23 Spring Ephemeral Plants for Your Garden

Did you know that spring ephemeral flowers are those that bloom early in the season and then go dormant for the rest of the year? You may wonder why you should grow a plant that pops up for a quick spring display and then disappears again. There are, however, many excellent reasons that spring ephemeral flowers deserve a place in your landscape.

Spring ephemerals are flowering plants, and many have very showy leaves and floral displays. They are some of the first flowers to bloom each year, some even beginning to emerge in the middle of winter. You’ll frequently see their leaves first while the rest of your garden is still sleeping, shortly followed by a burst of floral energy. These early-blooming flowers add plenty of interest and curb appeal to your landscape and also attract early-season pollinators!

You can find common spring ephemeral bulbs, such as daffodils and crocuses, at your local garden center. There are, however, a vast number of spectacular native plants that also bloom early in the spring and add variety to your landscape. Since these plants go dormant shortly after their spring blooms, grow them alongside mid to late-season plants for year-long beauty. 

Whether you have sun or shade, dry soil or moist, you can find some spring ephemeral flowers that will grow in your landscape. Keep reading to learn more about 23 fantastic spring ephemeral flowers to give your landscape a yearly head start on the growing season!

Bellwort

Bellwort, also known as the large bellwort or large-flower bellwort, is native to central and eastern North America. Watch for it blooming in mid to late spring in many shaded landscape types with moist, well-drained soil. While these plants will spread by self-seeding and by rhizomes, the seeds need to be kept moist, so you aren’t likely to find them commercially available. 

Bellwort grows long upright stems lined with opposite leaves. The foliage has a somewhat broadly fern-like appearance and is quite attractive. At the end of each leaf-lined stem, a single flower blooms.

These flowers are pale yellow, with long petals arranged in a gracefully nodding bell-like manner. In ideal conditions, the leaves will persist throughout much of the summer, but these perennials frequently also go dormant early in the season, particularly in warmer and drier conditions.  

Bird-Foot Violet

	botanical name Viola pedata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4 – 8 inches
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

The bird-foot violet is related to the familiar purple and yellow violet species that many people consider weedy, but the bird-foot violet flowers have larger, more elongated petals and are often extremely showy with bright purple or bicolor flowers.

The leaves are deeply cut and delicate looking, somewhat resembling the footprint of a long-toed bird. Bird-foot violets would make a lovely and showy ground cover for your springtime garden. 

Bird-foot violet is not the easiest violet to grow at home, but it is well worth the effort if you can grow it successfully. It’s best grown in a naturalized woodland area with plenty of sunlight and acidic, very well-drained soil. It would make a stunning addition to a native plant garden, rock garden, or along a natural walkway. 

Bitterroot

	botanical name Lewisia rediviva
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3 inches
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

Bitterroot is a low-growing spring-blooming wildflower native to the western United States. You can find bitterroot growing naturally in scrub-sagebrush habitats and with gravelly, well-drained soil. Don’t allow your bitterroot to sit in wet soil, or the roots can quickly develop root rot.

Bitterroot is an excellent plant for a xeriscape garden with challenging growing conditions. It develops a deep taproot and can withstand harsh conditions and dry soil.

Over time, your bitterroot will spread by thick rhizomes, and you can easily propagate it by dividing them into multiple plants. The showy pink and white flowers look wonderful along borders and other corners of your garden where you need a bit of early spring color.

Bloodroot

	botanical name Sanguinaria canadensis
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 6 – 10 inches
	hardiness zones 3 – 8

Bloodroot welcomes the spring with showy, white, star-like flowers and highly ornamental leaves. This plant gets its name from the orange juice in the stems, leaves, and rhizomes.

The stems emerge directly from the ground, each with a single, deeply lobed leaf. A second stem then emerges from beside the leaf stem, this one bearing a solitary flower with anywhere from six to 18 pure white petals and a prominent yellow center. 

Bloodroot plants are native to rich, moist forests and natural areas throughout eastern and central North America. If you grow bloodroot in your shade garden, allow it to naturalize and form small colonies. They will make a beautiful early-season ground cover before going dormant by late spring. 

Crocus

	botanical name Crocus spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2 – 6 inches
	hardiness zones 3 – 8

Crocus flowers are a distinct hallmark of early spring. These little bulb-producing plants are readily available at most nurseries and garden centers for planting in early spring or fall. They will readily naturalize and come back reliably year after year in a sunny garden corner.

Since crocus are small and low-growing, place them along an edge or in an open rock garden where you will be sure to see their beautiful flowers before they go dormant for the summer.

