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Back to Types of Projects | ||
WILDFLOWER GARDENS |
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Beware of packages of wildflower seeds. They often grow well for the first year only. The second year, the more vigorous plants crowd out the more delicate and more desirable wildflowers turning your wildflower garden into a weed patch. You can try to gather your own seeds from wild plants growing locally, however, the correct time to harvest different plants' seeds varies considerably and the ripening time is extremely weather-dependent. To date, there is no publication available to help you gather wild seeds. You may find local growers who specialize in producing their own seed.
The best way to create a wildflower garden is to purchase native wildflower plants that have been grown locally. Plant several of the same species a few inches apart in a clump. Do this for each species rather than intermingling different species. You will need to weed fairly intensively among the plants and between the clumps for the first two years. By the third year the plants will have spread and also dispersed their seeds. As the original plants grow stronger and their seeds grow into new plants, the different species will take care of intermingling themselves. You will have to take care not to weed out your parent plants' offspring. Expect your wildflower garden to take three to five years to become well-established. Many municipalities are naturalizing areas within city parks. Try contacting them to find out if they have identified suppliers of local wildflower plants and seeds. Also contact local nurseries since the demand for wildflowers has increased their availability over the past few years. Some nurseries specialize in native plants and seeds.
Hummingbirds are also attracted to hundreds of native species of wildflowers, herbaceous plants, shrubs and vines that will grow well on school grounds. Large groupings of plants that bloom over a long period of time will be more attractive to birds. A large cluster of bright red salvias which bloom continuously will attract hummingbirds throughout the Summer. Birds such as finches will also come to eat the seeds of wildflowers and grasses. You can attract birds to your wildflower gardens in Winter by not "tidying up" in the Autumn. Help to feed the birds by leaving the spent heads of wildflowers such as joe-pye weed, purple cone flower, black-eyed susans, ironweed, cosmos and coreopsis standing all Winter. Seeds are an excellent source of food for birds in Autumn and Winter. Some trees, shrubs and vines that produce seeds and berries for attracting birds are: chokecherry, elder, highbush cranberry, honeysuckles, mountain ash or rowan, serviceberry and Virginia creeper. A high percentage of Canadian wildflowers are non-native. The clearing of forests exposed vast areas of land to the invasion of plants from elsewhere. Through various methods of seed dispersal, non-native plants were able to settle here and thrive. Some seeds were in the soil that ships used as ballast when returning to Canada from delivering timber to Europe. Heather, for example, was transported to Nova Scotia in the bedrolls of Scots. Many of these non-native species have become established or "naturalized" and now co-exist with native species. The characteristics of native as well as non-native plants should be carefully researched to ensure that the plants you choose are appropriate for school grounds. You will need to know whether a plant is invasive or has poisonous berries or sharp thorns. A native or non-native plant characterized as invasive is not necessarily a bad choice - it depends on how it spreads and where you intend to plant it. An invasive ground cover with spreading roots may be desirable for locations where it can be confined; for example, where grass does not grow well between areas of paving and in planters or where mowers can mow around the edges of a planting. You can even plant invasive plants that spread by roots in bottomless containers sunk into the ground, but you must make sure that the sides are impenetrable by the roots and are deeper than the plants' root system. CHECK LIST
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