wildflower garden with wild plants for cultivated gardens

Wildflowers: Native or Naturalized?

Many of the plants we call wildflowers are not native to this country at all. Many species have escaped from cultivation and have made themselves at home; spreading through the countryside in habitats that suit their liking. These plants, called naturalized species, may be pictured in fields guides with notes about their origin. They include oxeye daisy, yarrow, Japanese honeysuckle, turtlehead, teasel and Queen's Anne lace.

List of Wild Plants for the Cultivated Garden:

  1. Aquilegia spp. ( columbine )
  2. Aster novae-angliae ( New England Aster )
  3. Baptisia australis ( blue false indigo )
  4. Coreopsis spp. ( coreopsis, callipsis )
  5. Echinacea purpurea ( purple coneflower )
  6. Eschscholzia californica ( California poppy )
  7. Gaillardia aristata ( Indian blanket )
  8. Geranium maculatum ( wild geranium )
  9. Helenium spp. ( sneezeweed )
  10. Helianthus annuus ( common sunflower )
  11. Liatris spp. ( blazing star )
  12. Mertensia virginica ( Virginia bluebell )
  13. Monarda didyma ( beebalm )
  14. Oenothera spp. ( evening primrose )
  15. Penstemon spp. ( beard-tongue )
  16. Phlox spp. ( garden phlox, wild sweet william )
  17. Rudbeckia spp. ( coneflower, black-eyed susan )

Selecting and Cultivating Wildflowers:

The best wildflowers for your garden are the ones that naturally adapt to your site. The plants listed are full sun and shade and a good start, because they grow throughout much of the countryside. Wildflowers are so often grown in gardens that we often forget that they are wildflowers.

Wildflowers for Sun

Wildflower: Height: Colour: Culture:
Asclepias Tuberosa
( Butterfly weed ) 		1-3 feet Orange Full sun. Deep-rooted resents division. Drought tolerant. Meadow gardens.
Zones 4-8
Aster novae-angliae
(New England aster ) 		1-6 feet Violet-purple Full sun. Propagate by division. Meadow gardens. Cut back after flowering.
Zones 4-9
Coreopsis spp.
( Tickseed, calliopsis ) 		2-3 feet Yellow with maroon, purple or brown centers. Full sun to partial shade. Propagate by division, cuttings, seeds. Meadow gardens.
Zones 4-9
Oenothera spp.
( Evening primrose ) 		1-5 feet Yellow, White Full sun to partial shade. Propagate by division, seeds. Drought tolerant. Meadow gardens.
Zone 4-10
Lupinus spp.
( lupine ) 		1-3 feet blue, white, violet, pink, yellow Full sun to partial shade. Propagate by division, seeds. Meadow gardens.
Zone 3-10
Opuntia spp.
( Prickly pear cactus ) 		4-8 inch Yellow Full sun. Propagate by division, cuttings. Rock gardens.
Zone 5-10
Penstemon
( beard-tongue ) 		2-4 feet yellow Full sun to partial shade. Propagate by division, seeds. Meadow and Woodland gardens.
Zone 4-10
Ratibida columnifera
( prairie coneflower ) 		1-3 feet Red or Yellow with brown centres Full sun. Propagate by seed. Meadow gardens. Drought tolerant.
Zone 3-10
Sisyrinchium spp.
( black-eyed grass ) 		4-20 inches violet-blue with yellow centres Full sun to partial shade. Propagate by division, seeds. Meadow gardens. Drought tolerant.
Zone 3-10
Solidago spp.
( golden rod ) 		1- 7 feet Golden yellow Full sun. Propagate by division, seeds. Meadow gardens.
Zone 4-10

Wildflowers for Shade

Wildflower: Height: Colour: Culture:
Arisaema triphyllum
( Jack-in-the-pulpit ) 		1- 2 feet purple and green Partial to deep shade. Rich moist soil. Propagate by seeds. Woodland gardens.
Zone 5-9
Cimicifuga racemosa
( black snakeroot ) 		6-8 feet white Partial to deep shade. Rich moist, well-drained soil. Propagate by division. Woodland gardens. Shady boarders
Zone 3-9
Dicentra eximia
( wild bleeding heart ) 		1-2 feet pinkish purple Partial shade. Rich moist, well-drained soil. Propagate by division. Woodland gardens. Shady boarders. Rock gardens
Zone 3-10
Iris cristata
( dwarf crested iris ) 		1-3 inches lilac-purple with yellow and white crests Partial shade. Rich moist, well-drained soil. Propagate by division. Woodland gardens. Shady boarders. Rock gardens
Zone 4-10
Mertensia virginica
( Virginia bluebells ) 		18-24 inches Blue Partial shade. Rich moist, well-drained soil. Propagate by seeds. Woodland gardens. Shady boarders. Becomes formant in summer.
Zone 3-8
Phlox stolonifera
( creeping phlox ) 		8-12 inches violet, purple, pink Partial shade. Rich moist, well-drained soil. Propagate by division. Woodland gardens. Shady boarders. Ground cover.
Zone 3-9
Polygonatum spp.
( Salomon's Seal ) 		2-3 feet white, greenish yellow Partial shade. Rich moist, well-drained soil. Propagate by division, seeds. Woodland gardens.
Zone 3-8
Viola spp.
( violet ) 		2-5 inches lavender, purple, yellow, white Partial shade. Rich moist, well-drained soil. Propagate by division. Woodland gardens. Rock gardens.
Zone 3-10

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