Photo by Janet Bailey
Wild things
Bright colours and country charm make wildflowers a fresh pick for summer
What is a wildflower? Well, there’s no easy answer. According to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, “What one person considers
a wildflower may be a weed to another.”
What we do know is this: They’re lovely, inexpensive and they can spring up anywhere, from a sprawling prairie meadow to a crack in a city sidewalk. And you can always get the look with unassuming garden annuals such as cosmos and African daisies. Our botanical editor Karen York loves to gather frilly bunches of Queen Anne’s lace even though they’re short-lived. “They’re great to pick from a ditch,” she says. “But shake the plants before you bring them inside because they’re always full of ants!” Her other favourites include ox-eye daisy, gayfeather, baptisia and bergamot. If you plan to plant your own wildflower garden from seed, choose a well-drained, sunny location, rake the soil to a depth of one inch, spread the seeds across the bed and push them slightly into the soil. Soon, you’ll have a mini-meadow of your own.
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