Crocus plants have small clumps of thin, grass-like leaves, sometimes pure green, sometimes with a streak of white down the center vein. The flowers bloom singly atop leafless flowering stems. These flowers are relatively large and very showy in shades of white, purple, yellow, and bi-color.

If you find that squirrels are digging up your freshly planted crocus bulbs, cover the bulbs with a critter cage to keep the squirrels out until the plants start to grow on their own. 

Cut-Leaf Toothwort

	botanical name Cardamine concatenata
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 3 – 12 inches
	hardiness zones 3 – 8

Cut-leaf toothwort is a worthy plant for your woodland shade garden. This plant is relatively easy to grow and low-maintenance. Allow it to naturalize in a moist, shaded area where it can be seen and appreciated. The flowers will also attract native bees and other early spring pollinators. 

Cut-leaf toothwort can spread by self-seeding and rhizomes to form small colonies, but you won’t need to worry about it becoming invasive. It typically grows in small patches and makes an attractive spring ephemeral wildflower.

This is a low-growing plant with attractive leaves. The individual leaves are deeply cut and toothed, giving them a somewhat delicate appearance. The white flowers bloom in a small cluster atop a central stem for a brief flowering season. The entire plant then goes dormant shortly after flowering. 

Daffodil

	botanical name Narcissus spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8 – 30 inches
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

Daffodils are one of the most easily recognized spring-flowering ephemeral bulbs. These plants are native to Europe and Africa, are remarkably easy to grow, and will naturalize readily in most any conditions.

Their bold grass-like leaves are some of the first greenery to appear each season, and their flashy flowers are beautiful and bright yellows, oranges, and creamy white. As a bonus, deer and rabbits won’t bother your daffodils, so you won’t need to worry about protecting them from wildlife. 

Daffodils are readily available as bulbs that can be planted in either fall or early spring. They will thrive in both full sun and partial shade and appreciate well-drained soil. Over time, clumps will spread to form large colonies. If you end up with more daffodils than you want, simply dig out the extra bulbs and pass them along to someone else. The bulbs are very easy to thin, divide, and transplant.

Dutchman’s Breeches

	botanical name Dicentra canadensis
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 3 – 5 inches
	hardiness zones 4 – 7

Dutchman’s breeches is a wildflower native to the forests of eastern North America. It is relatively easy to grow in a shaded woodland garden with consistently moist but well-drained soil. Use it in a native plant garden, pollinator garden, or shade garden. 

In late winter and early spring, the dainty, fern-like leaves of the Dutchman’s breeches emerge alongside other spring ephemerals. They typically have slightly pink-tinted stems and finely cut, almost frilly-looking leaves. The nodding, white, heart-shaped flowers are arranged in an alternating pattern along a leafless flowering stem. These flowers are very unique and very showy. 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

	botanical name Arisaema triphyllum
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 12 – 30 inches
	hardiness zones 4 – 9

One of the more distinctive flowering perennials of spring woodlands throughout eastern North America is the Jack-in-the-pulpit plant. In early spring, keep an eye out for its trio of large, bright green leaves emerging from the ground on long stems. Between leaf stems, watch for the unique Jack-in-the-pulpit flower.

This hooded vase-like flower has a large spadix (that’s “Jack” in his “pulpit”). Fertilized flowers produce a mass of large, bright red berry-like fruits that linger on the plant well into the summer, even after the leaves go dormant.

Jack-in-the-pulpit is an easy-to-grow native wildflower. It makes a wonderful addition to your shade garden, native plant garden, or pollinator garden. Grow it alongside some other shade-loving perennials in rich, moist, well-drained soil. Don’t try to eat any part of this plant, however, as the entire plant is poisonous to humans and adventurous pets that might try to ingest it.

Large-flowered Trillium

	botanical name Trillium grandiflorum
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 1 – 3 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

The large-flowered trillium, also known as the white trillium produces beautiful, showy white flowers each spring. Trilliums develop distinctive sets of three leaves whorled around upright stems that emerge directly from the ground. In the center of each set of leaves, large, three-petaled flowers open to attract plenty of attention from humans and pollinators alike. 

Trilliums are relatively easy to grow as long as you can provide favorable conditions. Since these plants are adapted to moist woodlands throughout eastern North America, they will perform best in a shaded garden with rich, consistently moist, well-drained soil.

Allow them to naturalize, and you will enjoy an annual early spring display of an ever-spreading mass of showy leaves and flowers. Large-flowered trilliums go dormant by early summer.

