Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea', Creeping Jenny, Primulaceae

Genus and species, cultivar:  
Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'
Common Name: Creeping Jenny
Family Name: Primulaceae

This is a creeping plant that grows into water. It has tiny yellow cup-shaped flowers and opposite leaves with wonderful golden color which die back in the winter. This plant is also good for baskets and containers.

Photos taken March 28, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Lamprocapnos spectabilis, Bleeding Heart, Fumariaceae

Genus and species:  
Lamprocapnos spectabilis
Common Name: Bleeding Heart
Family Name: Fumariaceae


This plant can make HUGE shrubs, especially in the shade. They come in pink and white flowers. The pink flowered plants tend to have pinkish stems, while the white flowered ones are green.


Photos taken March 28, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Iberis sempervirens, Candytuft, Brassicaceae

Genus and species:  
Iberis sempervirens
Common Name: Candytuft,
Family Name: Brassicaceae

This is a so-called old-fashioned plant you may find in your grandmother's garden. The foliage looks a lot like Phlox subulata (conifer-like) and it always has white flowers. The flowers have four petals, though it looks like two. It is a full sun perennial, needs drainage, and is good for walls. It also has a nice long bloom time starting in mid-spring.

Photos taken March 28, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Geranium macrorrhizum, Bigroot Geranium, Geraniaceae

Genus and species:  
Geranium macrorrhizum
Common Name: Bigroot Geranium
Family Name: Geraniaceae

This plant likes part shade to full sun. It has very pungent foliage, a common flower with five petal, always with a bulge in the back where the ovary is. It gets to be about 6" tall and spreads by sending out large micro-rhizomes.


Photos taken March 28, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Erythronium hybrids & species, Trout Lily, Liliaceae

Genus and species:  
Euphorbia species & hybrids
Common Name: Trout Lily
Family Name: Liliaceae


This plant has very broad glossy foliage and little lily flowers. The flower parts are in threes. Native trot lilies have spotted leaves.


Photos taken March 28, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Euphorbia species & hybrids, Euphorbia, Spurge, Euphorbiaceae

Genus and species:  
Euphorbia species & hybrids
Common Name: Euphorbia, Spurge
Family Name: Euphorbiaceae

The flowers on this plant are really bizarre! The stigmas and stamens are separate and it has a basil bract that looks like bulb and flowers float off it.The stems, when snapped, release white sap that is caustic. The leaves are in a whorled arrangement. There are some variegated varieties of this plant which look really cool. The zones are very species dependent, the new ones are very finicky.

Photo taken March 28, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Epimedium species & hybrids, Barrenwort, Berberidaceae

Genus and species:  
Epimedium species & hybrids
Common Name: Barrenwort
Family Name: Berberidaceae

This herbaceous plant with vinelike stems with heart shaped flowers. It has an obtuse(uneven) leaf base with leaves that start out small and get big. It is a very tough perennial--good in dry shade though it prefers good garden soil and it's deer-tolerant.

Photo taken March 28, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Aquilegia alpina, Alpine Columbine, Ranunculaceae

Genus and species:  
Aquilegia alpina
Common Name: Alpine, Columbine
Family Name: Ranunculaceae


This plant has a very distinctive flower that is very violet-blue and has blue-green broad foliage.


Photos taken March 28, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Anemone blanda, Grecian Windflower, Ranunculaceae

Genus and species:  
Anemone blanda
Common Name: Grecian Windflower
Family Name: Ranunculaceae

This plant has lovely compound foliage that looks a bit like Eranthus, however the leaves are more fringed and lay atop longer pedecels. The flowers come in white/pink, and blue flowers that last a while. They close up when cloudy and nighttime and open up on sunny days.

Photos taken March 28, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens. 

Acorus gramineus 'Ogon', Variegated Sweet Flag, Acoraceae

Genus and species, cultivar:  
Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'
Common Name: Variegated Sweet Flag
Family Name: Acoraceae

This herbaceous plant looks like a grass, but isn't one. It spreads by rhizomes, has very pressed/flattened stems, and sends up little flower spikes. It's grown for its texture and grassy look.

Photos taken March 28, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Viola x wittrockiana, Viola/Pansy, Violaceae

Genus and species:  
Viola x wittrockiana
Common Name: Viola, Pansy
Family Name: Violaceae


Compared to pansies, violas always have a smalloer flower than pansies, more flowers, and are a bit more cold tolerant. Pansies are zygomorphic, meaning they have different sized petals (and 5 petals). They are edible. The foliage is compact, green, and if they have a purplish tinge it may be due to lack of phosphorus.

Photo taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Stachys byzantina, Lamb's Ear, Lamiaceae

Genus and species:  
Stachys byzantina
Common Name: Lamb's Ear
Family Name: Lamiaceae

A common perennial ground cover, this plant is drought tolerant and takes full sun. It has furry foliage and the flower stalks look like a big q-tip.

Photo taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Scilla siberica, Siberian Squill, Lilliaceae

Genus and species:  
Scilla siberica
Common Name: Siberian Squill
Family Name: Lilliaceae

This plant is native to Europe, and is extremely cold tolerant. It is the first to pop up in the garden, and similar to Chionadoxa forbesii, this plant has blue flowers with six petals. In comparison, however, it spatula shaped foliage.This plant also self sows itself.


