A Weed In Your Lawn or A Gift In A Drought

Wild Petunia/Ruellia humilis is abloom in the midst of our hot, dry, drought ridden summer. The wonderful and amazing thing is that it's not just blooming, it's thriving and in the most inhospitable of all my gardening conditions~morning shade and blazing afternoon sun.

talk about inhospitable~it's growing up through a crack in the asphalt

It is one of a handful of nearly perfect drought tolerant native plants that are happy in a Middle Tennessee garden this long, hot, dry summer. The hairy stems and foliage are a natural defense against dry conditions. Can you say tough! This is one tough plant.

The nectar guides aren't showing, but the flower is perfect for pollinators

If you're lucky enough to have this cutie patootie in your garden, you may have noticed how very much it resembles ornamental petunia! Ruellia humilis is not a petunia. It's a native wildflower that looks its best in the hottest, driest spots in your garden. It's also, a perfect flower for Bumble Bees and other pollinators.

• it's chock full of nectar,
• has a tubular shape,
• has a landing pad, 
• is open during the day, 
• is brightly colored, and 
• just in case they are needed, it has the coolest nectar guides.

So,  you ask, "What does this fantastic wildflower have to do with weeds in a lawn?"

I'm glad you asked! While you and I see a blanket of lavender flowers humming with bee activity,  lawn aficionados often see wildflowers like Ruellia, Salvia lyrata and Western Daisy as weeds in their turf. Weeds that need to be stamped out in order to have a uniform green space.

I'm working hard to change this belief! I've been sharing information about the under appreciated beauties growing right under our noses with good friends and neighbors. I tell them that Wild Petunia loves the hot blazing sun and needs no special care all summer long; that the nectar rich flowers provide food for native pollinators from May through October; and, that they will never, ever, ever have to fertilize a lawn that is populated with wildflowers, native grasses and sedges.

Ruellia humilis with the pushy Susans

I remind them, ever so gently, that native wildflowers like Wild Petunia and other pretties, are built for our climate and can survive better than ornamentals and other non-native plants.  I show them how beautiful they look in the perennial border and how nicely they play with the intense orange of Asclepias tuberosa, the lavender pinks of the Echinaceas and that they are never mown over by Practically Perfect Pink Phlox Pilosa's exuberance.

After that, it's up to them to decide if it's a weed in their lawn/garden or a gift in a drought.

xoxogail

The facts: Zone 4 to 8; Dry, sunny areas; sprawling growth, will grow in  rock gardens, containers, borders, lawns; Pollinator magnet (Bees and Hummers) and host to Buckeye Butterfly caterpillar;  native to most states East of the Rockies

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.

Wildflower Wednesday~Never Fail Wildflower Favorites

PPPP!

My friends, it's Wildflower Wednesday and I've been pondering what to share with you from Clay and Limestone. I usually talk about one plant and if at all possible share a new one with you~But, not today.

Tradescantia virginiana

Today, I'm sharing flowers that are the mainstays of my Spring garden. 

Astranthium integrifolium/Entireleaf Western Daisy

   Some of them bloom all summer

Penstemon calycosus

Others for too short a period of time.

Amsonia 'Seaford Skies'

Like my rough and tumble wildflower favorites of late summer and fall, these Spring lovelies are dear old friends and I cannot imagine gardening without them.

Baptisia 'Starlight Prairie Blues'

They are never fail beauties!  Native plants that you can count on to bloom, year after year,  providing nectar and pollen for all the resident  pollinators.

Baptisia 'Carolina Moonlight'

Even the cultivars.

Aquilegia canadensis

But, especially the species plants.

Oenothera speciosa with Agastache

 I don't even mind that some of them are...shall we say, a bit thuggish!** 

Oenothera speciosa

In fact, I like a plant that makes it easy for me to create large drifts or to repeat color and texture elsewhere.  To borrow someone else's tag line~It's a good thing!

Phlox pilosa

I love these rough and tumble, take care of themselves wildflowers. My love affair with native plants has been going on for so long that they seem more beautiful to me than many classic garden flowers.  

Salvia lyrata

Part of their charm is their good wildlife value, but, their real charm is that they are absolutely perfect for Clay and Limestone! 

Practically Perfect Pink Phlox pilosa!

You know, you can't ask for more from a plant.
xxoogail

**Please don't use invasive to describe their behavior. That is a powerful word and should be used for exotics that are on the state noxious and invasive species list. Instead,  you can refer to them as colonizers, aggressive natives or just plain thugs. 

 Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. 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. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky.







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.

Let's Celebrate Wildflowers This Week!

Baptisia 'Starlight Prairie Blues' is also in bloom.

It's been a great Spring for wildflowers at Clay and Limestone. Gardeners in Nashville and all around Tennessee, weren't surprised with any late freezes; so far we've had smaller weather events then the big flooding rains of last year; and, the temperatures are only now approaching 80F. The redbuds and dogwoods were the best I've seen them in years. Everything that can flower looks like it will! So, I am celebrating wildflowers everyday this week along with Frances of fairegarden and anyone else who wants to join the party. Post anytime this week~or everyday. Let's just celebrate!

Phlox pilosa, Aquilegia canadenses, Baptisias, Salvia lyrata, grasses and native friendly exotics

Wildflowers and native shrubs have to be rugged to grow in the shallow clay soil and survive our wet winters and dry summers. Cedar Glade natives and native friendly exotics that will grow and thrive in clay and limestone make sense.

Here's one that needs to be showcased more often; with a nod to several of its companion.

Salvia Lyrata

Lyreleaf Sage or Salvia lyrata

Some folks (and while I am not naming names, you know who you are~xoxo) still insist that this delightful wildflower is a lawn weed! Not in my eyes.

Blue Eyed Grass is a tiny little iris that grows best in average to poor soil!

When mixed with native sedges and grasses, and cutie pie Western Daisy and Blue Eyed Grass you can have a fantastic substitute for a water hungry lawn. The lawnette where Lyreleaf Sage grows is also Tommie Crocus friendly. I think it's a wonderful native~Good looking and functional.

Western Daisy is a native annual that makes a lawn pop from Spring through the Summer

Salvia lyrata is native to the wood's edge, thickets, roadsides, tall meadows and lawns of the eastern USA. Give it full sun, deep shade or anything in between: sandy or clay soil; and, occasional moisture! Our summer droughts and humidity don't faze it! It can be walked on, mowed or left alone to create a delightful groundcover.

It's a mint family member with a square stem and two lipped blossom and it will make a nice groundcover.

Lyreleaf sage has the square stem and 2-lipped blossom of the mints. Its pale-blue to violet, tubular flowers are arranged in whorls around the stem forming an interrupted, terminal spike. (spaces between whorled flowers) Each blossom is about 1 inch long.

This lip is the perfect bee landing pad! That makes me smile!

The exposed lower lip of this and other salvias provides an excellent landing platform for bees. When a bee lands, the two stamens are tipped, and the insect is doused with pollen.

I never tire of saying or feeling this~Isn't nature amazing!

xxoogail

PS More wildflowers to come. Mid week will bring us around to Wildflower Wednesday for any regular participants. Please note that Mr Linky will be on the sidebar all week! Feel free to join anytime.


This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.