PERIWINKLES, HYACINTHS AND LILIES

     Periwinkle vines, grape hyacinths and lilies-of-the-valley are adaptable, cultivated flowering plants in the United States that have much in common.  They are all planted perennials that have lovely flowers in April and spread readily from where they were planted, as if they are wild flowers.   

     All these plants have beautiful, interesting blossoms, which is why they are abundantly planted on lawns and in flower gardens.  

     Periwinkles, or Myrtles, for example, are a native, sprawling ground cover that helps halt soil erosion and provides shelter for small wildlife, including a large variety of invertebrates.  

     This ground-hugging vine produces several purple blooms, each one with five petals.  The bases of those petals together form a star shape in the middle of the flower they create.  Each intriguing blossom resembles a one-inch pinwheel that almost seems to spin in the wind. 

     Grape hyacinths are originally from Eurasia, but abundantly planted in America.  Each grape hyacinth plant has grass-like leaves and a stacked cluster of attractive, purple, bell-like flowers, with an opening in the bottom of each one, where they are pollinated by small insects and where the seeds fall out and scatter on the wind.  The blooms' coloring and tight arrangement on each plant liken them to a bunch of grapes.  

     Grape hyacinths really have a wayward streak because I see multitudes of these plants dominating flower gardens, and creating many patches of themselves on lawns and along roadsides.  And I have seen an occasional field covered with the purple of grape hyacinth plants.  But, wherever they sprout, their flowers beautify that habitat, as would native, woodland wildflowers.

     Lilies-of-the-valley are native to Eurasia, but planted widely in the United States for their lovely sweet-smelling flowers that are white mostly, but pale-pink on some plants.  Each plant has a few broad leaves and a cluster of small, bell-like blossoms, each with its petal tips turned up and out.  We can almost hear those lovely, bell-like blooms tinkling softly in the wind by late April, into May. 

     By late-summer, these little lily plants sport small, red berries, loaded with seeds, where tiny insects pollinated the flowers.  The tiny seeds blow around in the wind, spreading this attractive kind of plant across flower gardens.

     Lilies-of-the-valley don't spread quickly, but they do move across gardens and lawns, bit by bit, year after year.        

     The unique blossoms of these domestic plants, that have features in common, add beauty to flower gardens, lawns, roadsides and fields in the United States.  They add to the joy and inspiration of many a person's day in April and May.