April Flowers
Some flowers are wild, occurring naturally whether as volunteers in your yard or as wildflowers in wildlands. They may or may not be “native”, but they have not been purposely planted or seeded unless an area has undergone environmental restoration using those particular plants.
Photo @lisabforce
Some flowers are “cultivars”, a group of plants that have been manipulated by humans for certain desirable characteristics (decorative or useful).
For example, there is one species of tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, but thousands of tomato cultivars that have been selected for varying fruit types and for optimum growth in differing growing conditions. Fun Fact Alert: There are about 13,000 cultivars of daffodils.
As you might expect, bees and butterflies tend to prefer the pollen and nectar of native plants more than non-natives. Plus, native plants are more suited to the climate and soil of your particular region so tend to be hardier. I try to use native plants wherever possible because they attract more butterflies and bees and are easier to care for, but I have both in my yard… because both make me happy!
I wander’d lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch’d in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
– From “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth
Mothers’ Day Spectacular
Peonies are the quintessential Mothers’ Day flowers for bouquets that delight. My mom had rows of these growing under the apple tree, just behind my swing set. Such a treat. Peonies bloom prolifically in the spring and some varieties bloom into the summer. They last longer as cut flowers than they do as outdoor blooms, especially if it’s hot outside, but are spectacularly showy wherever they bloom.
For more about how to grow peonies – So easy and perennial so you plant them once and enjoy them for years – click on the Organic Gardening “Topic” on the menu at right. I’ll also tell you a secret about how to have fresh peonies in your home all summer and fall, long after they’ve stopped blooming outdoors.
Rhododendrons are prolific in the wild. There are over 1,000 species of known natives, and hundreds more cultivated hybrid varieties. They can be found throughout the Americas and in Europe and Africa. They are non-deciduous (meaning evergreen) and bloom in a stunning array of colors beginning in the spring. They look spectacular floating in a bowl.
Photo @lisabforce
Lilacs are found in the wild in the western US, and are also widely cultivated.
Lilacs smell like mom to me. She passed away years ago, but whenever I bury my face in a lilac bush, she’s there. Hi Mom!