With interest mounting in using wildflowers in urban landscapes, there is a huge demand for information about Florida’s native plants. “20 Easy-to-Grow Wildflowers” features a selection of 20 “tried and true” species that are easy to grow and maintain.
Some wildflowers wait until summer to emerge and begin faster growth to take their place in the fall garden. Check your garden for new arrivals such as coneflowers, blue curls and sunflowers.
Dr. Hector Perez, chief advisor of the UF wildflower meadow project shares his comments about the wildflower meadow in a 2012 interview.
Imagine yourself as a native Indian or early explorer 500 hundred years ago trying to survive in Florida. There is quite a compendium of knowledge about early uses of native trees and shrubs, but what about wildflowers?
It’s possible the C. basalis was introduced into the Panhandle in a previous geologic era and that only small isolated pockets, which were disjunct from the parent population in Texas, were present at the time of European settlement.
Tia Tyler, the second of two students supported by FWF, is advised by Dr. Hector Perez, Associate Professor at the Plant Restoration and Conservation Horticulture Consortium at the Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida.
FWF member Chris Waltz is known to many in native plant circles because of the supporting role he plays in conferences and other events. Here is what Chris has to say about his involvement with the Florida Wildflower Foundation.
As you return to the garden after the last two months of unbearable heat, biting bugs and sweat, you’ll probably encounter a lot of overgrown stems. Cut those back to their base to freshen up the plant for winter.
More than 38,000 visitors have had the opportunity to become better acquainted with the beauty and benefit of Florida’s native wildflowers since the establishment of a wildflower demonstration garden at the Pinellas County UF/IFAS Extension in Largo.
Coreopsis bakeri has gone undetected for years because of its resemblance to our common Lanceleaf tickseed ( Coreopsis lanceolata). It is has been isolated long enough to have become a distinct species.
As anyone who has started a small wildflower meadow at home probably knows, weeds can make or break successful wildflower establishment. That’s why the Florida Wildflower Foundation has joined with Lake County on a research project at PEAR Park.
Central Florida gardeners have another location to see and explore native wildflowers and grasses. In 2017, a no-mow wildflower meadow was installed at the Orange County UF/IFAS Extension’s Exploration Gardens in Orlando, funded by the Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden grant.
