In praise of wildflowers…
I must admit I am the worlds worst blogger…maybe second worst. I guess one has to blog to be the worst?
I wanted to do this posting because I want people to take a moment and think about how many ‘wild flowers’ you have in your garden. Maybe hybridized wildflowers? Echinacea, agastache, columbine, baptisia, coreopsis, helenium, monarda, rudbeckia, solidago just to name a few. I could go on about grasses, but I am not going to prattle on about that. 
I recently got re-involved with a landscape designer who asked me advice about plants that work here in Eastern Washington. She is more experienced with plants of Western Washington and our climate and soil type are truly different, a good friend and someone who listens to my offbeat opinion at times. I pointed out that winters here can be drought seasons, our soil is higher in PH, and she should be using plants that are tough as nails. She liked what I had to say and knows that I will speak up when I see something out of sorts. Her design had a good selection of hybridized and non-hybridized wildflowers, some great coloration, and even a few things that would be successful but unexpected.
This past spring I was happy to spend some time in both Seattle and Chicago with an outstanding plants-woman, Miriam Goldberger. I received her book, “Taming Wildflowers” in a swag bag – one of the many books I wanted this past year. I had been talking to Miriam for a couple of years. I really respect that she has carved out such a wonderful place in such an extreme climate…and I complain about my zone 5. I cant imagine living on the plains of Southern Ontario.
Her book…what can I say? It’s a sumptuous introduction to the exploration of wildflowers, their relationship with pollinators and how to incorporate them within your own garden – and you probably were in the first place! I think there is so much outlined in the precious tome I was given. Seed starting, which plants are great for cutting and more .
“Taming Wildflowers” helped me clarify the world of a relaxed romantic vision I may have been searching for. Helped me make some decisions about the incorporation of flowers/meadow into my own personal garden. I have been looking at a bit of blank slate on sixty percent of my 2.5 acre lot. I have come to the decision about using white clover as a lawn, and letting certain perennials such as echinacea, sanguisorba, and baptisia drift about with grasses, some native shrubs, tough as nails lilacs (I have 76 that need to get into the ground) and a variety of deciduous trees I have been hording.
whereplantsrock 