Mayapple

	botanical name Podophyllum peltatum
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 1 – 1.5 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 8

Mayapple is a familiar woodland wildflower of eastern North America. It grows in a variety of woodlands and along shaded corridors and edges. One of the earliest plants to break dormancy in the spring, the large, umbrella-like leaves are a welcome sight.

Mayapples have beautiful, showy white flowers that appear singly under the leafy umbrellas, so you might not see them immediately. After flowering, mayapples develop a found fleshy fruit that ripens to yellowish-green by summer.

Mayapples can grow into vast colonies, but they don’t become invasive. Allow them to naturalize, and they will stay within a lush green patch that disappears completely by mid-summer as the plants go dormant. Grow them in a woodland garden with moist, well-drained soil. Unripe fruits, leaves, stems, and roots of this plant are highly poisonous, so despite its name, it’s best not to eat any part of a mayapple. 

Oregon Fawn Lily

	botanical name Erythronium oregonum
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 1 – 1.5 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

Gardeners along the West Coast and in the Pacific Northwest can enjoy the Oregon fawn lily in their woodland gardens. This elegant wildflower is native to the Pacific coast, from California north to Alaska. It grows in open woodlands with rich, moist, well-drained soil.

The Oregon fawn lily emerges in early spring and is one of the first flushes of spring wildflowers to grace the forest floor. Purple and green mottled leaves are the first to show themselves, soon followed by single flowering stems. The flowers are showy, white, six-petaled stars that bloom for just a few weeks before the plant goes dormant again for the rest of the year. 

Red Trillium

	botanical name Trillium erectum
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 0.75 – 1.5 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 7

If you’re looking for an extremely showy plant for your springtime woodland garden, check out the red trillium. This beautiful wildflower is native to central and eastern North America. A spring hike through many moist upland forests will reveal many spring ephemeral wildflowers, including several spectacular species of trillium. 

You can grow red trillium in a shaded woodland garden with rich, moist, well-drained soil. Watch for the three broad, whorled leaves to emerge in late winter or early spring.

The three-petaled flowers are deep red or maroon and are borne on a short stem directly from the center of the leaf stalk. These unique plants put on a beautiful show but then quickly go dormant again, resting underground until the following spring.

Round-lobed Hepatica

	botanical name Hepatica americana
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 6 – 9 inches
	hardiness zones 3 – 8

The round-lobed hepatica is a spring-blooming perennial native to eastern North America. It inhabits many woodlands and is commonly found in rich, moist soils of upland forests. You can easily grow round-lobed hepatica and a similar species, the sharp-lobed hepatica (H. arutiloba) in a moist, shaded garden setting.

In the warmer parts of its range, round-lobed hepatica starts blooming in early spring, while in cooler areas, it will bloom in mid to late spring. The emergence of its glossy, three-lobed leaves will let you know that this plant is ready to put on a show.

The delightful pale purple flowers of the round-lobed hepatica will attract plenty of attention, as well as early-season pollinators. Depending on sunlight and soil moisture, these plants may go dormant anytime between mid to late summer.

Rue Anemone

	botanical name Thalictrum thalictroides
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 4 – 8 inches
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

Rue anemone is native to eastern North America where it grows in moist woodlands with plenty of shade. This early spring wildflower will readily spread by self-seeding to form beautiful clusters. Grow some rue anemones in a woodland garden or partially shaded border for a bit of welcome springtime beauty.

Rue anemone has attractive lobed foliage that forms rounded basal clumps. The dainty flowers are attractive to early springtime pollinators. Flowers are commonly either pure white or pale pink with delicate yellow stamens. Enjoy the rue anemone while you can because the entire plant goes dormant by mid-summer and won’t appear again until the following spring.

Shooting Star

	botanical name Primula meadia
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 1 – 2 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

Shooting star, also known as eastern shooting star, is a spectacular spring-blooming wildflower native to the central and eastern United States. You can find it growing in moist meadows, prairies, and open woodlands. There are some other species of shooting stars native to different regions of North America, but this species is the most widespread.

Shooting stars awaken in early spring and send out a basal rosette of oblong, rounded leaves. By mid-spring, long flowering stems rise well above the leaves. Each stem is topped with a loose umbel of uniquely shaped flowers.

These flowers may be white or pink and have a distinctive appearance, like a downward-pointed shooting star. All parts of the plant will die back by mid-summer. This would make a wonderful plant for a partly sunny woodland garden or moist pocket prairie.

