Ephemeral means “lasting for a short time.” In the context of plants, here in Michigan, our ephemerals grow mostly in the woods. They emerge in the early spring before the leaves have unfurled on the trees. And they begin to fade as the leaves cover the trees and block out the sun.
Other places have ephemeral plants too! Take a place like Death Valley, California, one of the hottest places on earth in the summer. If winter and spring have afforded the area with enough rainfall, lots of seeds will germinate to put on a floral show, sometimes even causing a “super bloom.” These plants are mostly annuals that produce a lot of seeds that end up back in the seed bank as the hot temperatures arrive and wait until conditions are right for germination and growth again. Those plants are around for just a short time and are considered ephemerals. Pretty cool, right?
So basically, plants in certain areas have evolved to take the best advantage of a limited resource, whether it be water or sunshine .
The important thing to know about our Michigan ephemerals is that most, if not all of them, do need sunlight if they are going to grow their best. They are adapted to take advantage of the spring light to flower and send energy to their roots or corms before they senesce and wait underground for spring conditions again.
It is important for the buyer of ephemeral plants to think this through before placing their plants. For example, I have a spot behind my garage where the shade comes from the garage, not from the leaves of trees. This is a place that can definitely have certain shade plants growing there, but it’s not the best for ephemerals. They may either not flower, or flower very sparsely. If they don’t get enough light, they also can’t support their roots which need the energy to be underground for the rest of the year and grow the next spring. Plants with corms, in particular, would be at risk for disappearing since the energy comes out of the corm in order for the plant to grow. The corm shrivels and new ones are formed every year. Without enough light, the new corms may be smaller and smaller.
The springtime ephemeral show is something I’m always grateful to see. I also enjoy having them in my own yard and hope you will too. Just take care in where you decide to plant them. Not all shade is equal!
Another important consideration is soil. Most ephemeral plants like moist, rich soil. They grow under trees that drop their leaves in the fall building a leaf layer that shades the soil beyond what the trees do, provide nutrients back to the soil, and encourage the growth of fungus that supports the whole ecosystem.
Ephemerals we sell include: Trillium, Spring Beauty, Dutchman’s Breeches, False Rue Anemone, Cutleaf Toothwort, Wild Leeks, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Shooting Star, and Virginia Bluebells.
A few we are hoping will grow for us include: Rue Anemone, Wood Anemone, Wild Hyacinth, and Marsh Marigold.