The Rural Voice, 1994-05, Page 51Gardening
Planting a wildflower garden
by Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
Wildflowers have always been a
part of my family's gardens. My
grandmother used to have a
wildflower garden nestled along the
south wall of the house. She had a
tall lattice fence built to offer
dappled sunlight and in that long
narrow strip there was a wealth of
trilliums, ferns, holly, jack-in-the-
pulpits, dog toothed violets and
numerous others I can't remember
the names of.
Almost every flower is wild
somewhere. All of our glorious,
flashy blossoms started with a wild
counterpart. But as more attention
is paid to the wild counterparts they
are becoming threatened by their
popularity. Thus you may read a
disclaimer in some catalogues of
botanical species of bulbs that they
are cultivated, not pirated from the
wild thus jeopardizing the survival
of that species. It really has
become an important political issue
m some areas of the world and we
as gardeners can be careful not to
feed into the frenzy of collecting
threatened species for our own
private pleasure.
I have noticed more and more
attention paid by both the media
and home gardeners to our native
species. Wild flowers can enhance
our gardens and in fact add a
different dimension to our concept
of home gardens. Even in our own
small domain we let a few 1=-ge
clumps of Queen Anne's Lace
stand or the occasional Bull thistle
that attracts both butterflies and
then gold finches to the seed heads
(we carefully cut and burn what is
left of the thistle to keep the seed
from spreading too far afield).
We also had a handful of
volunteer white daisies sprout up in
the garden. Now the one tier of the
terrace is a cloud of white in June.
They make wonderful bouquets that
the children are more than welcome
to help themselves to, unlike other
blossoms in the garden. Most wild
flowers need no pampering and I
know what you will think about the
next addition. We have a lovely
clump of goldenrod growing in the
back of one garden. It is truly a
magnificent brilliant gold in August
and makes a wonderful backdrop
for the dark purple butterfly bush
that blooms about the same time.
So you see you can grow
wildflowers with a minimum of
care and design. But for the more
organized here are a few tips.
The first concern I had was
about the legality of transplanting
wildflowers to my back yard. (I am
In Ontario,
we have
legislation in place
to protect six
specific
endangered
species .. .
sure I have been told at one time or
another that it is illegal to dig or
pick Ontario's provincial flower,
the trillium.) In Ontario we have
legislation in place to protect six
specific endangered species of
which none are located in this part
of the province. There is a list of
threatened species and species that
are part of significant wildlife
areas. If you are interested you
may contact the Ministry of Natural
Resources for more information. I
believe we have some responsibility
here and should first look to more
appropriate sources for our
wildflowers than delicate habitat.
Companies like Aimers
appreciate the value of preserving
our native wildflowers and are
meeting the demand by offering a
wide selection of wildflower
mixtures for a variety of growing
conditions. While encouraging
people to enjoy these delicate
beauties they are also protecting
native species by offering cultivated
seed selections. We cannot keep
pirating plants from the wild. Too
little consideration of native habitat
leads to destruction of just what we
are trying to protect or propagate.
Before you set out with shovel in
hand there are some basic steps you
have to take to ensure some
success. There are many types of
wildflower gardens: shady
woodland, acid bog, dry open
meadow. So your first step is to
study the growing conditions for
the plant desired and offer similar
conditions in your yard. When I
think of wildflowers I immediately
think of trilliums, hepatica,
bloodroot and dutchman's breeches.
These all require a certain amount
of shade, moist soil conditions and
leafmold. Once you study the area
then you can start to duplicate the
conditions. Wildflowers need a
good supply of water as well as
good drainage. When you think
about it, nature gives the orchid a
hump of ground in the wet areas to
grow on so you too should be ever
considerate of the plant you want to
grow.
Once you have recreated the
habitat, you start to look for sources
of plants. Seed or wild plants
cultivated in a friend's garden saves
a possible endangered arca from
being threatened. The next step is to
look at plants and seed from such
dealers as Aimers, 81 Temperance
St., Aurora L4G 2R1, or Richters of
Goodwood who offer wild seed
mixtures and instructions on how to
get a bit of old fashioned meadow
growing in your back corner.
There are many facets to the life
of a gardener and appreciating the
wildflowers around us is just one
more delightful facet to learn a little
more about.0
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger raises two
children, and is a skilled cook and
gardener.
MAY 1994 47