Wildflower Wednesday: Zizia aurea

Our April Wildflower Wednesday star is Golden Alexander with its delicate clusters of bright yellow flowers. When I saw them massed in a meadow garden at the Chicago Botanical Garden a few decades ago I knew I had to try them at Clay and Limestone. I look forward to their lovely yellow presence and their pollinator magnetism in early spring. 

Blooming begins in late spring and continues for about a month. 

I planted a few and they reseeded quite nicely into a small colony. They do look beautiful when massed but, I like them best up close where I can see the pollinator action. And there's always pollinator action to observe! 

 I see little carpenter bees, tiny beetles and other fast flying critters when the sun finally makes its way over the trees and the garden warms up. They never hold still for photos, so you'll have to trust me about their pollinator activity! And don't be afraid of their reseeding skill. They are spectacular massed.

What can I say about their wildlife value? A lot. They provide essential nectar and pollen for short-tongued bees, wasps, and flies, and are a primary larval host for Black Swallowtail butterflies. They also attract beneficial insects that will predate on garden pests. 

   Zizia aurea is a classic carrot family member and knowing its characteristics would make identifying it and other Apiaceae easy peasy in a woodland. Look for clustered small white or yellow flowers that make you think of an umbrella spokes! The clusters are called umbels and are actually individual flowers on stalks arranged like the spokes of an umbrella. You can practice identifying in a herb/vegetable garden where you likely to find many carrot family member.

Why plant Golden Alexander:

•  It offers a vital food source for beneficial insects early in the season when few other flowers are available. 
• the lady beetles and parasitic wasps that it attracts helps maintain a balanced ecosystem
• deer, rabbit and vole resistant
• adapts to various soil conditions although it prefers moist soil    
• the flowers are attractive to many kinds of insects seeking pollen or nectar, especially short- tongued bees. It attract a variety of butterflies, native bees, bumble bees, and honeybees to the garden.      
• host plant for Black swallowtail butterfly      
• thrives in full sun to part shade, damp meadows but can survive dry conditions 
• it's so perfect there are no cultivars!  

 

 Golden Alexanders bloom in April in my Zone7, Middle Tennessee garden. Native to Tennessee and Davidson county where I live, they are usually found in wooded bottomlands, stream banks, moist meadows, and floodplains. They're native from Canada to Florida and east of the Rockies. They're a good choice for heavy clay soils in semi-shade to full sun. They're happy in moist soil but, once established they have some drought tolerance. They've been happy at Clay and Limestone and I never worry that our wet winters will kill them. I do give them an extra drink of water during the droughty summers, especially these last few years when we've had severe droughts.

 

Orange present in county

 

The Particulars 

Genus: Zizia
Species: aurea
Common Name: Golden Alexander
Family: Apiaceae

Flowering: flowers in April-May in my middle Tennessee Zone 7 garden

Native Range: Eastern Canada to southern United States

Zone: 3 to 8

Size:  Height: 1.50 to 3.00 feet Spread: 1.50 to 2.00 feet

Bloom: yellow, umbel

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Medium
Soil: Heavy clay

Maintenance: Water in droughty times if newly established. Unwanted seedlings might be an issue, but are easily shared and moved to other parts of your garden.

Foliage: Attractive

Pollinators: Zizia is a food source for short-tongued insects that are able to easily reach the nectar in the small yellow flowers. Black Swallowtail butterflies feed on the nectar and lay eggs on the foliage and when the eggs hatch the caterpillars will feed on its leaves.
Propagation: Plant seedlings in the spring for good success. Seed will germinate after 90 days moist, cold stratification. Germinates at high percentages. Expect it to reseed.
Wildlife: Has never been predated by deer or voles.
Comments: A delightful plant to allow to seed itself about in a damp sunny meadow. Use in a rain garden or in natural garden. Plant with Carex, Aquilegias, Packera aurea and other plants that like moist soil. Golden Alexander also attracts and hosts a number of beneficial insects that are predatory or parasitoid on many common garden pest insects.(Illinois Wildflowers)

If you garden for pollinators, especially butterfly, you won't be disappointed with Golden Alexander. So give it a try. If it's happy you can enjoy a massed golden show. 

 xoxogail

PS Please remember to never, never, never, never, ever use pesticides in your garden. Also, be sure the plants you plant are free of neonicotinoids. Believe me when I say you want to welcome insects to your garden!

