May all your Weeds be Wildflowers?

I have lived in Miami for many years now but as a gardener I sometimes long for the flowers I grew up with up north.  Some of my favorite flowers growing up were Lilacs, Pansies, Tulips, Asters, Dahlias, Gladiolas, and Daisies. I could probably go on and on remembering more but.... the list would be so long!   When someone asks me which is my favorite it is hard to decide but I think the Lilac and Pansy are at the top of my list.  I am so excited because I am spending a few days in Boston visiting my youngest son at college.  I can’t wait to see him, but I also am excited to see everything in bloom.  Spring should be early this year because of the unseasonably warm weather.  As a Florida gardener it is impossible to grow most flowers I am accustomed to especially living in Zone 10 a/b.   I long for a bed of wildflowers.  I tried planting a wildflower mix a couple of years ago, but without success.  I even made sure that I ordered the mix for the Southeast region.  In recent years I have started planting more Florida natives.  Obviously they do much better.  There is a big difference in the flowers that will grow between Northern, Central, and South Florida.  It is funny but our growing season is actually reversed from the rest of the country.  We plant most of our vegetables from October to April.  I plant impatiens in October and by May it is too hot and humid for them to survive.  I find that Florida natives are more heat tolerant and drought resistant and actually are the plants that our pollinators like the most.  A few years ago I planted some pink porter weed (Stachytarpheta jamaicenis).  Within one of the porter weeds was some Salvia.  Over time the porter weed became over grown but the salvia actually seeded itself in the flower bed.  I eventually took out the porter weed and allowed the salvia to take over.  I have a beautiful bed of mostly red, and some pink salvia.  I continually take the dry seeds off the plants and reseed them in the yard.   I am hoping to create a wildflower area around my bee hives.  I have also sprinkled the seeds on the east side of the backyard hoping that they will grow.  I have been checking lately, and I can see lots of little seedlings starting to grow.  Salvia coccinea is a great plant to have in the garden especially if you are trying to attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.  The other flower that I have been trying to grow is Spanish Needle (Biden Alba).  Many consider it a weed and don’t want it in their yard but the pollinators love it. It is actually related to the daisy family and attracts 37 different butterflies.   I get totally excited when I go to a nursery and they give me some Spanish Needle.  I have also been known to stop on the side of the road to collect the seeds.  The plant is appropriately named because the seeds are like little needles and stick to your clothing.   

I discovered a website http://www.floridawildflowers.com/.   I ordered several packages of Florida Native Wildflowers. The emphasis is on Florida native.  I ordered Chapman’s Goldenrod, Frostweed, Coreopsis basalis, Conoclinium coelestinum, Aster elliottii, and Chapman’s Blazing Star.  I have no idea if these will grow.   I have tried to prep the soil for the seeds and I have mowed the area between the hives.  They say not to till the soil or it will stimulate the weed to grow.  I didn’t, but I still have a lot of weeds.  I have been sprinkling Spanish Needle, Salvia, Milkweed, and now I am going to try to see if I can get some of these native wildflowers to grow.  I will keep you posted.  I would like to say I am doing this for my honeybees, but most honey bees will travel several miles to forage.   The honeybees that I am seeing in my yard are probably someone else’s bees.    When my bees come out of the hive they shoot out like a rocket, and off they go.  Where they go I am not sure!  For those bees and butterflies that do decide to visit my yard, and because I just loved the way wild flowers look,  I think it would add a beautiful backdrop to my hives.  I will keep you posted with pictures as to the progress of my wildflowers.  Right now I have lots of weeds; you can see that in the pictures.  Like I said in the beginning of this blog “May all your weeds be wildflowers” and “may wildflowers line your path wherever you go!”