Spring Beauty

	botanical name Claytonia virginica
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 3 – 6 inches
	hardiness zones 3 – 8

Spring beauty flowers are common and widespread throughout the moist woodlands of eastern North America. These plants emerge very early each spring, starting with their thin, grass-like leaves. Delicate pink and white five-petaled flowers grace the woodland floor with a dash of color. 

You can easily start a spring beauty colony along a woodland margin or anywhere in a shade garden. In ideal conditions, spring beauty plants will multiply by bulb offsets and by self-seeding.

They will perform best in average to rich, well-drained soils that stay somewhat moist. Plants will go dormant by mid-summer and can easily be grown among an assortment of more persistent woodland plants for year-round interest.

Starflower

	botanical name Ipheion uniflorum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3 – 16 inches
	hardiness zones 5 – 9

The starflower, also called spring starflower, is an easy-to-grow bulb native to South America. It is hardy to zone 5 and grows well in just about any garden setting, provided you have well-drained soil. These plants will naturalize easily and come back reliably each spring, year after year. 

Starflower plants grow from bulbs. The flowers can appear singly or in small clusters on thin, leafless stalks. Each flower is pale purplish-blue with a yellow center and typically has six petals.

The mildly fragrant flowers will attract some early pollinators and would be a lovely addition to a rock garden, border, or garden edge where you can see and appreciate them before they go dormant in mid-summer. 

Trout Lily

	botanical name Erythronium americanum
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 4 – 6 inches
	hardiness zones 3 – 8

Hiking through a moist forest in early spring will yield many beautiful spring wildflowers. One of the more widespread species in eastern North American forests is the trout lily. You can grow these wonderful spring ephemeral wildflowers at home in a moist, shaded woodland setting with well-drained soil. 

Trout lily plants grow from small bulbs, and it may take a couple of years for transplanted bulbs to begin blooming. Watch for the six-inch, purple, and green dappled leaves to emerge in late winter.

The nodding, bell-like yellow flowers will be in full bloom by early to mid-spring. Early-season pollinators will visit this valuable source of nectar.

Virginia Bluebells

	botanical name Mertensia virginica
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 1.5 to 2 feet
	hardiness zones 3 – 9

Virginia bluebells are one of the more spectacular spring woodland wildflowers. They are native to central and eastern North America, where they are most commonly found in rich, moist woodlands, bottomland forests, and shaded thickets. You can grow them in a shade garden as long as it has rich, continually moist soil.  

As soon as the weather starts to warm in the spring, the broad leaves of Virginia bluebells start to emerge from their winter dormancy. These plants leaf out quickly and are ready to bloom in early to mid-spring.

The flowers appear in loose clusters of beautiful nodding bell-like flowers that change from pink buds to pale lavender-blue when fully open. Allow a group of Virginia bluebells to naturalize into a large colony for a truly amazing spring floral display. 

Wild Hyacinth

	botanical name Camassia scilloides
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1 – 3 feet
	hardiness zones 4 – 8

The wild hyacinth, also known as the eastern camas lily, is an early to mid-spring ephemeral wildflower native to moist woodlands and streambanks of central and eastern North America.

Grow it in full sun or light shade with medium moisture, well-drained soil. Wild hyacinths can take a few years to become established and may not bloom for the first few years after planting.

Wild hyacinth leaves are long and thin, somewhat resembling broad blades of glass. They emerge in early spring but go dormant again by early summer. The flowers bloom in mid-spring as a loose flowering stalk of up to 20 individual white, star-shaped flowers. Wild hyacinth grows from bulbs and can be easily propagated as the bulbs mature and spread. The flowers attract springtime pollinators. 

Wood Anemone

Within a few years, the wood anemone will form a loose colony, and you will have a seasonal ground cover. The fine green leaves fade away into dormancy by mid-summer.

At its peak, the wood anemone displays its dainty white blossoms. Each flower is pure white, with five petals, although you will sometimes encounter cultivars with more colorful pale pink and purple flowers.

Wood Sorrel

	botanical name Oxalis montana
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 3 – 12 inches
	hardiness zones 1 – 7

There are a number of interesting Oxalis species, including Oxalis montana, the native American wood sorrel, also known as sourgrass or wood shamrock. These plants grow naturally in moist woodlands and create a vibrant seasonal ground cover. They perform best with partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. 

Wood sorrel’s three leaflets look like shamrocks and are set singly atop thin stems emerging directly from the ground. The leaves of varying Oxalis species may be bright green, purple, or a combination of the two.

The native species of American wood sorrel has beautiful delicate pink flowers, while other species have flowers that include white, yellow, and varying shades of pink. Wood sorrels look lush and vigorous each spring, going dormant in early summer. 

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