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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Wildflower Wednesday June, 2013

Welcome to my Wildflower Wednesday post, to view more wildflowers join hostess Gail at Clay and Limestone where she is featuring Bottlebrush grass.   This month I am featuring Tellima grandflora, Bigflower Tellima or Fringecup.   It grows wild in my yard and seeds itself around nonchalantly.   It is in the Saxifrage family, related to Heucheras, Tolmiea (Piggyback Plant), and Mitella (Mitrewort).  It is found from Alaska to California, and in Washington is found mostly on the west side of the Cascades.

A close look at the flowers reveals why it is called Fringecup, the flowers have a top-shaped calyx with white to pink finely divided petals making a folded-back fringe around the edge.

The leaves are roughly heart-shaped and form an evergreen basal clump in milder climates.

The plant is tolerant of wet soil and seasonal flooding, and likes to grow on streambanks and in ditches, so is useful in shady areas with poor drainage.  It is somewhat drought tolerant, but likes soil with humus.

It can be used in a border, where the 2' tall flower spikes can attract hummingbirds.  It likes some shade and doesn't like full sun.  It starts blooming in mid April, and the flowers eventually turn brown, at which time the stalks can be removed.  Seed should be sown immediately when ripe.

It is supposed to be fragrant, but I haven't noticed a scent.  This is a cute and useful native plant, adaptable to gardens.  In the right conditions it can form large colonies.

-Hannah


18 comments:

  1. What a very pretty and delicate plant, I've not heard of it before. I imagine it would look extremely lovely in large clumps.

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    1. It is just solitary plants in my yard, I haven't seen large drifts. It is in my front ditch, woods, and comes up in some shady beds.

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  2. Very pretty, dainty blooms!
    Happy Wildflower Wednesday!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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    1. Thanks! They are a lot like Heucheras but the flowers are much bigger. I love the pink fringes.

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  3. It grows wild here in the forests. One day this spring, I noticed a nice sized clump growing under my pear tree. It's very happy and so am I.

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    1. I like it when native plants appear that can take care of themselves, too.

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  4. I love it and thank you for introducing me to a new native. The little fringed cups are sweet and dainty. Happy WW!

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    1. Thanks, Gail! I always feel after looking at usda wildflower information that the west coast got the short end of the stick on wildflowers, at least we have some nice ones.

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  5. It does have lovely flowers, but my garden had exactly the right conditions for it to reseed extravagantly, and form exactly the large colony you mention. It was everywhere. I spent a considerable amount of time this spring pulling a lot of it out.

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    1. I guess every plant can be a weed in the wrong place.

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  6. It is so pretty and delicate, love those little fringes. How lovely that you can have it in your garden.

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    1. Thanks, Shirley. I enjoy having some wildflowers. Yours look lovely.

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  7. Such a pretty and delicate little plant, you are lucky to have it in your garden.

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    1. Thanks, Karen, I enjoy them and the other natives that live here.

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  8. Hi Hannah,
    That is a sweet little bloom. The foliage does remind me of heuchera, too. I have Heuchera richardsonii, which is also native. I love it, and am not liking my hybrids so much anymore.

    I hope you find a kind of milkweed that will grow for you. If you see monarchs in your area, you would think there would be a kind of milkweed that would grow.

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  9. There are no monarchs here, i just wish I could see them, and the cats. I do have Cinnabar moth cats in my yard on Tansy Ragwort, small but cute orange and black striped.

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  10. I don't think it grows here in the uk. Really interesting to see a native form of Heuchera, which exists in its garden manifestation in every shade from yellow to purple.

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    1. It is native to the west coast of the USA so I don't know if anyone imported it to your side of the pond. I like Heucheras, particularly the purple, silver and reddish orange leaves, Tellimas have larger flowers and the cool fringes, which are fun.

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