 

Welcome to Clay and Limestone and Wildflower Wednesday.  This day is about sharing wildflowers and other native plants no matter where one gardens~the UK, tropical Florida, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, India or the coldest reaches of Canada. 

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener, Tennessee Naturalist and nature writer in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Wildflower Wednesday: A Winter Blooming Treasure-Hamamelis vernalis

 I am not shy about sharing photos of my blooming Ozark witch hazel. Nor do I shy away from making it a Wildflower Wednesday star every few years. It it deserves the attention. I wish more people grew this beauty instead of the non-native hybrids that most nurseries sell; especially when you consider that it's a host plant to 69 moths and butterflies. 

You'll love its sweet fragrance wafting toward you on a warm winter day (in the 50s). You'll delight in the yellow/orange crepe paper streaming petals that unfurl as the day warms and furl back up when the temperature drops. Walking by this plant in full bloom is a treat with the cool flowers, the wonderful scent and visiting pollinators.

 Hamamelis vernalis is a lovely native shrub/small tree that blooms when you have just about given up hope that winter will end and warmth will return to the world. In my Middle Tennessee garden it often begins blooming in mid January and it's not unusual for it to continue blooming all through February and often into March. 

Petals furled and unfurled

Ozark witch hazel's flowers are an unusual reddish color with four yellow/orange crepe paper streaming petals that unfurl as the day warms and furl back up when the temperature drops. This is a marvelous adaptive behavior that insures that the spidery blooms will survive the fluctuating winter weather and be in bloom for several months.  

We've had some wicked cold weather and just as expected the petal furled in the freezing temps and and unfurled with the warm temps. You've got to love that in a winter blooming plant.

They're spectacular in my mostly brown winter garden. It's planted in the native Hydrangea bed under two oak trees so that anyone using the front path to the porch can get a close up view of the flowers and smell their delicious scent. Planted at its base are Carex, Trilliums, Green and Gold groundcover and self planted Phacelia. It's a lovely spring sight.

Ozark witch hazel is more of a multi-trunked shrub than a tree which makes it perfect for planting near you patio or anywhere where you can get a close up view of the flowers and a good sniff of its fragrance. Btw, the fragrance is honey sweet. 

It's known to sucker so it would make a fine hedge. I've not experienced the suckering but, the soil at Clay and Limestone is not moist year round. I do give this plant a big gulp of water during any summer droughts.

Just before they burst open

It's no accident that most winter blooming plants have some fragrance. Nature had to insure that insect pollinators could easily find their way to a plant that blooms when most of the garden is fast asleep. On days where the temperatures are above 50˚ I've seen honeybees,  small gnats and flies visiting these beautiful fragrant flowers!

Clues that Witch hazels are insect pollinated:

• the long, bright-yellow strap like petals are conspicuous visual cues
  
• sweet smelling nectar that attracts owlet moths (known pollinator)
  
• the closer an insect get the stronger the scent...Humans love that, too.
  
• their stamens (pollen-bearing male bits) are right next to the nectar source
• there's not much competition blooming mid winter so any pollinators out will find it
  
• its long bloom time means the pollen remains receptive to pollinators for a long time
  

Yes, researchers have been curious about winter pollination. Bernd Heinrich discovered that winter moths are responsible for pollinating witch hazels. These owlet moths (Noctuidae) have a remarkable ability to heat themselves by using energy to shiver, raising their body temperatures by as much as 50 degrees in order to fly in search of food.  (source).  Also, any fungus gnats, parasitic wasps, and hoverflies that are out will visit the flowers.

Nature and its critters are amazing!

