"Wildflower" seed mixes: approach with caution!

Gardeners who are interested in growing native plants should be aware that those packages of "wildflower" seeds you see everywhere usually include many flowers not native to our area. Here are some "wildflower" seed mixes I have found on sale in Toronto: Liberty Garden seeds (Page Seed Company) produces a so-called North American Wildflower Mixture. It's hard to be sure what species are included, since they're listed only by their common names, but they include many plants which are not native to North America. Here's the list:

Plant	Native to NA?	Native to TO?
white yarrow (Achillea millefolium, achillée millefeuille)	yes	yes
alyssum (could be a few different species, but most likely Lobularia maritima (alysson maritime)	no	no
Calendula (species not identified)	no	no
cornflower: Centaurea cyanus (bluet des champs)	no	no
wallflower (Erisymum spp.)	no	no
Coreopsis, species not identified	yes	maybe
Cosmos, species not identified	probably	no
sweet Wiliam: Dianthus barbatus (œillet de poète)	no	no
Gypsophila, species not identified	no	no
blue flax: could be Linum lewisii (lin de Lewis) or Linum perenne (lin vivace)	yes or no	no
flax: probably Linum usitatissimum (lin cultivé)	no	no
evening primrose: Oenothera, species not identified	yes	maybe
black-eyed Susan: probably some kind of Rudbeckia	probably	maybe
catchfly: could be some kind of Lychnis or Silene	maybe	maybe
Mexican hat: some kind of Ratibida	yes	maybe

Thompson and Morgan sell a California Mix (obviously not native here) and a North American Mix. The California Mix includes:

Plant	Native to California?
Oenothera missourensis (bigfruit evening primrose, onagre de Missouri; now goes by the scientific name Oenothera macrocarpa)	no
Layia platyglossa (coastal tidytips, je ne peux pas trouver le nom commun en français)	yes
Gilia capitata (bluehead gilia, je ne peux pas trouver le nom commun en français)	yes
Nemophila insignis (baby blue eyes, némophile)	yes
Eschscholzia (California poppy, pavot de Californie), species not identified	yes
Clarkia elegans (elegant Clarkia, Clarkia élégant)	yes
Phacelia campanularia (desertbells, phacelia cloche bleu)	yes

These actually are all California species, except for the very first species listed, bigfruit evening primrose, which is native to south-central US, not California. I'm wondering if, as with food ingredients, the first listed is present in the greatest quantity?

The so-called North American Mix contains:

Plant	Native to NA?	Native to TO?
Gilia capitata (bluehead gilia, je ne peux pas trouver le nom commun en français)	yes	no
Nemophila insignis (baby blue eyes, némophile)	yes	no
Nemophila maculata (fivespot, némophile)	yes	no
godetia (probably Clarkia amoena, fleur de satin)	yes	no
alyssum white (probably Lobularia maritima (alysson maritime)	no	no
Delphinium consolida (larkspur, dauphinelle)	no	no
Rudbeckia, species not identified	yes	maybe
Linum rubrum (scarlet flax, lin rouge annuelle)	no	no
Eschscholzia (California poppy, pavot de Californie), species not identified	yes	no
Clarkia, species not identified	yes	no
Iberis umbellata (globe candytuft, ibéris à ombelles)	no	no
Papaver rhoeas (corn poppy, coquelicot)	no	no

The Ontario Seed Company (OSC) has a few different wildflower mixes. Their Semi-Shade Mixture includes:

Plant	Native to Ontario?	Native to TO?
Aquilegia 'McKana Giant' (columbine ,ancolie)	no	no
coneflower: could refer to some kind of Echinacea, Rudbeckia, or Ratibida	maybe	maybe
candytuft: some kind of Iberis (ibéride)	no	no
catchfly: could be some kind of Lychnis or Silene	maybe	maybe
dwarf coreopsis: might be Coreopsis auriculata 'Nana' (coréopsis auriculé)	no	no
forget-me-not: could be some kind of Myosotis or Cynoglossum amabile	no	no
Ozark sundrop: Oenothera macrocarpa (onagre de Missouri)	no	no
Shasta daisy: Leucanthemum × superbum	no	no
Shirley poppy: Papaver rhoeas (corn poppy, coquelicot)	no	no
sweet Wiliam: Dianthus barbatus (œillet de poète)	no	no
Viola, species not identified	maybe	maybe

