If you have walked in nature in early spring when the snow was almost gone you might have noticed small to medium sized plants with green leaves. Some are well-known, such as Labrador tea, whereas others are lesser known because of their small size or location.
Many of these plants are actually evergreen shrubs. Bog laurel, bog rosemary, leatherleaf and Labrador tea are all evergreen shrubs that grow in bogs or wet areas. Bunchberry, bearberry and low cranberry or lingonberry are also evergreen shrubs growing in the forest or at the edge of the forest. Then there are the evergreen perennials, primarily several species of wintergreen.
These evergreen plants tend to have small thick leathery leaves, which help to keep them from drying out in the cold and wind. Labrador tea has fine hairs on both the top and underside of leaves for the same purpose. The evergreen leaves can begin photosynthesis as soon as they are exposed to sunlight, giving them an early start that allows them to bloom early and use the rest of the summer to ripen seeds.
These are all tough, hardy plants that can be grown in the garden if you can provide the right conditions. Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), and bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) are available at some nurseries.
Plants can also be transplanted from the wild if you keep several things in mind. They tend to have an extensive root system, and are often connected by underground stems, so you need to remove a small clump from the edge of a larger plant. You want the newer growth with a good supply of roots, and you want to ensure that the parent clump is not damaged and can continue to grow. These plants are not endangered, but you do not want to remove the entire clump of plants. Take note of where the plants are growing, amount of light, moisture and soil type, and try to provide the same conditions in your garden.
If you do not want to go in the bush trowel in hand there is a large-leaved evergreen perennial that is readily available wherever perennials are sold. Heart-leaved bergenia, Bergenia cordifolia, grows up to 18 inches in height. The plant has large shiny, leathery leaves and produces dark pink flower clusters in spring. It slowly forms a clump, spreading by short rhizomes, or underground stems. Bergenia is fully hardy and will grow in ordinary soil in part shade or full shade, and even in full sun if it receives sufficient moisture.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see a green plant in the perennial garden emerging from the snow?
