Homegrown: Wildflowers

 

 

 

The will be the third of a five-part series of articles entitled Homegrown. The series of articles focus on great plant marriages, the single bulb, seedlings and little sprouts, wildflowers, and wise old trees.

 

If you take a walk in some of the nearby wooded areas in the Delaware Valley, usually located near a stream, you may see Jacob’s ladder, spiderwort, wild hyacinth, trillium, ferns, Jack in the pulpit, wild phlox, celandine poppies, lily of the valley, violets, and wild columbine. Reach out and touch the fabulous looking purple and green skunk cabbage that line the water’s edge. During the hot summer, drive down a country road and spot yellow fields by the road and through the trees. It sometimes looks as though yellow sunshine had been poured into green forest. A massive field of goldenrod demands the eye. Or notice a field of orange daylilies or white daisies. All of these natural and wild beauties are considered wildflowers.

 

Wildflowers include all uncultivated flowering plants. Their less formal nature is very appealing. Many people now plant wildflower gardens. You can plant such a garden by using cans of premixed seed containing mixtures that cater to your specific environment. But read the package carefully because many pre-packaged wild flowers will only have you watching weeds.  It’s inevitable that some weeds will appear along with the wildflowers, and at first, it will be difficult to tell them apart. You should observe the first seeds to germinate and watch for the identifying green foliage. Weed out the grass and be highly suspicious of any plant that begins to grow much faster than the rest, and could possibly get out of control.

 

Observe their growth and tend to their needs. After a while, they will grow wonderfully and naturally. As named, wildflowers have wild characteristics. They have natural advantages over cultivated plants; they are naturally hardy, usually self-sufficient, and almost as indestructible as weeds. Wildflowers are basically flowering plants that grow in their natural state with little interference from humans; they grow without anyone’s planning where they should be planted. Sound like anyone familiar? Let’s continue.

 

 

Wildflowers can be found in pastures, woodlands, wetlands, along beaches and roadways, and on rocky slopes. Most Pennsylvania wildflowers can be found growing throughout the state of Pennsylvania; and others naturally occur in only a few isolated locations. There are wildflowers that prefer wet conditions and can be used in a bog garden or on the edge of ponds or streams. A woodland or informal shade garden is probably the best option for a wooded site. If a site is sunny and dry, a meadow garden may be the best choice. The placement of wildflowers can be very formal, or can be grown in a naturalistic setting. Clusters or drifts of wildflowers are quite effective.