Our Missouri Yard – April 2026
/A lot was happening in my yard in April – beyond the planting of the native plants in my front flowerbed.
Early in the month was the maximum bloom time for dandelions, violets, fragrant sumac and daffodils.
A week or so later the crested iris and columbine were blooming.
The Kousa dogwood (Asian) and false shamrock Oxalis trangularis (South American) were also blooming.
The irises bloomed in several places in the yard. I cut some of them and enjoyed creating some macro images.
The Missouri evening primrose near my mailbox that was planted last spring is growing well – but not yet blooming. Once it starts it will probably have a lot of flowers.
The Virginia Creeper is looking good as the groundcover in my front flower bed.
I planted two more native plants near the end of the month: a red buckeye that I got from a Master Naturalist friend to replace the one that froze (and was killed) a few weeks before) and a smooth sumac that I picked up as a give away from a table at the Earth Day Music Festival in Springfield.
The American spikenard that I see from my office window is on its third season and is almost as tall as me. It dies back to ground level in the winter (i.e. it is not a woody plant) but the roots get more substantial as time goes by and it has been bigger every year I’ve had it.
I’m pleased with the way the yard is shaping up for 2026!
