By DEAN FOSDICK
For The Associated
Press
NEW MARKET, Va. Nov. 12 (AP) —
A popular definition for weeds here in the agriculture-rich Shenandoah Valley
is “anything growing where it isn’t wanted.” That catchall phrasing puts a lot
of posies in the pot: Wild roses, for example. Chicory.
It comes as no surprise,
then, that many wildflowers are grouped among the undesirables.
“Wildflowers,” one
disapproving wag wrote, “are weeds with a press agent.” That writer must have
been a farmer, or a frustrated gardener trying to grow crops in ground already
occupied by volunteer blooms.
Garlic mustard, ragweed and
purple loosestrife can quickly overrun otherwise productive plots if you let
them get growing on you.
Most of the weeds posing as
wildflowers are non-natives – invasive plants that crossed the Atlantic
accidentally or intentionally with immigrants, says Jack Sanders, author of
“The Secrets of Wildflowers: A Delightful Feast of Little Known Facts, Folklore
and History.”
“When they got here and the
farmers opened fields from the woods, they (wildflowers) took over like
wildfire,” Sanders said. “They didn’t have any natural enemies.”
With the exceptions of
milkweed and thistles, few native varieties were considered pests.
“Most were used by farmers
for foods or flavorings,” Sanders says.
Wildflowers enrich woodlots
with their color; nourish insects and other foraging critters. Many wildflowers
have medicinal value or are otherwise utilitarian--dye plants or plants used
for making fabrics.
Many have fascinating histories.
That includes the despised dandelion, which Sanders calls one of his favorite
flowers.
“It doesn’t push other
flowers out. It’s an attractive flower and most every part can be used for
food,” he says. “Its roots can be roasted as a coffee substitute. The blossoms
can be made into wine.
“I’m a believer in color and
form in the landscape — not those lawns that look like putting greens.”
One of my favorite history
lessons as a Minnesota grade-schooler centered on the dandelion, and how
pioneer children delighted in blowing the plant’s parachute-like seeds into the
air from the tailgates of their covered wagons as they rolled slowly across the
Great Plains.
Sanders’ book builds upon the
entertainment value of dandelions:
“Maidens would blow at the
ball, and the remaining seeds would foretell the number of children they’d have
when they were grown and married. Another favorite pastime of children,
particularly girls, was making chains, bracelets and curls from the hollow
flower stems, called ‘scapes.”‘
Other lesser-known wildflower
facts:
·
About
violets: “Whether in salads or in candies, violets have a long history as a
food. And with good reason,” Sanders writes. “The basal leaves of the common
blue violet have, in the springtime, five times more Vitamin C per 100 grams
than the equivalent weight of oranges, and 2.5 times more Vitamin A than
spinach.”
·
About
Lady’s Slippers (wild orchids): “Orchids wear many colors, but among the 5,000
known species worldwide, you’ll never find a blue one.”
·
About
daisies: The bane of bugs. Certain species are used as a commercial source of
pyrethrum, a popular natural insecticide. “English country folk knew this,”
Sanders writes. “They mixed the plant with the straw bedding of farm animals,
then hung it from the ceilings of their homes to chase away insects, including
fleas.”
·
Queen
Anne’s Lace: “Transplanting flowering Queen Anne’s Lace is tricky, because by
maturity, the plant’s root has sunk itself deep into the ground. These deep
roots were one reason the plant was among the most hated of weeds; farmers
found it almost impossible to eradicate from fields and often called it devil’s
plague. Dairy farmers especially dislike Queen Anne’s Lace because it gives an
unpleasant taste to the milk of cows that eat it.”
Folklore aside, wildflowers
are favored by gardeners nurturing the natural look. Properly sited, they
thrive with minimal care and have a long bloom season.
The first thing to consider
before bringing wildflowers into your yard isn’t horticultural, however, it’s
legal.
Most public lands from National Forests to
rural road rights-of-way are off-limits to the taking of wildflowers.
“It’s been years now, but the
only time I would take anything out of the woods is when I heard the property
was going to be developed,” Sanders says.
“Wildflower fanciers in this
area (of Connecticut) are known to watch the papers for news about new building
projects and consider that an opportunity to get wild plants. I wouldn’t
recommend that, though, without getting permission. Some people would consider
that trespassing.”
If you’ve done with all the
legalities, then pay attention to natural habitats before bringing any
wildflowers home. Shade-favoring plants prospering in or near bogs won’t do
well, for instance, in a rock garden.
“One of the problems with
wildflowers is that they don’t like to be where gardeners like to garden,”
Sanders says. “Black-Eyed Susans love lousy soil. Gardeners use good soil. They
plant these things and they don’t do well.”
------
Recommended reading:
“The Secrets of Wildflowers: A Delightful Feast of Little-Known Facts, Folklore and History” by Jack Sanders, The Lyons Press. $24.95.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press