Get Growing: Wildflowers that work here

There are lots of reasons to go wild in your garden. I don’t mean let it run amuck with Himalayan blackberry and buttercup, as could easily happen in my yard – I mean embrace native plants and specifically wild flowers that grow well here.

What’s more charming than a wildflower meadow in full bloom? It harkens back to easier days, a connection with nature – an appears effortless. You can see the appeal of wildflower seeds – in spring they are often given away at garden events, or in promotions from companies wanting to appear “natural.” Yet before you plant, it pays to do your research. Very often packaged wildflower mixes include plentiful amounts of non-native seeds, or seeds native to areas with very different conditions than the Pacific Northwest enjoys. Many aren’t even labeled so you may have to contact the seed company.

Of course, it’s delightful to experience plants from around the world. My garden is certainly packed with plants from China, New Zealand, and Australia, to name a few. I’m not suggesting everyone needs to go fully native with their garden choices. However, there are great benefits to your part of the ecosystem and beyond to growing native plants.

The main reason to grow natives is that the local organisms, from insects to birds, co-evolved with these plants. Their bodies recognize them by scent, form, color and signatures transmitted underground. Many insects, of which the Monarch butterfly is a prime example, are specialists — meaning they will only lay their eggs upon specific milkweed species (Ascelpias) to help feed their caterpillars. Increased human development and incursion of invasive non-natives has decreased habitat of native plants, threatening countless insects and other pollinators.

Choosing to grow some of these can act like a mini-preserve for some of these precious resources. It also helps increase the genetic diversity of the population to grow in more locations – that way if a storm or pest takes out a group in one area, there are still reserves in waiting. The more local reserves we grow, the better chances our pollinators have.

Planting in swathes of three or more plants is ideal, to create a kind of easy-to-spot runway for the pollinators rather than individuals dotted here and there. However, ecologists like Douglas Tallamy (author of “Nature’s Best Hope” and other books) say a planting of any size helps – even in a pot on your patio or a sidewalk tree well. They can add a burst of summer color at the feet of a spring-blooming shrub – as long as they get enough sunlight.

So, first check your seeds and seek out ones that grow here. Both the Xerces Society https://xerces.org/publications/plant-lists/native-plants-for-pollinators-and-beneficial-insects-maritime-northwest and the National Wildlife Foundation offer lists of local plants for the Pacific Northwest. For the Xerces Society, Seattle area folks should select Maritime Northwest, non-coastal Washington can choose the Inland Northwest list. The NWF site goes by zip code.

You can find large national companies carrying PNW blends too. In addition to Stover Seed, some closer companies include Northwest Meadowscapes (northwestmeadowscapes.com) or West Coast Seeds out of British Columbia.

It’s also important to note that wildflower plantings only look effortless in the wild — where nature manages them, sometimes with fire. Clear a weed-free bed or pot for them where they can live on their own. If you just scatter wildflower seeds into your lawn or an existing garden bed they’ll most likely be swamped by their neighbors in a season.

However, with just a little planning and weeding, you can have a patch of colorful wildflowers for you — as well as the birds, bees, butterflies and beneficials — to savor.