Any other wildflower lovers?

[MellowCat]

My current gardening passion is wildflowers. Does anyone else grow them?

When I lived in Maine, I used to even transplant things like violets and bluets from the woods to my shaded garden near the driveway. Now that I live in Kentucky, it's a little harder for me to find wildflowers that I can simply transplant. I do buy seeds for them, though, and the ones that I enjoy the most are bachelor's buttons and various forms of asters. I'd like to add some more reds and oranges, though, as most of what I have at the moment seem to be whites, pinks and purples.

Wondering if there is anyone else out there who gardens with wildflowers, and what ones you recommend?

 

[JBtheExplorer]

The only thing I grow is "wildflowers", but it's not necessarily the term I would use, since they aren't very wild at all, and everything I grow is exclusively North American natives.

As far as reds and oranges, I recommend Orange Milkweed, Blanket Flower, Wood Lily, Royal Catchfly, Smooth Oxeye, but also many other colored plants such as Swamp Milkweed, Blue-eyed Grass, Blue Flag Iris, Spiderwort, Purple Coneflower, Purple Prairie Clover, Meadow Blazing Star, Joe Pye Weed, New England Aster, Rattlesnake Master, Black-eyed Susan, etc.

 

[marlingardener]

We have lots of wildflowers, and perennial native plants. At the edge of our orchard area we have Mexican Blanket, Indian Paintbrush, Texas dandelion, and several others that pop up at various times of the year. We also have Texas Bluebonnets, but I must admit I just don't like them. They are too iconic, too widespread, and there is just too much hoo-ha made over them.

 

[MellowCat]

JB, Thank you for the suggestions! You're right, technically they aren't wild if you are planting them. I am very familiar with purple cone flower and a couple others you mentioned. I have looked up orange milkweed, and I really like how it looks. It would work well in a particular corner of my garden, I think. I might have to see if I can obtain some.

Marlingardener, I like the hoo-ha. Ha ha. Call me romantic, I just like the wild ones better!

 

[remnant]

Wild flowers are quite fascinating. The fact remains that even the commonplace flowers that we grow in our homes were once wild flowers only that they have been domesticated. I have an affinity for wild flowers but I have never thought of growing them. I have mulled starting a herbarium of preserved and dried flowers in order to preserve as much colour as possible. It is also a nice idea to have a seed bank of wild flowers in order to preserve their genes.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

How to grow Wildflowers