On a walk with my family at Glenwood Gardens, I witnessed two more signs that spring is fast approaching: a cornelian cherry tree (Cornus mas) and snowdrops (Galanthus sp.) were both in bloom along the Garden Loop Trail, bringing color and contrast to the landscape. While both are non-native to North America, they have been used by home gardeners and landscape designers for many years to add visual interest to landscape beds that are otherwise brown during the shoulder season between winter and spring. The flowers of Cornus mas are yellow like the forsythia shrub, but appear much earlier in the year.

Snowdrops especially tend to naturalize through the landscape, giving an impression of native wildflowers by their scattered distribution. In an average winter, it’s not an unusual sight to see them in full bloom, poking through a layer of snow.

 

 

Go explore your Great Parks to see what other signs of spring you might find!

Dan Shaw, Operations North District Superintendent