A garden like nature's own
By ELAINE K. DELCUZE

Bloodroot

In recent years there has been a tremendous interest in native wildflower gardening. Early enthusiasts tended to be naturalists, conservationists or horticulturists. However, today we find gardeners of every background and level of scientific expertise interested in gardening with wildflowers. Many seed catalogs now include wildflower seeds and plants and offer gardens designed for the inclusion of native flora.

There are, nevertheless, several basic rules to follow while developing your casual plan. The first is habitat! Duplicate native conditions in which the plants grew naturally with regard to soil, sun, wind, slope of land, and general environment. As with planting any garden, the main points you need to take into account when planning for wildflowers include knowing their size and shape, the type and colors of the plants, and lastly your own personal preferences. Establish the garden in early spring or late fall to help plants establish themselves and acclimate to their new surroundings. In transplanting, dig deep to insure getting an adequate rootball with enough original soil around it to insure that the plant survives. Select small young plants- preferably ones that stand apart from the parent plant. Maximize the natural features of your location by using native stumps, rocks, water features to enhance the garden. Perhaps, consider attracting wildlife to your wildflower setting by adding shelter and food plants to your plan.

Jewel weed

Four basic wildflower gardens for different conditions you may wish to consider follow:

The Woodland Garden

This garden requires plenty of shade with some filtered sun, acid soil, loose friable earth, good drainage, and wind protection. Your plan needs to follow natures example and should be left alone once it is established. Falling leaves from surrounding oaks and needles from pines provide soil acidity creating winter's mulch and their decomposition provides fertilizer and furnished humus. Plants to consider in the woodland garden include: Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis); Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis); Hepatica (Hepatica americana); Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum); Jewel weed (Impatiens capensis); May apple (Podophyllum peltatum); Partridge berry (Mitchella repens); Pipsissewa (Chimaphilia maculata); Rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera pubescens); Trout lily (Erythonium americanum).

Columbine

The Streamside Garden

A winding path along a curving stream may be planted with a succession of bloom in mind. Moss and native ferns should also be included in your plan to provide the variety of texture and bloom you desire. Be sure to consider such plants in your streamside garden as: Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis); Bluets (Houstonia caerulea); Dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata); Jack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum); Jewel weed (Impatiens capensis); Mints (Monarda sp.); Phlox (Phlox paniculata); Showy orchis (Orchis s p e c t a b i l i s ) ; +Trilliums (Trillium sp.); Violets (Viola sp.); Wood a n e m o n e (Anemone quinquefolia).

The Sunny Meadow Garden

An old pasture or abandoned lawn is an excellent choice for locating this garden. Refraining from mowing until season's end and keeping the size and number of trees and shrubs in check is all the maintenance required. Mown grasses are left to decompose adding humus to the soil, and seed from this year's spent flowers will provide next year's blooms.

This garden will include: Black-eyed-Susan (Rudbeckia hirta); Buttercup (Ranunculus sp.); Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberose); Chicory

Cichorium intybus); Common daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum); Daisy fleabane

Erigeron annus); Hawkweed

Hieracium venosum); Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota); Red clover (Trifolium pratense); Spiderwort

Trandescantia virginiana); Wild geranium (Geranium maculata).

The Deep Shade Garden

Soil in this site will generally have to be cleared of existing roots and amended with layers of compost, peat moss, and woods soil to a spade's depth to provide humus in which the shade-loving plants will grow. Survey the area carefully first to see if any native plants are surviving there and can be used in situ or lifted, healed in elsewhere, and then relocated back to the area. Plants suitable for this garden include: Baneberry (Actea pachypoda); Blue cohosh

Caulophyllum thalictroides); Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora); Jack in the pulpit

Arisaema triphyllum); May apple (Podophyllum peltatum); Partridge berry

Mitchella repens); Pinesap

Monotropis odorata); Pipsissewa (Chimaphila maculate); Rattlesnake plantain

Goodyeara pubescens); Solomon's seal (Polygonatum biflorum); Wild ginger

Asarum canadense); Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens).

With native wildflowers increasingly under threat from habitat destruction, there is no better time to start establishing native wildflowers in your garden. Whether cultivated on a small scale to add interest and a new dimension to your existing landscape plan or to provide a haven for the wildflowers already established there. Should you find you have an overabundance of wildflowers for your plan, or they stand in the way of your construction activities, please call a member of the Plant Rescue Project, a project to identify, protect, and preserve our native plants, Jennifer Cordier, Chairperson, at 706- 745-9317. This project is sponsored by the Preservation Committee of the Community Council of the Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center, Blairsville, Georgia.