Wildflower Wednesday: Euphorbia pulcherrima

I've been thinking about herbaria for several weeks now, ever since I went to an all day seminar put on by the Indiana Native Plant and  Wildflower Society (INPAWS) a few weeks ago.

A herbarium is a collection of plant specimens that have been pressed and preserved, flattened on to sheets of paper, with notations on where and when they were found. They provide a good historical record of

Wildflower Wednesday - Where There Are Flowers, There Are Insects

When I was studying horticulture in college, I was required to take a class in entomology.

Ick. Bugs.

It was a course I dreaded but the university decreed that I must learn about insects.

The professors who taught the course decreed that I must also have an insect collection to pass the class. However, they were sensitive to the seasons and only required you to collect 15 insects if you took

Wildflower Wednesday: Boltonia

Boltonia, a perennial flower native to the Eastern United States, grows in my garden in two places.

In the August Dreams Garden border, a named variety of Boltonia, Boltonia asteroides 'Snowbank' covered part of the high summer blooming border in mid-September.

In an area that I call The Shrubbery, Boltonia asteroides bloomed in mid-November where I never planted it.
Based on that, I called it

Nature's Garden

"Do the wildflowers speak to you--do they know you as a friend, or pass you by as an alien? Do you know their names--their language--their secrets?"

I know the wildflowers know my friend Gail of Clay and Limestone as a friend. She's our hostess for Wildflower Wednesday on the fourth Wednesday off the month, and that's today.

"Every lover of the beauties of Nature, every one who thrills to the

Wildflower Wednesday - Flowers in the Lawn

Pretty little mystery flower in the lawn

I've spent time the last three evenings on my hands and knees and sometimes on my butt planting bulbs for Glory of the Snow,  Chionodoxa gigantia (also known as Chionodoxa lucillia), in my back lawn.

I bought 1,000 bulbs of Glory of the Snow, which doesn't take as long as you might think to plant. I timed my first 300 bulbs.  40 minutes.  Not bad.  

How to Tame a Wildflower

How to tame a wildflower.

You can give it fancy leaves...



Heliopsis helianthoides 'Loraine Sunshine'


You can give it double flowers...



Heliopsis helianthoides '(Variety Name Forgotten*)'
You can let it play amongst the other flowers...



You can even banish it to the compost bin...


But you can never really tame it.

It will never really leave.

Once you let a wildflower into your

Wildflower Wednesday: Serviceberries

When thinking about "wildflowers", we should not forget the trees and shrubs.  They often offer not only flowers, but food and shelter for insects and birds alike and interest across many seasons.

In my garden, I've planted several serviceberries, Amelanchier sp., which are members of the Roseceae family.

The white blooms in early spring are not as showy as those of their relative the apple

The Theory of Seasonal Wildflowers

Dear Gail,

Thank you for providing us with Wildflower Wednesday on the fourth Wednesday of the month, reminding us to think about wildflowers for our gardens.

While I was out mowing today, I thought about wildflowers and what I might post about them.  I mowed past some Black-eye Susans (Rudbeckia sp.) and considering posting about them.



Black-eyed Susans

Then I saw the big Joe Pye Weed (

Wildflower Wednesday: Garden Fairies Threaten

Please include more wildflowers and native plants in your garden. Chosen well, these plants, more so than many others, seem to survive, if not thrive, in a wider range of weather extremes.

In my own garden, the black-eyed Susans, Rudbeckia hirta, anchor one end of a new garden border designed and planted with mostly native plants that bloom in late summer. I believe...

Garden fairies here!

Wildflower Wednesday: Goldenrod

Goldenrod?  In my garden? A prized plant? Ha!

Ten years ago, if someone had suggested to me that one of my most prized perennials would be a goldenrod, I would have laughed.  What foolishness.

Goldenrod, after all, is a fall weed, often found along the roadsides out in the country, "wherever fine weeds grow".

I'm sure glad back then I didn't bet anyone that I'd never plant goldenrod in my

Wildflower Wednesday: On The Brink Of Wild

We have reached the days of summer when we can catch a glimpse, if we squint into the glare of the hot sun, at what our gardens could become if we left them alone to fend for themselves.

