SIX FLOWERS: Native to Nova Scotia’s Acadian Forest that are excellent for pollinators. Information is selected from William Cullina’s book Wildflowers; A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers of North America.
“There is value in preserving wilderness, but there is equal value in restoring the suburbs and cities where most of us live to something closer to balance, for our children’s sake and the sake of all the other species around us.”
-William Cullina
1. Turtlehead, Chelone Glabra
LIGHT- Part sun
SOIL- Moist to wet
HIGHT- 3 feet
COLOUR- white
BLOOM- from late summer to fall.
WILD LIFE- Nectar plants. White turtlehead is one of the two larval food plants for the lovely orange and brown Baltimore checker spot, euphydryus phaeton,
PROPAGATION- Easy from seed or cuttings.
“Although turtle heads are found in wet locations in the wild, they adapt well to average garden soils as long as drought can be avoided. They divide and transplant readily, and once established are virtually trouble free.”
2. New England Aster, Aster novae-angliae
LIGHT- Part sun
SOIL- Moist
HEIGHT- 2-6 feet
COLOUR- violet to purple or rose
BLOOM- fall
WILDLIFE- Asters are one of the most important fall nectar plants, and a patch of flowering plants seems to attract any and all the pollinators in the area, frantically trying to gather the last of the season’s bounty. A number of asters are also important food plants for butterfly larvae. Many of the crescents feed on asters.
PROPAGATION- Generally easy from seed.
One of the showiest and most often cultivated of the larger asters. Forms thick clump after a few years.
3. Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias Incarnata
LIGHT- Sun, pat shade
SOIL- Moist to wet
HEIGHT- 2-4 feet
COLOUR- white and pink
BLOOM- summer
WILDLIFE- Excellent nectar plants, food for the larval stage of the monarch and queen butterflies.
PROPAGATION- Easy from seed.
“One of the our widest ranging and showiest species with flattened, brightly coloured flower heads at the tips of tall stems. Although found in wet soils, it will thrive in the garden if soil is not droughty. Strongly clumping.”
4. Bone set, Eupatorium perfoliatum
LIGHT- Sun, part sun
SOIL- Moist to wet
HEIGHT- 2-4 feet
COLOUR- white
BLOOM- late summer
WILDLIFE- Excellent nectar plant
PROPAGATION- Easy form seed or cuttings.
Makes an excellent garden plant, with interesting foliage and hazy masses of purple or white flowers that are absolute favorites of butterflies and bees. They are tough, easy plants for range of soils and uses, and no wildflower garden would be complete without one or two. Size and presence that rivals any shrub and smoky lavender flower heads that can be as big as basketballs on 6-foot stems.
5. Cardinal Flower, Lobelia Cardinalis
LIGHT- Sun to light shade
SOIL- Moist to wet, acidic to neutral
HEIGHT- 2-4 feet
COLOUR- crimson, occasionally white or pink blooms late summer
WILDLIFE- Excellent nectar plants. Both are very attractive to hummingbirds.
PROPAGATION- Easy from seed or cuttings
6. Giant Sunflower, Helianthus giganteus
LIGHT- Sun, part sun,
SOIL- Moist to wet
HEIGHT- 6-10 feet
COLOUR- disk yellow, rays pale to strong yellow
BLOOM- fall
WILDLIFE- Nectar, also larval food. Seed head are excellent for birds.
BOOKS
Cullina, W. (2000) Wildflowers; A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers of North America. Houghton Mifflin
Sanders, J. (2003) The Secrets of Wildflowers: A delightful feast of little-known facts, folklore, and history. The Lyons Press
Johnson, Lorraine. (2011) 100 Easy-To-Grow Native Plants: For Canadian Gardens. Whitecap Books
Tallamy, D. Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Timber Press.