 If you want to grow this Central South/Southern native shrub just give it a partially shady location with good morning sun, moist acid soil and decent drainage. Be sure to give it some space; during its early years, it grows taller than wide, but mature specimens are usually wider than tall. It tolerates Clay and Limestone's more neutral soil, so, I am pretty sure you can have success with it, too.

 

 The Particulars

Hamamelis vernalis
Common Name: Ozark witch hazel

Family: Hamamelidaceae

 
Type: Deciduous shrub or small tree

Native Range: Southern and central United States in rocky stream banks, in moist open woodlands.

Zone: 4 to 8

Height: 6.00 to 10.00 feet
Spread: 8.00 to 15.00 feet

Bloom Time: January to April
Bloom Description: Yellow with red inner calyx

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Medium, consistently moist. NOT drought tolerant

Maintenance: Low, does not need to be pruned but you might need to remove suckers.
 

Suggested Use: Rain Garden, along creek banks, near a walkway to catch the scent.
 

Flower: Showy, Fragrant

 

fruits

Fruits September–October; a hard, woody, elliptical capsule ½ inch long, splitting down a 2-parted tip/ending in 4 sharp, curved points. Capsule pops open, forcibly discharging seeds to a distance of up to 30 feet. Seeds large, hard, black, 1 or 2 per capsule. (source)

Leaf: Good Fall color-yellow gold 

Usage: Please plant them where you will be sure to appreciate them during the winter months. They can colonize and would make an effective screen along property boundary.  Use in mixed border or as a specimen.

Wildlife value: Habitat value for insects and for birds that come to nest in their branches. The seeds and flowers are eaten by turkey and ruffed grouse. Host plant to 69 moths and butterflies. Owlet moths are known winter pollinators.

Comments: An important medicinal plant for many native American tribes. Twigs, leaves and bark are the basis of witch hazel extract. In the Ozarks and elsewhere, forked switches of this plant and its close relatives have long been used by "witch wigglers" or "water witches" (water finders) to find the best places to dig wells. (source) It has great fall leaf color, attracts pollinators, and blooms for two months.

 
Tolerates: Deer, Erosion, Clay Soil 

 

It's happy in the garden, it gets pollinated by visiting critters and that makes me happy.

Long time readers know I have garden guidelines that I strive to follow. My goal is to plant a mixture of Central Basin natives that have good to excellent wildlife value and that provide bloom as close to year round as is possible in a middle south garden. I've planted a few perennials and shrubs that are native to adjacent states or that grow in conditions similar to my habitat. Hammaelis vernalis is found growing in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri. I planted them ( I have several) for the earliest visiting pollinators, for its beautiful flowers, delightful perfume and as a memory tree for my mom. 

When asked what tree I would like as a memorial gift for my mother I told my friends that Hamamelis vernalis was the perfect tree because it bloomed in winter. My mom bloomed in the winter of her life and I thought she would love having a tree that's as unique as she was. To read a post about it go here. 

A friend made this sign that reads "for bernice xoxo"

 I love that not only does Hamamelis vernalis flower for months, it has a lovely fragrance. How clever of Mother Nature to give winter bloomers that something special to insure that moths, a little fly, gnat or bee will follow the scent and pollinate the flower.
xoxogail 

 

Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. On the fourth Wednesday of each month I share information about wildflowers and other native plants. Please join in if you like. You can write a blog post or share your favorite wildflower on social media. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not, and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers.

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener, Tennessee Naturalist and nature writer in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Wildflower Wednesday: Krigia biflora

Krigia biflora, aka, two-flowered Cynthia, is one of my favorite wildflowers. Those of you who shy away from vibrant golden yellow or luminous orange flowers may be asking yourself, "What ever does she see in that flower? It looks like a dandelion."

It does resemble a dandelion and that doesn't bother me! In fact, it looks so similar to Taraxacum that one of its common names is two-flowered dwarf dandelion.

