December has been a stormy month in a lot of places. California was pounded with heavy rains and mountain snows, Atlanta experienced a white Christmas, many areas near the Great Lakes were buried in lake effect snow, and now a raging nor'easter is pounding the New England area. Burlington, Vermont appeared to have missed the storm but in the last hour or two, we have been pounded by heavy snow, howling north winds, blizzard conditions and a wind chill of well below zero Farenheit. It looks like we'll end up getting several inches of snow (though mostly piled in drifts) but nothing like what is happening closer to the coast.
It's important to enjoy the stark beauty of winter, but it is also important to remember that spring is waiting on the other side of it. In the midst of all this cold, and with the dead of winter still ahead of us, it seems like a good time to think about flowers. So, below are a few plants native to the northeastern United States that do well in rain gardens.
Iris versicolor - blue flag iris - photo from
Sylvania Natives in Squirrel Hill
