “Rooted: Origins of American Gardening.”

The show opens to the public from Sat., Feb., 28 to March 7, from 10 am to 8 pm. Hours on Sun., March 8, are 10 am to 6 pm. The show will be held in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St. Philadelphia, PA.

Susan Cohan’s exhibit “Kindred Spirit: Martha Brookes Hutcheson & Merchiston Farm” honors the work of Hutcheson who was a landscape architect more than 100 years ago. Hutcheson championed the use of native plants and blurred the lines between agriculture and gardens.
Susan Cohan’s exhibit “Kindred Spirit: Martha Brookes Hutcheson & Merchiston Farm” honors the work of Hutcheson who was a landscape architect more than 100 years ago. Hutcheson championed the use of native plants and blurred the lines between agriculture and gardens.

Members may attend the show on Members’ Preview Day,  Fri., Feb. 27 from noon to4:00 pm, and one hour early from Feb.  28 to March 8 (9 to 10 am) in addition to the hours that it is open to the public.

Wondering what this year’s show will feature? Here is a sampling:

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