What's special:

• It's an early blooming native that could replace dandelions in your garden
  
• Its color is more orange than yellow
• That blue-green foliage
  
• The flower is lovely
• Fairly long bloom time
  
• It doesn't spread all over your garden like a dandelion will. Although, I wouldn't mind if it did. 
• It will grow in almost any soil (except water logged)
  

It's a delightful and charming native flower that is visited by many pollinators~bumblebees, honeybees, little carpenter bees, cuckoo bees, mason bees, beetles, flower flies, predatory wasps, skippers and butterflies.

Plants growing in cracks always says: Needs good drainage!

Although, I had no luck winter sowing Krigia, it popped up in a crack in my asphalt driveway.

The Krigias are named for David Krieg, a German physician, who traveled to America in 1696. He and fellow botanist, William Vernon, collected specimens of plants, insects and shells in what is now present day Maryland. This wonderful yellow orange aster was collected on Krieg’s trip and the genus Krigia was established to honor his contribution to the science of botany. (source)

 The Particulars:

Botanical name: Krigia biflora 

Common name: Two-flowered Cynthia, Two flowered dwarf dandelion, Dwarfdandelion

Type: Perennial

Family: Asteraceae (daisies, sunflowers)

Bloom time:  May - August depending upon where you garden

Flower: the flower head has ray flowers only, meaning all of the individual flowers of the flower head have a strap-shaped ray, which may or may not have teeth at the very tip of the ray

Flower color: yellow or orange yellow 

Leaves: Simple Basal rosette & alternate  

 

Height:  1 to 2 feet 

Space:  8 to 12 inches   

Sun:  Light sun to shade, think dappled sunlight.

Moisture: Dry to average

Soil: Almost any soil that is not water logged.

Preferred Habitat: prairies, open woodland and meadows.

Found in: AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, WI, WV  and  Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario.

Wildlife value: Cynthia attracts all types of pollinators, such as bees, wasps, flies, butterflies and beetles. The Krigia Andrenid Bee, Andrena krigiana, specifically feeds on the pollen of Krigia spp. (source) Go to INaturalist for an extensive list of critters who visit Two Flowered Cynthia

Related species: Krigia is a genus in the family Asteraceae. They are known generally as dwarf dandelions or dwarfdandelions. There are seven species in the US and six species in Tennessee.

Comments: Produces a latex that seems to deter deer foraging on it. It closes at night like a dandelion, perhaps to protect it's reproductive parts.

Uses: Plant in native naturalistic garden, prairie or meadow. I grow it in a container and it's been outdoors like that for 10 years. It appears to be deer resistant.  Pollinators visit the showy flowers, it's drought tolerant, and has a long bloom period.

 

So glad you stopped by to see Krigia biflora. Perhaps, I've changed your mind and you now appreciate  luminous orange flowers.

xoxogail

 

Wildflower Wednesday is about sharing wildflowers from your part of the world. Don't worry if you have nothing in bloom, you can still showcase one of your favorites. It doesn't matter if we sometimes show the same plants; how they grow and thrive in your garden is what matters most. I hope you join the celebration...It's always the fourth Wednesday of each month.

 

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Are you ready for the hummingbirds?

Trumpet honeysuckle and Eastern Columbine have bloomed just in time for migrating Ruby Throated Hummers and that's no coincidence. Hummingbirds and certain flowers have coadapted over millions of years to form a mutually beneficial relationship. Hummingbirds migrate thousands of miles annually and they're movement north typically coincides with the blooming of these preferred flowers.
Check out the map below to get a sense of the magnitude of their migration north and you'll understand why they need nectar rich flowers all along the route. By the time they reach our gardens they are hungry and searching for food. 

Hummers hover below these flowers to feed on nectar

 The red tubular and trumpet-shaped flowers of both columbines and trumpet honeysuckles hold more nectar than other flowers and are irresistible to hummingbirds. Their coadapted/mutually beneficial relationship is pretty cool. The long bill and tongue of these hummers fits into the throat of preferred flowers like columbines and trumpet honeysuckle flowers to easily reach the nectar, and while feeding, grains of pollen spill onto the head of the bird and is carried to other Columbines and Trumpet honeysuckle.