Photos taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Narcissus hybrids, Daffodil, Amaryllidaceae

Genus and species:  
Narcissus hybrids
Common Name: Daffodil
Family Name: Amarylidaceae

They are what they are :) Coming in a yellow and yellow/orange combination, the main identifying feature is the shape, texture, and size of the trumpet to the flower petals.

Photo taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells, Boraginaceae

Genus and species:  
Mertensia virginica
Common Name: Virginia Bluebells
Family Name: Boraginaceae

I think we all can agree, the foliage of this plant looks like spinach with a bluish green and matte texture. The flowers on the plant bud in pink and turn blue as they open. It grows two feet in height and takes part shade.

Photos taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Leucojum vernum, Spring Snowflakes, Amaryllidaceae

Genus and species:  
Leucojum vernum
Common Name: Spring Snowflakes
Family Name: Amaryllidaceae

A European native, this plant has no cultivars. It blooms multiple little bell shape flowers with a green spot, and has star shaped foliage that looks a lot like that of a daffodil.

Photo taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens. 

Lamium

Genus and species:  
Lamium galeobdolon
Common Name: Yellow Archangel
Family Name: Lamiaceae

A European native, it is bigger than Lamium maculatum. It will root everywhere it touches the ground--it doesn't just seed, it scampers. The stems are square and have opposite leaves, as is characteristic of the Lamiaceae family. The leaves are triangular and silvery with a blotchy green center. It blooms little yellow flowers.


Genus and species:  
Lamium maculatum
Common Name: Spotted Dead Nettle
Family Name: Lamiaceae

This plant is a great ground cover with a shallow root system which makes it compatible with other deep-rooted growing plants. It takes part to full shade, has foliage that is quite small, and compared to Lamium galeobdolon, it never is yellow in flower.

Photos taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Iris reticulata, Reticulated Iris, Iridaceae

Genus and species:  
Iris reticulata
Common Name: Reticulated Iris
Family Name: Iridaceae

This flower parts are in threes and grows up to two feet tall then flops over. The leaves are square and pointy on top--kind of like the Washington Monument :) The petals stand straight up (called standards). They come in lavender, purple, and white.

Photo taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Hyacinthus orientalis, [Dutch] Hyacinth, Asparagaceae

Genus and species:  
Hyacinthus orientalis
Common Name: [Dutch] Hyacinth
Family Name: Asparagaceae

One of my favorite plants, it has an incredibly strong sweet fragrance. The bulbs are HUGE!!! And very toxic as well as purplish. They make people itchy. The foliage is spear-shaped and the plant itself has an obvious stocky condensed shape with waxy star-shaped florets on a fat center stem. The flowers come in purple, blue, red, and peach.


Photo taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Hellebore

Genus and species:  
Helleborus foetidus
Common Name: Bearsfoot Hellebore
Family Name: Ranunculaceae

The foliage is finely divided and tends to have leafy stalks. The flowers are much smaller than Helleborus x hybrida and are lime green. It also tends to form colonies mostly by seeding. The flowers and foliage also grow on different stalks.



Photos taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Genus and species:

Helleborus x hybridus
Common Name: Lenten Rose
Family Name: Ranunculaceae

This plants look a bit like Eranthus. It has a lot of stamens in big clusters. The flowers and foliage grow on different stalks. The flowers come in mauve, cream, and deep purple. This plant is deer-resist and one of the most hardiest perennials there are.

Photos taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Eranthis hyemalis, Winter Aconite, Ranunculaceae

Genus and species:  
Eranthis hyemalis
Common Name: Winter Aconite
Family Name: Ranunculaceae

This plant is a shade lover with long lasting foliage. The leaves are lobed with bright cup-shaped flowers that have six to seven petals.

Photos taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Cyclamen hederifolium, Hardy Cyclamen, Primulaceae

Genus and species:   
Cyclamen hederifolium
Common Name: Hardy Cyclamen
Family Name: Primulaceae

Native to Europe, this plant flowers in the fall, and foliage is in the spring and summer. It has dark green variegated leaves that are heart shaped leaves with a clump form, and when in bloom, the flowers are wing-like.

Photos taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Crocus species and hybrids, Crocus, Iridaceae

Genus and species:  
Crocus species and hybrids

Common Name: Crocus
Family Name: Iridaceae

Every heard of saffron? Well, this is where it comes from! The exact genus and speices of the Saffron Crocus is Crocus sativus. The foliage is a dead give away for identification. It has a white stripe down the middle and ends in a point. The flowers contain six petals and come in a variety of colors including yellow, purple, and white with purple.

Photo taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.

Chionadoxa forbesii, Glory-of-the-Snow, Asparagaceae

Genus and species:  
Chionadoxa forbesii
Common Name: Glory-of-the-Snow
Family Name: Asparagaceae

Genetically close to another plant we'll cover down the line, Siberian Squill, this plant has narrow leaves and one or two flowers. The flowers are blue with a white center.

Photos taken March 14, 2012 at Virginia Tech in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens.