Home Gardening With Wildflowers

Home gardeners are showing a new enjoyment for the beauty of wild native flowers. For many years, wild native species were all that home gardeners had to work with, and they were valued for their beauty and usefulness. After showier, more productive forms of plants were introduced, interest in the wild native species for the garden declined. As formal gardening spread, the growing of wildflowers for pleasure became almost a lost art.

Native wildflowers have begun to be brought back into home flower gardens not only for their beauty but also in order to save the species. Wildflower gardens have now become popular in areas where wild plants are threatened. The goldenrod is one native plant that can be a beautiful addition to the home garden, not to mention that it attracts bees and other beneficial insects to the garden.

The predicament of the native plant life in the United States has been recognized for quite some time by a few insightful people. These people have seen the forests cut down, cities built up, roads paved, bogs drained, reservoirs built, and with each new development the wild native plants have suffered decline. If the native wildflowers are to be saved, we must learn how to grow them once again, and perpetuate each species effectively. Few Americans realize how rapidly native plants are being destroyed. Since much of the country is still being developed, causing the extensive destruction of native habitats, there has been a boom of enthusiasm for the use of native plants in landscaping as a means of perpetuating the wild native species.

In fact, gardening with wild native species is becoming quite a trend in the United States. While helping to save the natural heritage, gardeners are getting a real enjoyment for the ornamental possibilities of the local plant life. For example, some gardeners use attractive small native trees such as flowering dogwood and redbuds to grace the lawns of their homes. Growing wildflowers can also be an enjoyable visual experience, adding to the other benefits of gardening with wild native species.

The selection of wildflowers from which a gardener can choose is nearly endless. Although a wildflower garden can include species from various areas, gardens made up of flowers native to their own area are more common. There are three ways for cultivating native wildflowers. One is to include them into an already existing natural habitat. Another is to introduce wildflowers into a garden of cultivated flowers to provide more variety. A third is to develop a garden of wildflowers with common habitat requirements, such as a woodland garden. A spring woodland wildflower garden in the eastern United States could include spring beauty, bloodroot, dutchman’s breeches, dwarf iris, hepatica, jack-in-the-pulpit, squirrel-corn, Virginia bluebells, trout lilies, and various kinds of trilliums. The butterfly pea and the wild Indian strawberry are also good flowers to grow in partially shaded woodland gardens. The continuous production of flowers and fruit throughout the summer are very pretty to see. 

The gardener chooses the type of wildflowers that best fits the garden area being worked with. In designing a wildflower garden, a gardener must also choose plants that are right for the condition of the land. Climate is important in deciding what plants can be grown in a given place. Such things as light, exposure, and the quality of the soil must also be considered. It is possible to create some type of wildflower garden in almost any kind of setting. The home gardener can create a good balance of species by selecting plants differing in heights, flower color, and blooming times.

In the past it was customary for gardeners to dig up wild plants and replant them in the garden. But with the native plants thinning, it may not be wise to dig up wild plants unless there is evidence that the area where the flowers are growing is going to be developed and the plants are likely to be destroyed. It’s best to either collect seeds from wild plants or purchase seeds (or plants grown from wild seeds). Gardeners collecting their own seeds should choose a sizable colony of plants and take only a small portion of the seeds, leaving most of them in the wild population for natural regeneration. As soon as possible after they have been collected, the seeds should be spread out on a newspaper to dry for a few days. Freshly collected seeds may be planted immediately, or they may be stored. The seeds of some species remain viable for many years. Most wildflower seeds will germinate better if they are stored in a refrigerator soon after collecting. They may be stored in envelopes, plastic baggies, or pill bottles. Gardeners need to label their collection accurately. Some seeds, like those of fleshy fruits, should be stored in sand in airtight containers in the refrigerator until the following spring. Some seeds need a time of cold to germinate, so alternating freezing and thawing can break down hard seed coats and immersing them in hot water will assist germination in other cases. Scratching or piercing the seed coats so that water can be absorbed will help some seeds.

Once the overall design of the garden has been laid out, the soil must be prepared. It is useless to scatter the seeds over an unprepared area and expect them to come up. As in any garden, the seeds must be sown in properly prepared soil. The soil should be able to stay moist and have good air circulation and drainage. If the soil is too sandy or clayey, some compost should be added to it. Most wildflowers grow best in neutral or slightly acid soils (pH 6.5-7.0), so it might be necessary to also add lime if the soil is too acidic, or garden sulfur if it is too alkaline.

Wildflower gardening is generally seen as low-maintenance gardening and this is often what attracts most gardeners with limited time on their hands. Many people think that wildflowers require little care, but if they are part of a backyard garden, they will need some maintenance. When new shoots appear in early spring, they should be fertilized. If plants look pale and weak in midsummer, they need to be fertilized again. Mulching between plants will keep down unwanted weeds, but it is important that the mulch not touch the garden plants, or they may begin to rot. The mulch keeps the soil from drying out. It may be necessary to water the wildflowers, particularly on sunny days, but it is just as important that they not be left wet overnight.

Experience will teach you what each kind of wildflower needs in the garden. For example, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers, and Queen Anne’s lace grow tall and spindly if grown in soil with high organic content. Butterfly-weed needs well-drained soil and will not tolerate mulching very well. Wild ginger, a North American herb that has two heart-shaped leaves, a single purple to reddish flower, and an aromatic root, needs soil that contains peat to help hold in moisture. Many native wildflowers have the ability to adapt to new surroundings, but selecting wildflowers that are native to the area often produces the best results.

For you getting depression. For you of “Hikikomori”. I think that I want to help the person in distress to slip out by staying indoors even a little. Please see many times, and acquire the hint which it slips out. Surely, it is possible to slip out on the outside.
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