Because we are leaving them alone, or at least I am.

Driven indoors on hot days when every dog, cat, and rabbit seeks out the shade from mid-morning on, I watch from the windows to see weeds take root and

Wildflower Wednesday: Wing Haven

I really don't think I can do an adequate job of describing Wing Haven, the nearly three acre garden of Edwin and Elizabeth Clarkson, who lived down the street from Elizabeth Lawrence  in Charlotte, North Carolina.

For me, Wing Haven started out as the place to go to pay the entry fee to visit Elizabeth Lawrence's garden. 

When we had finished visiting Elizabeth Lawrence's garden, if one can

Wildflower Wednesday: Overheard in the Garden

On the fourth Wednesday of the month, we are all invited by Gail of Clay and Limestone to post about wildflowers for Wildflower Wednesday. Gail  organized this garden bloggers' meme to help promote planting wildflowers in our gardens and avoiding the use of pesticides so that pollinators and other insects can enjoy the flowers without harmful chemicals.

For this month's Wildflower Wednesday post

Class is now in session for Wildflower Wednesday - Wild Petunia

Wild Petunia, Ruellia humilis

"Good morning, class."

"Good morning, Miss Horters."

"Now class, I hope you all remembered that today we are having a very special Show & Tell for Wildflower Wednesday, which is always on the 4th Wednesday of the month".

"Yes, Miss Horters, we remembered," said the class in unison.

"Miss Horters?"

"Yes, Judy?" 

"Miss Horters, Carol brought in a garden fairy

Wildflower Wednesday: I watch with interest

I am watching the flowers in my August Dreams Garden border with interest. This area is filled with mostly native plants, though some are named varieties of native plants.

What has captured my attention is early blooms. So far  the hybrid goldenrod, Solidago hybrida 'Little Lemon'  has bloomed early.   My other goldenrod, the rare Solidago shortii  'Solar Cascade' is loaded with flower buds.

Wordless Wildflower Wednesday, with garden fairies

Heliposis helianthoides 'Helhan', trade name Loraine Sunshine

Garden fairies here.  We are garden fairies and we do not care that Carol made this a combined "wordless" and "wildflower" post just because Wildflower Wednesday occurs on the same day of the week as Wordless Wednesday.

We've got something to say about Loraine Sunshine. Yes, we do.  See all those green leaves behind Loraine's

Wildflower Wednesday: Monarda

Monarda ‘Petite Delight’ has a few things to get off her petals. Management at May Dreams Gardens is not responsible for nor necessarily agrees with the statements and opinions of this plant.

“Hello… is this keyboard working? It is? Okay. Well now, we, Monarda ‘Petite Delight’, have just a few things to say.

First of all, we were totally, unjustly and without second thought passed over for

Wildflower Wednesday - Court is now in session

Court is now in session!

Ladies and gentleman of the jury of the Superior Court of Gardening Crimes, have you reached a verdict?

Your honor, we have! 

We find this flower, Hemerocallis fulva, which also goes by the alias "ditch lily" and occasionally "tiger lily", guilty on the count of proliferating itself throughout the country making it appear to be a native wildflower.  The evidence is

Wildflower Wednesday Interloper

Columbine Meadow-rue with Columbine

On the right in this picture, does everyone recognize the red and yellow flowers of Aquilegia canadensis, a native columbine?

On the left in this picture, does everyone recognize the purple flowers of the Wildflower Wednesday interloper, Thalictrum aquilegifolium, a non-native flower known as Columbine Meadow-Rue?   It's from Eastern Europe/Asia.

I

Wildflower Wednesday: A Wildflower Secret

Lean in real close if you want in on a wildflower secret.

Closer.

Now look behind you to make sure no one is reading over your shoulder.

After all, I wouldn’t want just anyone to find out this wildflower secret.

Then it wouldn’t be a secret.

Are you alone? Are you sure it’s just you reading this? Because if this secret gets out… well, we won’t let it get out. We’ll just keep it amongst