Score! Free native plant! Not sure exactly why, but finding a native plant in the yard, seemingly out of no where, is a bit of a thrill. Maybe it's because of the cost at the nursery which you alude to. Maybe it's that we work so hard to match right plant with right spot and while we aren't looking, Mother Nature giggles and drops some seeds in our yard and then goes "Psssst, over here".
I also find it very exciting! Maybe partly because we’re so inundated with invasive species, it’s a joy and a relief when a native plant shows up! I’d say 9/10 weeds in my garden are not from North America, so it can feel a little bleak at times - and wonderful to be able to rehome instead of kill for a change!
Restore the Native Praitie! (or your native land bioome). PS mother nature gifted our bed and alley with these fabulous spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteata?) I didn't realize there were so many varieties. SW flowers are opening here this weekend. (USDA zone 6a)
You could check out Native Habitat Project - they’re on a few social media platforms including RU-vid. I believe he has managed to resurrect the seed bank in some portions of his lawn by managing for the non native grasses while the native species are dormant. Not sure this could be done everywhere, but it’s fascinating to watch!
I just ordered and planted wild strawberries this week. Today I came across a patch growing around a tree wild in my back yard. I pulled out all the grass so no one goes at it with the weed Wacker and I'll let it cover the ground around my tree.
Yay, that’s awesome!! 🙌 I had been meaning to order some, so was excited to discover them! I’ve dug up some of the ones from my lawn to plant in a bed!
I love this!!! Driving a nearby country road I noticed several groups of flowers. I really wanted to stop and check them out. But I didn't. Now I think I am going back to check them out. They are less than a half mile away!
I’m constantly road side scanning too 😅 if it’s a safe location to pull over it can lead to some fun discoveries! I often don’t have a safe place to pull my car over, which can be very frustrating! Stay safe out there!
I try to grow a lot of native wildflowers and I find that dandelions crowd them out, particularly in the poorly drained areas. They also provide the perfect habitat for non-native slugs who eat my native baby wildflower seedlings. So while I think they are the most marvelous plant in areas where they are native, and that they're better than non-native grass, and I don't move to eradicate them if I have nothing to immediately replace them with -- I don't think they're the best wildflowers because for me I have to expend a lot of effort to control their reproduction. They are out very early, often too early for my pollinators and they reproduce via apomixis which means they don't even need to be pollinated necessarily.
Mine are generally pretty benign except in one set of newly cut beds where they are taking over! It’s interesting to see how they can spread like wildfire in some areas. It’s a part shade garden where I’m struggling with them the most. I bought one of those pullers, which isn’t perfect but at least spares the back a bit! I’m discovering that mulch really struggles to suppress weeds in some areas of my garden. Starting to seek out different native groundcover options in hopes they can do better!
My blue eyed grass story is identical to yours- no kidding! 😂 My lawn weed I let grow was fleabane. It’s such a cute little daisy-looking flower and I’ve given many a home in my garden beds. This year is my best bloom yet 😊
@@gardenforbirds my wild ones were also a paler blue whereas my store bought ones were nearly purple. I ended up interplanting them and I’m curious to see if they’ll hybridize in time. I also notice the flowers themselves are tinier on the wild ones than the ones I purchased. Both are small but the wild ones are extra tiny.
Haha, some battles are worth fighting 😄 I’m guessing you’re dealing with the invasive species, but I was curious to see if there were any North American native morning glories. It looks like there are a few species in the south west, in case you’re in that area! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convolvulus_equitans en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convolvulus_simulans
I bought a whole packet of blue eyed grass seed, tried to winter sow it and it never came up... Then I ended up just dumping the soil out and now they finally came up this year -- multiple winters later. So I think this one needs a bit of cold stratification? Awesome that you got a volunteer, I want more of this stuff for sure.
So interesting! It looks like they do need cold moist stratification - I wonder if they’re finicky. I’m curious to see if they manage to self sow. Mine are still blooming, but working on making their little fruits now on the spent blooms. I guess I’ll find out in the next few years!
Chiloensis: a lovely wild rose. I wish more people would buy their local plant guide instead of going to the garden centers. Some times the most amazing species have to be attracted to your space you can't replant them willy nilly.