It's a marvelous dance that happens in gardens all over the Eastern United States and it's show time in Middle Tennessee.

'Cedar Lane' Trumpet honeysuckle/Lonicera sempervirens

It's not difficult to attract migrating RTH to your Middle Tennessee garden. Like all bird visitors and residents they need food, shelter, water, nesting sites and perching sites.

Columbine/Aquilegia canadensi

Just plant more flowers and shrubs with nectar bearing flowers. The following is a list of plants that you might consider adding to the garden.

red buckeye 
jewelweed 
columbine 
trumpet creeper 
red morning-glory 
wild bergamot/bee- balm  
trumpet (or coral) honeysuckle
cardinal flower 
royal catchfly and  round-leaved catchfly 
fire-pink 
four o’clock (e)
phlox 
salvia and scarlet sage
lilies 
aloes 
penstemons 

 There may not be as many nectar sources available with this crazy up and down spring we've had, so please consider hanging feeders. It's fun to watch the hummers up close and it's an easy way to supplement their nectar needs. You don't have to buy nectar, make your own, it's just sugar and water! There are recipes on the internet. Do not use the red dyed syrups.

this source/link will take you to the website

Have fun and remember this please! Never, ever, ever, ever, ever use pesticides. I mean that now! Never. You really do want insects in your garden. Insects are a primary food of most birds, including hummingbirds.

xoxogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

The thing about biennials

Biennials require two growing seasons to complete their life-cycle. The first year is vegetative growth; the second year, they flower and produce seed and shortly after, they die. They're usually quite prolific and will set seed well, but, you'll only have flowers every other year. If you want to have blooms every year, you've got to put a little bit of effort into making that happen.

My favorite native biennial is Phacelia bipinnatifida.

Purple phacelia/Phacelia bipinnatifida is one of my favorite spring flowers and it happens to be a biennial. I fell in love with it about 20 years ago and have worked to make sure it thrives in my garden. It's a pretty ground cover when it colonizes and it has good wildlife value (provides nectar and pollen for the earliest pollinators).

You can have a yearly blooming colony.

It's an excellent pollen and nectar source for early pollinating visitors. 

The easiest way is to find a source of first year seedlings and/or second year plants of the biennial of your choice. That's not always possible with underused natives like Phacelia bipinnatifida. Sometimes native plant nurseries sell annuals and biennials, but, most of the time you'll have to start with seeds. (Locals, you can call GroWild to see if they still have plants available otherwise, check the internet for seeds). 

If you only have one flowering plant you can still have blooms every year, it will just take a few years. It will take a little bit longer if you start with seeds.


The process:

First Spring with your biennial.  If you have a second year plant, it will bloom! Collect mature seeds (on my Phacelia it's when the ovoid capsules are ready to split), save some (Cleaned seeds should be stored dry in sealed, refrigerated containers) and direct sow others. Biennials reproduce through seeds.

If you're starting with seeds, sow them now! The seeds will germinate early the next spring, here in Middle Tennessee that often means in late February.

first leaves and true leaves

Second Spring: Seedlings will be everywhere you sowed them (cotyledons of Phacelia bipinnatifida are oval) and will rosette up (pinnately divided leaves) as the growing season continues! You can transplant them anytime, but I like to wait until fall when the rains and cool weather return.  

Now is the time to sow those seeds you saved last spring! Direct sow them into the garden and gently press the seeds into the soil. I promise you they will germinate if you've chosen the right spot in your garden. Phacelia likes moister conditions, so I plant them where I know they'll thrive.

 first year seedlings with pinnately divided leaves November 2015

Third Spring: You should now have first and second year plants and be on your way to having a wonderful yearly show! Continue to collect seeds for sowing wherever in your garden that your biennial will be happy or let them drop onto the soil where they've been growing. Continue transplanting first year rosettes during the fall.

This is what you can expect every Spring. Aren't they lovely!

They take a little bit of effort, but the results are very satisfying! 
xoxogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.