Jul
11
Bee Balm
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Bee Balm, also known as Monarda Didyma, Bergamot, and Oswego Tea, is a common native wildflower in North America, and one of my favorite perennials. Monarda is easy to care for, just plant young plants in sandy well-drained soil, in full sun or partial shade.
Bee Balm spreads easily by sending out rhyzomes, and can spread up to a foot a season. This makes them an excellent candidate for naturalizing in wildflower gardens, and meadows. Since the roots are not deep, Monarda is easy to contain, any plants popping up where they do not belong can be removed, and given to friends, or (gasp!) added to the compost pile.
Bee Balm is excellent for attracting wildlife to your meadow or garden. Hummingbirds and butterflies love Bee Balm, and it gets its name because it reportedly soothes bees. The flowers are fragrant, and come in a variety of colors, including red, white, pink, purple, and lavender. Monarda Didyma blooms from late June to August depending on location.
These flowers are also called Oswego Tea, because they make an excellent, fragrant herbal tea. The main disease Bee Balm is susceptible to is powdery mildew, which will occur in some varieties if the summer is hot and humid or damp.
Jul
9
Chicory for Naturalizing
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Chicory (Cichorium Intybus) is a common find in ditches, fields, meadows, and along roadsides. The blooms are cornflower blue, and usually occur from July to early September, depending on the area.
Chicory is an excellent plant for naturalizing, it is not overly invasive. It spreads by seed, making it an easy specimen to plant and maintain in a wildflower garden. Chicory is easily maintained, just plant in well drained soil, in full sunlight.
Jun
22
Black-Eyed-Susans are one of the most common easy to grow native plants in the United States. They are great for the gardener who is trying to naturalize an area, since they thrive on neglect, and hold tough against other invasive weeds and plants. As a caution to anyone who would like to try Black-Eyed-Susans in their flower garden, this plant can be invasive in small spaces, which makes them great for naturalizing, but not a good choice for the gardener looking for a single specimen in the garden.
They’re a beautiful yellow flower, with a chocolate to black center. Depending on your area of the country the blooms will appear sometime between June and September. Mature plants are about two to three feet tall. Black-Eyed Susans are a short lived perennial (or bi-annual), that will also germinate from seed. They love full sunlight, and grow very well in sunny meadows, ditches, and hillsides.
May
29
Here is a picture of a Blue Indigo plant at our local school eco-garden. It is breathtaking; the blues in the flower are almost iridescent.
The other names for this plant are Blue False Indigo, and Blue Wild Indigo. The scientific name is Baptisia australis. It grows to between 3 and 4 feet tall, and flowers in late May or June, depending on location. The plant can spread up to 4 feet, so give it plenty of leg room.
The flowers are striking in bouquets. The flowers give way to a seed pod, which produces a blue dye. The seed pods can make a great addition to dried floral arrangements.
You can find Blue Wild Indigo in most of the Eastern half of the United States, from Vermont, to Texas. They make a great addition to any native plant garden, or cottage garden in this part of the US. It is a perennial in zones 3-9, which means it will return year after year. New plants can be started from seed, but I have heard it can be a difficult process.
Blue Indigo is supposed to repel flies, but is a natural butterfly attraction, so a great addition to the butterfly garden.
These plants are also found in Native American medicine. They are supposed to remedy vomiting, toothaches, and coughing, as just a partial list of the many things this plant is listed as a help for.
This beautiful plant is definitely on my favorites list.