Pulsatilla

Pulsatilla vulgaris, the pasque flower, is one of the earliest and most beautiful perennials to emerge on Martha's Vineyard each spring, its silky purple or white flowers pushing through the still-cool sandy soils of sunny, well-drained rock gardens and border fronts in late March and April. It thrives in the lean, alkaline-to-neutral, perfectly drained conditions found in the gravel gardens and terraced stone borders of coastal properties throughout Edgartown and Vineyard Haven, where sharp drainage is essential to preventing root rot during the wet shoulder seasons. The feathery seed heads that follow bloom are themselves ornamental, persisting through early summer with a silvery, windswept quality that captures the island's maritime character naturally.

Deer resistance is strong. Estate Care professionals incorporate pasque flower into early-season rock garden and stone terrace plantings where the very first color of the island's landscape year is a design priority.