Their Low-Growing mixture includes:

Plant	Native to Ontario?	Native to TO?
Alyssum saxatile (golden alyssum, corbeille d'or)	no	no
African daisy: could be Arctotis sp., Dimorphotheca sp., Gazania sp., etc. etc.	no	no
baby's breath: Gypsophila (gypsophile), species not identified	no	no
California poppy: Eschscholzia, species not identifiedpavot de Californie	no	no
perennial candytuft: Iberis sempervirens (ibéris toujours vert)	no	no
dwarf coreopsis: might be Coreopsis auriculata 'Nana' (coréopsis auriculé)	no	no
dwarf coneflower: might be a cultivar of Echinacea purpurea	no	no
five spot: Nemophila maculata (némophile)	no	no
forget-me-not: could be some kind of Myosotis or Cynoglossum amabile	no	no
mountain phlox: might be Phlox austromontana or Linanthus grandiflorus	no	no
showy evening primrose: Oenothera speciosa (oenothère rose)	no	no
Oriental poppy: Papaver orientale (pavot orientale)	no	no
Ozark sundrop: Oenothera macrocarpa (onagre de Missouri)	no	no
pinks: Dianthus, species not identified	no	no
prairie coneflower: probably Ratibida	maybe	maybe
wallflower: Erisymum	no	no

Their OSC mixture includes:

Plant	Native to Ontario?	Native to TO?
baby's breath: Gypsophila (gypsophile), species not identified	no	no
bachelor buttons: Centaurea cyanus (bluet des champs)	no	no
black-eyed Susan: probably some kind of Rudbeckia	maybe	maybe
Cosmos, species not identified	no	no
Calendula, species not identified	no	no
catchfly: could be some kind of Lychnis or Silene	maybe	maybe
Chrysanthemum, species not identified	no	no
lance leaf coreopsis: Coreopsis lanceolata (coréopsis lancéolé)	yes	yes
plains coreopsis: Coreopsis tinctoria (coreopsis élégant)	yes	yes
scarlet flax: Linum grandiflorum (lin)	no	no
Rocky Mountain penstemon: Penstemon strictus (penstemon)	no	no
evening scented primrose: Oenothera odorata (onagre odorant)	no	no
prairie coneflower: probably Ratibida	maybe	maybe
purple coneflower: Echinacea purpurea	no	no
Russell lupines: Lupinus polyphyllus	no	no
soapwort: Saponaria (saponaire), unidentified species	no	no
Shasta daisy: Leucanthemum × superbum	no	no
Shirley poppy: Papaver rhoeas (corn poppy, coquelicot)	no	no
wallflower: Erisymum	no	no

Finally, McKenzie Seeds sells Low-Growing and All Purpose wildflower seed mixes, which don't even list the species included. The package states, and I quote, "Annuals, Biennials, Perennials". Well, that really narrows it down, doesn't it? I wonder if they even know what is in these mixtures or if it's just mystery seeds that fell out of the other packets?

Now, just because these plants aren't native doesn't mean that you should never grow them (I have grown a number of them myself), but if you want to get all the benefits of native plants, in terms of providing habitat for native insects and the wildlife that depend on them (read Bringing Nature Home if you haven't already), then you will not be getting those benefits from these wildflower seed mixes. It's not clear to me what "wildflower" even means to these seed sellers, since not only are most of these plants not native, most of them don't grow wild here either. I wish they would label these mixes as "easy-care flowers" or something, and not give them names like "North American Wildflower" mix when there is nothing particularly North American or wild about most of the flowers included.

Native plant seeds out of the fridge and under the grow lights!

I've finished stratifying my native plant seeds and am starting them extra early under the grow lights, to hopefully get them big and healthy before they have to contend with the garden, and the kids and dogs who frequent the garden.

