Garden Wisdom Blog — category: Flower Talk

This blend of annual and perennial wildflowers is selected to attract and feed a wide array of bumble bees. The Bumble Bee Blend Wildflowers are hardy to Zone 4, and are best grown in full sun. Different components of the mix will bloom at different times over summer, so the look will change as the season passes. This is a good blend for bee conservation — set aside an area for this mix to grow in wild from spring to fall, and leave it un-mowed over winter. Balsam 'Camelia Flowered Mix' Impatiens balsamina Catchfly Silene armeria Cosmos 'Sensation Mix' Cosmos...

The Biodiversity Blend provides the widest, most diverse combination of flower types in any of our wildflower blends. There are flowers to tempt every sort of pollinator, but particularly butterflies, wild bees, and hummingbirds. Several species are included that produce edible seeds, so they will continue to nourish songbirds and other critters long after their colour has faded. This mix of perennials and self-sowing annuals is intended to demonstrate one of the foundations of organic growing — that biodiversity begets biodiversity. In diverse systems, plants grow healthier and wildlife is enriched. Basil Ocimum basilicum Bishops Flower Ammi majus Blue Lupin...

We’re going to tell you all about sunflowers so you can be a sunflower expert. Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) It is thought that sunflowers may have been domesticated before corn, as early as 3000 BC in the area that is now Mexico, New Mexico, and Arizona and in the Mississippi Valley by 2300 BC. The plant is certainly native to northern Central America and grew tall and bushy, with many flowers per plant. Evidence suggests that the seeds were used to grind into flour for bread or made into a meal that was mixed with squash, corn, or beans. Various tribes...

Spring is the time for planting wildflower seeds. These little seeds can be direct sown from late March to early May. If you’re aiming for an annual flower garden, planting early will give you a head start on flowering. Choose an area that already has plants growing in it, so you know it is not too damp or shady. Generally, flowers full sunshine, so aim for a spot that is open and bright. If your conditions are particularly dry, wet, or shady, look for our mixes packed with plants that grow well in these challenging conditions. Get the ground ready....

Here is a blend of flowers native to eastern North America that are adapted to survive the sometimes shifting weather of the Maritimes, New England, and the St. Lawrence coast. This mix of fourteen showy plants is primarily composed of perennials, but includes the annual Gaillardia. It is sure to create a feast for the eyes and return for years to come. Here is the list of component species in our East Coast Wildflowers Blend: Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis) Brown-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Eastern Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) Gayfeather (Liatris spicata) Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) Indian...