Northern maidenhair fern

An exquisite, delicate spring bulb grown for its solitary, nodding, bell-shaped flowers, which are uniquely chequered in a chessboard pattern of purple and dusky pink (or, on white forms, a faint ghost of the same lattice) and held on slender stems over fine grey-green leaves. The pendent, snake's-head bells give it both its common name and its quiet, wild charm. Native across much of Europe (POWO, Kew), it is a treasured but much-declined wildflower of old damp meadows, and its decline is a real conservation concern, which makes it a genuinely good plant for naturalizing in moist grass to help restore a lost habitat. Two things are load-bearing: unlike most spring bulbs it wants soil that stays moist, even damp, and does not dry out, so it fails in hot, dry spots; and it is toxic if eaten, since the bulb and all parts contain alkaloids. It is also a valuable early nectar source for the first bumblebees of the year. Hardy across USDA zones 3a-8b, it carries the RHS Award of Garden Merit and is rated fully hardy (H5).

A native eastern North American spring ephemeral wildflower with pristine white 8-12-petaled flowers in early spring (often the first major forest-floor wildflower of the year) wrapped by a single rounded glaucous leaf. Disappears by midsummer to underground rhizomes. The red rhizome sap was historically used by Indigenous peoples as a dye and ceremonial paint.

Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis) is a vigorous, spreading native perennial of moist meadows, streambanks, and ditches across much of northern and central North America, grown for clean white cup-shaped flowers held over deeply cut, sharply toothed foliage in late spring and early summer. Be warned first: it spreads aggressively by underground rhizomes and can become a thug in a normal bed, running well beyond where you plant it and knitting into large colonies. That habit makes it an excellent plant for naturalizing a damp bank or filling a tough, contained spot, and a poor choice for a tidy mixed border where it will overrun quieter neighbors. Each flower carries five showy, petal-like white sepals around a boss of yellow stamens (the true petals are absent) on erect hairy stems to about 12 to 24 inches. It wants medium to wet soil in full sun to part shade and is hardy roughly from USDA zone 3 to 8.

A native evergreen fern of eastern North America that holds leathery dark green fronds through winter and provides ground-level songbird cover - ideal for shaded woodland slopes and erosion-prone banks.

A low, clump-forming native woodland violet of eastern North America, grown for its early spring blue-to-purple flowers with conspicuous white throats held over glossy, heart-shaped leaves. It does not run, but self-seeds freely - to the point of being weedy in rich, moist ground. A larval host for fritillary butterflies and a nectar source for early bees and butterflies; the leaves are high in vitamins A and C.

A diminutive native woodland iris forming spreading mats of low sword-shaped foliage topped briefly in spring by delicate light-blue flowers with bold yellow + white "crests" running down each fall. One of the most charming native perennials for partly shaded sites. Among the smallest native irises (6-9" tall) - works beautifully as a groundcover under deciduous shrubs + along path edges. ALL parts toxic (typical iris caveat).