Will wildflowers go wild in the garden?

 
For a long time wildflowers have been suffering with a bad reputation that suggests they are weedy and invasive, or that for some reason our native plants are just not as nice as their cultivated cousins.  We tend to think of them as the plain Jane of the perennial world or as potentially problematic.  Yet when we see them growing in nature we are stopped by their beauty and sometimes amazed by their ability to live and prosper without any assistance; but at the same time perhaps a little frightened by it.  After all they are growing in what seems to be terrible soil under harsh exposure conditions, in competition for space and nutrients and having to get by only on the moisture provided by Mother Nature herself.  What will they do in our protected gardens with their rich soils and our habit of providing plenty of fertilizer and ample water? Well some of them might feel right at home while others don’t like it one bit and die off, and yes there are those that will go wild and attempt to take over.  It really is about picking the right plant for the right place and using the plants strengths to our advantage.   What if you took the plant that threatened to take over and used it’s aggressiveness to give it a leg up under that spruce tree where nothing else will grow; maybe it would survive. 

Everyone has those problem areas, down by the garbage bin, along the side of the garage or behind the back fence where the only things doing well are the weeds.  Why not look to nature for a different option like Pussytoes – Antennaria alpina or rosea, an attractive mat-forming ever-green perennial that is tough enough to walk on. It will also to help to choke out undesirable plants, providing sustainable weed control and reducing the need for herbicides.   A hot dry, exposed flowerbed that needs constant water in the heat of summer to keep the plants from wilting would be the ideal spot for Blue-eyed Grass – Sisyrinchium montanum, Showy Locoweed – Oxytropis splendens or Hairy False Golden Aster – Heterotheca villosa, all very attractive and extremely drought tolerant native perennial wildflowers.  Fill sunny well drained beds with showy Brown-Eyed Susan’s – Gallardia aristata, Cut-Leaf Anemones – Anemone multifida, and Smooth Fleabane – Erigeron glabellus. Moist shade is perfect for native Columbines – Aquilegia brevista or flavescens, Tall Larkspur – Delphinium glaucum and Twinning Honeysuckle Vine – Lonicera dioica.  Acreage owners with large spaces to fill might employ Canada Golden Rod – Solidago canadensis, Showy Asters – Aster laevis or Sticky Geraniums – Geranium viscosissimum to move in and spread out; these plants all have great presence in a large space.

If you are concerned about a plant taking over, first consider how it spreads itself around.  Most highly aggressive perennials spread from rhizomes or runners and should be used where this is an advantage.  Plants that spread by short rhizomes or spreading root crowns might slowly get wider and need to be divided from time to time.  Plants that spread by seed can be controlled by dead-heading before the seed ripens.  When it comes to selecting plant material for your landscape take the time to match the conditions of the site to the needs and size of the plants. Using native plant species that are acclimatized to your local conditions will help to insure an attractive, low maintenance, sustainable landscape that allows for reduced water and chemical usage.  Indigenous plants also play a key role in supplying habitat and food for local wildlife so grow a little wild and support your environment!