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Sunday - February 01, 2009

From: Cleveland, OH
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Herbs/Forbs
Title: First wildflower to bloom in Madison Ohio
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

What is the first wildflower to bloom in spring in Madison, Ohio 44057. Is it the snowdrop?

ANSWER:

At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, we are committed to the use, protection and propagation of plants native to North America and to the area in which they are being grown. We have no information in our Native Plant Database on Galanthus nivalis, snowdrop, because it is a native to a large area of Europe.  It is a small bulb which has apparently naturalized in your area, but since we have no information also on other plants there that might bloom sooner or later, we can hardly address your question. However, you might try contacting the Ohio State University Extension Office in Painesville, OH. This is probably something they have been asked before, and surely they are more familiar with the plant population in your area. Or, you might try the Native Plant Society of Northeast Ohio. although, since the snowdrop is not a native plant, it follows that, by definition, they won't have the information, either. However, they are plant people and gardeners, and might well have the answer on the tip of their tongues. 

 

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