Page 22 - Brandon Sun - Your Home your Way (2019)

22 THE BRANDON SUN • YOUR HOME YOUR WAY • THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019

Prairie crocus begin to bloom in a pasture on the north side of the Assiniboine River Valley north of Alexander, attracting bees on a sunny afternoon. The prairie
crocus, Manitoba’s official flower, is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the prairies. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Wildflowers: robust, low-maintenance, pollinator-friendly

Gardeners trying to lure “Ragweed, for example, is Shop at a specialty nursery “The first step in starting
pollinators to their landscape a native plant but is consid- if you want to grow wildflow- a wildflower area is choos-
would be wise to mimic na- ered undesirable because it ers, Yiesla said. ing an appropriate site and
ture and plant wildflowers. gives us hay fever,” said Sha- “Wildflowers should be matching plant species to
The attractive perennials ron Yiesla, a horticulturist purchased rather than dug environmental factors such
tolerate harsh climates, sel- with The Morton Arboretum from the wild,” she said. as climate, rainfall, pH and
dom need fertilizing and re- in Lisle, Ill. “This is often regulated by soil type,” said Leonard Per-
sist most diseases and insect On the other hand, she law and even if it is not, a tre- ry, horticulture professor
pests. said, “There are plants that mendous amount of damage emeritus with University of
Wildflowers are durable, people think of as wildflow- can be done to wild popula- Vermont Extension, in a fact
too, requiring little or no irri- ers but they are not native.” tions through digging.” sheet.
gation once established. Queen Anne’s lace, for in- Wildflower varieties “Whenever possible, try to
“They bloom early and es- stance, came from Europe generally are divided into select native species as they
tablish nicely to make a very and has been around so long three major groups: mead- often perform better than
natural colony,” said Barry that it has naturalized here. ow, woodland and wetland. non-natives,” he said. “Native
Glick, owner of Sunshine “Some people call it a Plants taken from nature species generally are more
Farm and Gardens in Renick, wildflower; some call it a generally don’t survive being attractive to pollinators and
West Virginia. weed,” she said. “Know some- transplanted because growing beneficial insects, too.”
But beware: Some native thing about each plant before conditions can differ so great-
plants are invasive. you choose it.” ly in residential backyards. » Continued on Page 23