The natives I'm doing this year are all ones I attempted last year, with varying degrees of success (some of them I attempted wintersowing in peat pellets with no cover and they all dried out.)

• Agastache foeniculum (licorice mint, anis hysope)
• Aquilegia canadensis (wild red columbine, ancolie du Canada): my favourite!
• Campanula rotundiifolia (harebell, campanule à feuilles rondes)
• Eupatorium perfoliatum (common boneset, eupatoire perfoliée)
• Eupatorium purpureum (sweet Joe Pye weed, eupatoire pourpre)
• Gaillardia aristata (blanket flower, gaillarde)
• Helenium autumnale (Helen's flower, hélénie d'automne)
• Penstemon digitalis (foxglove penstemon, penstémon digitalis)
• Tradescantia ohiensis (spiderwort, tradescantia de l'Ohio)
• Verbena stricta (hoary vervain, verveine veloutée)
• Zizia aurea (golden Alexanders, zizia d'oré)

Nature photos by Nicky

All taken at High Park.

Nicky is starting his own photography blog, Nicky's Mystery Photos. Check it out!

Does growing invasive plants help birds?

This past week I was very excited to pick up a beautiful book, Bird by Bird Gardening by Sally Roth (Rodale, 2006), about designing gardens to attract various families of birds to the garden. And in many ways it is an excellent book, with a wealth of information about the needs of different birds in terms of food, shelter, water, etc., with lists of plants and garden plans for all sorts of lovely birds (she's an American writing for American gardeners but of course a lot of it will apply here in Canada too). It's a beautiful book, lavishly illustrated with full colour photographs, and a wealth of information.

As I read the book more closely, however, I became troubled, as she recommended plants which may be invasive in parts of the US (and Canada too, though I can't fault her for that if she wasn't intending to cover Canada in the book). For example, she suggests

• Berberis spp. (barberries, berbéris) without distinguishing between the native and invasive varieties (B. thunbergii is invasive in the northeastern US, B. vulgaris invasive in many states from coast to coast; they both are listed in the Invasive Exotic Species Ranking for Southern Ontario (PDF))
• Eucalyptus spp. (Australian natives which are invasive in California, especially, but also in the Pacific north west including part of BC)
• Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus, fusain ailé) which is invasive in the northeastern US (and southern Ontario)
• Pyrus calleryana (Callery pear, poirier de Chine) which is invasive in the eastern US

(These are just the most notorious invasives I noticed flipping through the book; I didn't do an exhaustive investigation.)

Now, there are a lot of older wildlife gardening books that recommend various invasives, especially berry plants, but I was very unhappy to see them still being recommended in such a recent book.

I was horrified when I got to a three page essay, "Invasive Implications", on pp. 74-76.

First, she implies that the term "invasive" was created by the USDA and is based on agricultural concerns, and that all non-native plants are invasive. Now, even if invasive plants were only a problem for agriculture, that is still an extremely serious problem since virtually all people in North America are completely dependent on agriculture for our food. To me that would be reason enough to avoid gardening with invasives.

Of course, in reality, there are many ecologists concerned about the impact of invasive species on ecosystems. Invasives are definitely not only a concern for farmers.

Then, she says that invasives mostly affect disturbed areas, and so are not a problem for native plants. Even if invasives only affected disturbed areas, to me that is still a problem, for they are displacing the native plants which would normally colonize disturbed areas. Invasive plants can prevent native plants from returning to disturbed areas, so this habitat is permanently rather than temporarily lost.

(And unfortunately, there are invasive species which invade undisturbed habitat; witness the heartbreaking blanket of garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata, herbe à l'ail) carpeting the forests in High Park and around the Ontario Science Centre, for example.)

She suggests that invasives are mainly a concern in warm areas (southeast US, California, and Hawaii) or near wetlands. In reality, while invasives may be worse in those areas, that doesn't mean they aren't a serious problem here.

