Eco Alley

Living Green with Connie Pumphrey

I love wildflowers.  My home state has hundreds of species but, of course, I didn’t notice while I lived there.  Maryland has its share of them too and I am in full sensory mode this year.  I became enthralled with artscapes created from pressed flowers after viewing incredible works at the Philadelphia Flower Show.  Entries come from around the world and I want to create a work to be juried for submission into either the Philadelphia or Chelsea Flower Show.  (The Queen of England is getting up there in age also so I might politic for her position as well.  My chances are about as good.)

Open fields are a great place to collect different species of flowers as well as alongside highways.  The Dept. of Highways plant them in many of the median strips and it is probably illegal and definitely dangerous to pull over to cut flowers so I do not infringe on state property.  I also stay out of people’s yards unless I ask permission in advance - most people say yes. 

I am disenchanted with many annuals. With the exception of Big Red Dragon Wing Begonia and Impatiens, my choices droop, wilt or otherwise require too much maintenance.  I feel proud when my perennials return every year and it’s a commitment for both of us - I try to be a good hostess and they visit me year after year.  All of us who have the space should plant NATIVE wildflowers (cosmos, cornflower, yarrow, corn poppy, evening primrose, coreopsis, daisy, purple cornflower and larkspur) because they thrive in Maryland’s ever changing weather.  They don’t normally require excessive watering and survive whatever wierd weather comes our way.  The Maryland Highways website advises us to buy high quality seed blends that offer a range of color and bloom periods.  Seed purity of their mixtures is about 95 to 99% and 40-90% actually germinate so choosing a quality supplier is important.  Please call me when yours are in full bloom.

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Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/12/10 at 07:44 PM

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