It would be easy to have a Native Wildflower Policy of never selling wild-dug plants. But is such a stance a necessity? This is a controversial area for sure but, drawing from my 25 years of work with conservation groups, I think I can serve everyone's interests.
With few exceptions our native plants are grown from seed or propagated from nursery stock. In a few cases we buy, from other knowledgeable sources, native plants which may be dug from the wild under circumstances which would see the plants wiped out by development projects. These plants are 'rescued' and can, under appropriate conditions, be replanted in gardens or site rehabilitation projects.
We do not approve of wholesale habitat destruction before construction begins on a site. Where development is environmentally sound, we encourage environmentally sensitive construction. This means maintenance of wetlands, ravines and forested corridors for life forms ( birds, mammals and amphibians) to maintain their interconnections with the natural areas which supply all their survival necessities (breeding sites, feeding sites, cover for predation protection, etc).
With this environmental focus, we still allow for the trade of many native plant varieties.
Many native plants are common and digging from the wild, if done with care, will not decimate a local species’ population. Where plants, even if they are rare or endangered, are going to be destroyed in any case by 'planning committee-approved' human activities, it makes sense to allow for their transfer to another site where they have a chance to become re-established. Our role will be to assure that the plants are properly potted and our soil mix includes some soil from the originating environment to provide soil micro-organisms needed by the plants. Where these plants require very specialized garden conditions for their survival, we will provide this information prior to the sale of the plant. As a business, we only succeed if our customers succeed. We do not benefit from a plant that dies due to improper garden preparation.
We are, however, very aware that some of the choice native plants, like trilliums and orchids, do not often survive the move from the wild to the garden. For these, our advice is ‘If its in the wild … leave it there for others to enjoy”.
The White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) is very slow, needing 5-7 years, to reach flowering size when grown from seed. They need 3-5 years when propagated by division or from cuttings. Most nurseries just don’t have the time or space to carry stock for this time. If you find trilliums at a nursery, ask about where they come from. If the plant is the same price as other plants, be especially wary. If you don’t see stock beds containing developing trilliums, you are likely buying wild-collected plants of questionable origion.
The Pink lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule) is an orchid family member with a complex life cycle. It is definitely best left in the wild where it will survive. To produce viable seed requires insect pollination. Few insects visit the flowers in the wild and few viable seed is produced. In a home garden there is little chance of pollination or survival past the parent stock.
Please be environmentally responsible when buying native plants.
Further information on Gardening with Wildflowers.
Fletcher Wildlife Gardens. Located on the Central Experimental Farm just south of the Arboretum on Highway 16, overlooking the Rideau Canal and opposite Carleton University, there is an educational centre open on weekends. There is also a demonstration garden open to the public to view wildflowers native to this area. Times of operation were not available for this publication.
Landowner Resource Centre. Located in Manotick, the Landowner Resource Centre (LRC) has many fact sheets of interest to Ottawa area landowners. You can download from their web site (www3.sympatico.ca/lrc) fact sheets on many tree varieties, forest management, and naturalizing your property for benefit to wildlife.
Selected Books
Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers. Harry R. Phillips. 1998. The University of North Carolina Press.Chapel Hill. N.C. The author and other members of the North Carolina Botanical Garden have written a useful guide to gardening with wildflowers. Nearly 100 genera of wildflowers, carniverous plants and ferns have instructions on starting from seed, methods of division and taking cuttings and how to use them in a garden.
Growing Woodland Plants. Clarence and Eleanor G. Birdseyer. 1972. Dover Publications, Inc. New York. Originally published in 1951, this older text gives useful information on creating woodland gardens and choosing from over 200 species of wildflowers and ferns native to North America.
The Ontario Naturalized Garden: The Complete Guide to Using Native Plants. Lorraine Johnson, 1995, Whitecap Books, Vancouver. This is a good source of information on selecting and using wildflowers suited to Ontario gardens.
Wildflowers: How to Identify Flowers in the Wild and How to Grow Them In Your Garden. 1992. Rick Imes. Key Porter Books. Toronto. A useful text on growing wildflowers. Suitable plants are presented in sections appropriate for specific habitats such as Eastern Woodlands, Wetlands, and Fields and Roadsides.
Landscaping With Nature:Using Nature's Designs To Plan Your Backyard. 1991. Cox, Jeff. Rodale press. Emmaus, PA.
Nature and Natural Areas in Canada's Capital: An Introductory Guide for the Ottawa-Hull Area. Brunton, Daniel F. 1988. The Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club.
Wildflower Perennials for Your Garden. Miles, Bebe. 1976. Hawthorn Books. New York. NY.
Magazines
Wildflower. Subscriptions to this quarterly magazine can be ordered from: The Canadian Wildflower Society, 35 Bauer Crescent, Unionville, Ontario. L3R 4H3.
Native Perennial Wildflowers
available at Reilly's Country Gardens
The following listing of perennial wildflowers includes many varieties long-prized in the perennial garden.
Many are not recognized as native wildflowers.