Then she points out that sometimes authorities use environmentally questionable practices (herbicides). There is real debate on if/when pesticides should be used to control invasives, but surely if we don't want the authorities to feel driven to use pesticides we should avoid growing plants that are invasive in the first place! She also describes an instance she witnessed of a birds' nest being destroyed when the plant they were living in was removed. Again, all the more reason to prevent these situations by not growing invasives in our gardens.

Most upsettingly, she writes that since birds use some invasives for shelter or food:

I stick up for many invasives [because] we've destroyed so much bird habitat, so many native plants, and such multitudes of insects, that I believe birds deserve some extra help.

Aargh!

The sad truth is, these invasives she's defending are a leading cause of habitat loss. In particular, the multitudes of insects she mourns depend on a multitude of native plants for food. Most herbivorous insects can only eat certain species; even a closely related non-native plant often supports many fewer insects (in both number of species and number of individuals) compared to its native counterpart. Birds can seek cover and build nests in many locations, and fruit and nectar of many plants are palatable, but without a healthy insect population most birds won't be able to get the nourishment they need.

Invasive plants don't help birds, they harm birds.

If you want to grow plants to help birds, there are many native plants (many listed in Bird by Bird Gardening, and Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy) which provide shelter, berries, and the insects which are such a crucial part of many birds' diets.

For more information about the impact of native vs. non-native plants on wildlife, please read Bringing Nature Home.

Great podcasts by Doug Tallamy on gardening and wildlife

I've already mentioned Doug Tallamy's wonderful book, Bringing Nature Home (Timber Press). I just discovered these fascinating and inspiring podcasts online. Enjoy!

Part 1: the crisis faced by wildlife, making friends with insects. (8:02)

Part 2: how many native vs. non-native plants do you need, which native plants have the most benefit for wildlife. (11:11)

Part 3: how to distinguish native vs. non-native plants, how invasive plants affect the environment, using herbicides to control invasive plants, organic gardening. (9:24)

Part 4: can one garden really make a difference in helping wildlife? How to get started. (9:15)

Part 5: do lawn alternatives help wildlife, what is the most destructive landscaping practice? Current research on the impact of plants on wildlife, especially birds. Effects of native vs. invasive insects. (11:29)

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, November 2009

Here in Toronto, there isn't much blooming; in fact, I was surprised to find as many blooms as I did. Interestingly, they're all volunteers except for the chrysanthemums.

Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon, muflier). I'm not sure where these snapdragons blew in from, since we didn't plant them last year either. I'm planning to let them self-sow.

Chrysanthemum sp. (chrysanthème). The mums aren't as pretty as they were last month, but they still have lasted a very long time.

Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane, vergerette annuelle). I was surprised to see daisy fleabane blooming at this time of year; it mostly blooms in early summer.

Lobularia maritima (alyssum, alysse odorante). I love the way this alyssum volunteers in a crack in the driveway. I may deliberately sow some in cracks next year.

Lobularia maritima (alyssum, alysse odorante). More alyssum. I must plant more of this next year, it has such a long blooming season, smells lovely, and pollinators love it! Stokes has some interesting colours you don't usually see in alyssums.

Petunia. I can't believe this petunia is still blooming, it lost its leaves ages ago and looked so nearly dead my landlords dumped it out of its hanging basket. Here it is sitting in a clump of dried up soil in November, and it's still blooming.

Sutera cordata (bacopa, sutera cordée). This was a pleasant surprise volunteer. I may plant some deliberately next year. It really needs to be started early indoors; this plant didn't bloom until autumn.

Check out what's blooming in gardens around the world this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for hosting!

Hamamelis virginiana in bloom

Although he photographed these flowers in High Park last Monday, Nicky wanted me to post this plant today in honour of Hallowe'en. Hamamelis virginiana, known in English as "American witchhazel" and in French as hamamélis de Virginie, is a deciduous tree native to eastern and central North America. Unlike most of our native trees, witchhazel blooms in autumn, possibly to take advantage of the lack of other flowers vying for pollinators attention. I was thrilled to see this interesting tree for the first time in real life!