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Ray Allen, Founder of AmericanMeadows.com & The VT Wildflower Farm

Ray Allen's Meadow Gardening news for members of America's favorite wildflower seed site, AmericanMeadows.com



Friday, April 23

Tiny buds and hepaticas in bloom in Vermont. 

Even in Vermont, spring is showing up. Hepatica, the very early woodland flower, is now in bloom in our woods, but as always, it's all alone, among the old leaves and cold bare trees. I find the purple, pink and white flowers sort of tragic, seeming to waste their fresh beauty in a sea of bleakness. By the time the trees leaf out and the other flowers bloom, they'll be gone. But spring is coming. Soon even the coldest spots in Vermont will be enjoying daffodils, tulips and a sea of woodland wildflowers.

Wednesday, April 21

Seattle in full bloom 

I had the pleasure of visiting Seattle last week, and enjoyed the incredible flowering trees and shrubs the northwest is famous for. In that region, the rhododendron blooms are supersized, the azaleas seem even more brilliant than elsewhere, and the variety of spring flowering trees and shrubs is amazing. What a show!

Friday, April 9

Texas Treat right now. 

What a pleasure!! Our friend, Katie Sherrod, a well-known Texas journalist, has sent a current Bloom Report, written specially for members of AmericanMeadows.com. It's a journal of her recent trip into the Texas Hill Country to "chase the flowers"...something Texans do during their big bloom of wildflowers every April. It's one of the biggest, best displays of native color anywhere in the world. Read all about it now. Katie Sherrod's Bloom Report: "April in Texas."

Tuesday, April 6

Meanwhile in the Tropics 

Member Sabine Randon reports from Miami that she and hundreds of others enjoyed the annual Orchid Festival last weekend at Miami's famous Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. (Temp: 82 degrees, sunny) This important show and sale features these "wildflowers of the tropics" in exhibits and sales by various growers from all over North, South and Central America. Sabine writes that she was able to add several real beauties to her patio collection.

Sunday, April 4

It's that time in Texas. 

Check out our new article on the homepage about Texas Wildflowers. And click the links in the upper right on this page to visit some really incredible sites showing the world-famous big bloom now in full swing in the Lone Star State.





Saturday, April 3

The South Bursts into Bloom. 

It's happening. The annual explosion of color as azaleas and dogwoods open for the incredible Southern Spring. Well-known botanical archivist Gerri Corson in South Carolina writes that the azaleas are about 80% in bloom in her area. That means the big bloom is happening everywhere. If you're in the South, consider yourself lucky to enjoy such a fantastic natural display every year. And did you know that many of those azaleas you're enjoying are wildflowers? In fact, the Great Smokey Mountains in NC and TN are the ancestral home of many of the major species. (The botanical genus name is Rhododendron, which tells you about another group of these incredible North American natives.) A true expert on these native flowers is Donald Hyatt who has created several websites showing the amazing variety of color amid the native stands in the southern mountains. Since they're at very high elevations, they're not in full bloom until late June, but it's not too early to visit Don's websites and enjoy the views. The photo at left is from one of his pages, which shows a true rainbow of natural hybrid azaleas at a mountain preserve called "Gregory Bald". Don has named this one "Salmon Ball." Take a look, and plan a trip for June!
Click for a visit to the Azalea Hybrid Swarm at Gregory Bald.

Thursday, April 1

Spring is arriving, even in Canada! 

Just heard from longtime member and noted naturalist Andrew Goodman up in Toronto, and he reports the crocus are up, even up there. Here comes spring!

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