"Wildflowers - or Weeds?"
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Growing wildflowers
Try daisies, nettles, dandelions, and even a bramble or two. The secret to containing wildflowers is not to let them seed and spread their wings! Pick them at flower stage and they don't get a chance to go wild over the rest of the garden.
If you're starting your garden from scratch and nature needs a little push in the right
direction, there are huge varieties of wild seeds available at this gorgeous website:
Thompson & Morgan are a worldwide distributor -
Thompson & Morgan UK for wildflowers
Thompson and Morgan US
Thompson and Morgan Worldwide
Or at Crocus ( UK deliveries only ) they have various types of 'plug-in' kits! You buy over 100 small plants already to plug into your meadow. There are a few different wildflowers packages to choose from - for a shady spot, a sunny area etc;
Crocus UK
:Type 'wildflowers' (without the quotations) into the search box - and you will find the plug-in kits.
Why have a wild patch? Well it's always nice to see a bit of 'nature' in an otherwise neat and tidy garden. But there are more practical reasons.
Wild flowers encourage bees to your garden who will pollinate your other plants. Leaving a fairly dense undergrowth will encourage frogs and toads who eat those pesky slugs! Many indigenous plants have a huge range of medicinal and nutritional properties, just longing to be used!
nettles are full of vitamins and minerals and can be eaten in salads, steamed as a green vegetable, or drunk as a tisane. The whole plant can be used to produce a greenish dye for wool.
Young bramble leaves are high in vitamin C and have natural diuretic properties. Make a fragrant tisane for a great alternative to regular tea. Bramble tea is helpful for fighting off colds and flu.
Wild violets can be carefully picked and crystallised to make perfect flower cake
decorations
Dandelions are a very versatile wild flower and most parts of the plant can be used.Young leaves are good in salads, and the sap from the stalk is reputed to cure warts and verucas. I have tried this on one of my guinea pigs ( children! ) and it definitely works. Simply dab on the sticky sap a couple of times a day, for a few weeks, when the veruca or wart is just beginning to show.
And not only that, the dandelion can even be preserved! This page 'Garden Wild Flowers' has even more information and you can find out how to make a great bath tonic!
These are just a few wild flowers, there are thousands more! Borrow a good book from the library and get acquainted with the different species
Keep your eyes peeled for wild flowers growing on the side of the road or track on your summer strolls. Peep into the hedgerows. Fragile plants will often, instinctively (?) find a protector and even the most delicate wild flower can often be found climbing through a thorny old bramble hedgerow.
Help preserve your local wildlife. For more information on species indigenous to your
region, look at world wildlife websites or get in touch with your local environmental group.
Happy Gardening!
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