It's rough and tumble wildflower time in my garden. The take care of themselves Autumn beauties are beginning to shine.
 |
| Verbesina virginica |
Rough and tumble wildflowers are simple wildflowers most with no known
pedigree, that bloom their hearts out and require the easiest of care.
 |
| Helenium autumnale |
Some even resent fertile, rich soil and many aren't even on a list to be hybridized, even if they should be!
 |
| unknown Solidago |
Familiarity has never bred contempt when it comes to wildflowers. In fact, the more I see them, the more I appreciate their charms.
 |
| Vernonia altissima |
But, they are so much more than pretty faces.
 |
| Salvia azurea |
Each one of these darlings provides more pollen and nectar return on investment than many other flowers combined.
 |
| Conoclinium coelestinum |
My rough and tumble natives are landing pads of deliciousness for butterflies, bees, wasps and moths.
 |
| Symphyotrichum novae-angliae |
Common plants like the Ex-asters bloom just in time for the late arriving pollinators which are making a mad dash to collect as much nectar and pollen for their last brood.
 |
| Coreopsis tripteris |
Rough and tumble wildflowers are late blooming magnets for all kinds of insects, including some insects that are themselves food for spiders, birds and other insect eating critters.
 |
| Lobelia cardinalis |
The provide food for migrating birds and they all make me smile.
 |
| Physostegia virginiana |
I have a special place in my heart for these wild and rough looking beauties that are often found growing in meadows, prairies and roadside ditches. I appreciate plants that haven't had their best characteristics bred out of them. They're beautiful, they're doing the job nature intended them to do, make a lot of nectar and pollen and bloom for a long time, exactly when the critters need both.
 |
| Lobelia siphilitica |
They're perfect for this time of year, perfect for the resident critters and perfect for this garden.
xoxogail
It's September 15 and you know what that means! Garden bloggers all
over the blogasphere are celebrating Bloom Day. You can see more
gardens then you can imagine in one day if you stop by Carol's blog,
May Dreams Gardens to take the linky magic carpet ride.
First flower is Ex-aster
S patens
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.
