Growing Wildflowers Can Conserve Island Natives

If you want to propagate and grow native wildflowers, some preparation will be necessary.

Get Ready:

If you plan to plant this spring, choose an appropriate location - the edge of a favorite path, a worn spot in the lawn, or near an interesting rock or stump. You may need to fence in the area, because it is easy to lose track of tiny seedlings and they are tempting to wildlife. Some plants thrive on poor, well-drained soil, others need the association of oaks and pines or constant moisture. Observe your chosen plants in their natural habitat on the Island, so you can assess their needs, habits and associations. Paths through the State Forest are good places to see native plants.

First efforts at propagation may be time-consuming, frustrating and unsuccessful. But each success will bring exciting new knowledge of these special plants as well as provide sources of seeds to build your own wildlife areas to share with others.

Interest in propagating wildflowers native to the Island is growing, and we need to be aware of the character of the landscape in which they grow and the importance of using seeds from plants growing on the Island in order to maintain the genetic makeup of our local plants.

Get Set:

If you are going to sow your seeds in open ground, you will have to clear an area of competition by removing other vegetation, mulch and loose duff. If you plan to sow yours seeds in pots or flats, you will need sterile potting oil or a commercial seed-starting mix. You can prepare your own mix of two-thirds potting soil and one-third builder's sand. Moisten the soil well before sowing seeds. Some Island wildflower seeds have been available in small packets at the Wakeman Center through the Sandplain Restoration project and the Garden Club. While they last, they will be found on the information shelf by the entrance.

If you collect your own seeds, remember that many of our native wildflowers and grasses are endangered species and may not be collected in any way.

These plants, however, be collected or their seeds harvested:

For dry, sunny and open areas - Little Bluestem grass, Schizachyrium scoparium; Sickle-leaved Golden Aster, Pityopsis falcate; Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa; Stiff aster, Aster linariifolius.

For wet areas - Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium; Swamp Rose Mallow, Hibiscus moscheutos; Blue Flag Iris, Iris prismatica; Cardinal Flower, Lobelila cardinalis; and Switch Grass, Panicum virgatum.

Seeds should be collected when they are ripe and viable. Some need to be planted immediately before they dry out. Others can be stored in paper envelopes and kept in a refrigerator at about 40 degrees until planting time.

Most seeds, among them the common asters, milk-weeds and grasses can be collected starting about a month after blooming.

Propagate:

Seeds of some wildflowers need a period of cold and damp before they germinate. These should be sowed outdoors in the fall or stratified until spring.

Others should be sowed when danger of frost is past in the spring. Small, tender new growth can be killed by a late frost or severe weather. Seeds planted indoors should be kept moist - but not soggy - until they germinate. Seedlings may be set out when they have two sets of true leaves or moved into larger pots and grown on until fall when, as larger plants, they have a better chance of survival.

Tiny new plants need water and some whade until they are established and growing well. Water their roots regularly during their first year.

You may want to set out two or three plants that grow together in the wild for a more natural effect.

For More Information:

For more information about wildflowers, you will need a book that has more information about specific plants. These include helpful information about collecting seed, propagation and cultivation.

Phillips, Harry R. Growing and Propagating Wildflowers. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1985.

Tenenbaum, Frances. Gardening with Wildflowers. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973.

Wildflower seeds can be purchased from the New England Wildflower Society, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA 01701.