Welcome to my Wildflower Wednesday post, to see wildflowers blooming elsewhere, go to Clay and Limestone, hosted by Gail.
Wildflowers are just getting going in my yard, I have 2 acres that were once wooded, then logged and much turned into grass, but I have little pockets of native plants and a small corner of woods. The first noticeable wildflower is Trillium ovatum, at 3-4", seen in a former post in a clump and aged to magenta, here-
The Cascade Oregon Holly Grapes are blooming-
The Indian Plum, Oemleria cerasiformis, has bloomed recently-
The Stinging Nettle is blooming, it makes a healthful tea or a green drink when juiced, and is used for hair preparations as well. Here it is growing with a native ground cover, Phacelia hastata, Pacific Waterleaf-
Some colorful Phacelias are grown elsewhere, but the native has a greenish flower-
The Claytonias are just beginning to bloom, Miner's Lettuce (perfoliata)-
and Spring Beauty, C. sibirica, which were not open because it is raining-
And now that it is sunny, I am updating with a patch of blooming Spring Beauty-
A macro of the tiny flower, looking like candy-
Wildflowers are just getting going in my yard, I have 2 acres that were once wooded, then logged and much turned into grass, but I have little pockets of native plants and a small corner of woods. The first noticeable wildflower is Trillium ovatum, at 3-4", seen in a former post in a clump and aged to magenta, here-
The Cascade Oregon Holly Grapes are blooming-
The Indian Plum, Oemleria cerasiformis, has bloomed recently-
A tree that has wonderful pink blooms in spring is the Red-Flowering Currant, Ribes sanguineum-
The Stinging Nettle is blooming, it makes a healthful tea or a green drink when juiced, and is used for hair preparations as well. Here it is growing with a native ground cover, Phacelia hastata, Pacific Waterleaf-
Some colorful Phacelias are grown elsewhere, but the native has a greenish flower-
The Claytonias are just beginning to bloom, Miner's Lettuce (perfoliata)-
and Spring Beauty, C. sibirica, which were not open because it is raining-
And now that it is sunny, I am updating with a patch of blooming Spring Beauty-
A macro of the tiny flower, looking like candy-
A great post! How lovely to have wild Trilliums in your garden.And the Indian Plum is new to me.
ReplyDeleteI soak stinging nettles in a bucket along with comfrey. It ends up smelling disgusting but it is a wonderful plant tonic.
Thanks, Chloris, I am disappointed that my Indian Plums don't make plums, I was reading that some stands are all male, that may explain it. I've read of Comfrey as an excellent plant tonic, I use it in green drinks too, in small amounts, and also in salves.
DeleteWe have a Prunus nigra which surprises me by fruiting far more willingly than the 'edible' plums.
DeleteOh and Trilliums! With their 3 sets of leaves like my Hypoxis.
Thanks, Diana, I wish I could find some Indian plums to try them out. I have considered growing Hypoxis but don't know that it would do well here.
DeleteWild flowers are stunning.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks, Lady Lilith, I really like the bold colors of Gail's wildflowers, and feel a little jealous, but it's nice to have the local natives too.
ReplyDeleteTrilliums are gorgeous this time of year. The flowering currant is a bright treat on a rainy day. The holly grapes are a great color. You've got a great native plant garden going there.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shirley, I'm grateful that the Previous Owners didn't succeed in eradicating all the native growth. The seeds are still there in the ground, plus the little pockets of natives here and there.
DeleteThis was a great post for me as I have similar conditions and want to use native plants as much as possible. Love the flowering currant. Where do you get your native plants?
ReplyDeleteAll that I pictured occur here naturally. I have even had some flowering currants spring up on their own. The PO planted a lot of grass, but where I have covered the ground deeply with mulches or piles of leaves, them remove them, sometimes I am surprised to see little natives spring up. That may not be true in many yards that have been in cultivation a long time, though I read a study once where they killed grass that had been there for 60 years, and monitored and removed weeds, and eventually some native plants managed to spring up from seed reserves in the soil. Flowering currant is something I have seen in nurseries, and some of the other plants can be bought from nurseries specializing in natives.
DeleteI enjoyed seeing your geums and such, but decided to leave my comment here on your WW post. I love that trillium, and it is so cool that some of your natives have come back!
ReplyDeleteI am invited to a "nettle gnosh" Saturday. I think I will go, but that means I am meeting a friend at a newer friend's place to get some nettles from her yard. I think I'll try to grow some in a tub and hope they don't escape. I also need to figure out how I'm going to prepare it.
Stinging nettle can be propagated from roots, they are pretty tough and resilient. They make rather invasive weeds. I have juiced them in a blender with water, along with some other herbs, or made tea, I haven't really tried them as a potherb. Sorry I didn't see your comment earlier.
DeleteThank you very much for this beautiful selection of flowers! Beautiful photos!
ReplyDelete