As temperatures soar into the 70s in early March, and spring bulbs already made an appearance in February — unusual for an Iowa winter — a friend of Homegrown Iowan asked how to identify the variety of plants that have already pushed through the ground.
Some crocus are already in bloom, but for the most part, tulips and other bulbs just have foliage showing.
Here are several you might see in your own yard and gardens:
Iris grow from rhizomes, rather than bulbs, but can already be seen growing in Iowa. The foliage is flat and fan-shaped and sometimes takes the appearance of a ghost rising out of the ground. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Daylilies, which grow from a tuberous root system, also have fan-shaped foliage, but the leaves have a thicker appearance than iris and generally are seen a bit later than early spring bulbs in Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Tulips, which grow from bulbs, have foliage with a spiraled appearance when viewed from above. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Crocus, which grow from corms, are generally the earliest of the spring flowers to make an appearance in Iowa and have grass-like spiky foliage. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Known by a number of names including magic lilies, naked ladies and resurrection lilies, surprise lilies have thick foliage that grows in clumps and tends to become taller than other spring flowering bulbs. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Daffodils also grow from bulbs, with foliage a bit narrower and more upright than surprise lilies. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Related: Lilies bloom with delayed surprise
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