I love garden surprises like the plant that flourishes when you neglect it or the flower that self-seeds and pops up unbidden in the spring. That’s why I love native wildflowers. Richard Mitchell, from Bear Creek Organics, helped us convert our backyard into a wildflower garden (mixed with berry bushes and fruit trees) and now we have a view from our patio and our back window that shifts with a succession of blooms and colors from the last frost of winter to the first frosts of autumn.  

    Many of our wildflowers are members of the Aster family. In early summer big white ox-eye daisies and their little cousins’ fleabane and chamomile are followed by the many varieties of coreopsis, bright yellow, sometimes with a splash of burgundy in the center or, surprise, all burgundy. I love the stands of deep-yellow Black-eyed Susan’s dancing with the purple-blue shades of Blue Vervain at the height of summer. Summer is also the season for the Purple Coneflower, the medicinal echinacea, and that dramatic member of the mint family, Scarlet Bee Balm (monarda) whose blossoms look like characters in a Dr. Seuss storybook.  Let us not forget Blue Iris, Mountain Mint, Swamp Milkweed, Joe Pye weed, Liatris…. the list is equally joyous and endless.

    As summer shifts into autumn, we are greeted with stands of purple New England Aster, bright orange butterfly weed, and glorious goldenrod.  And I mustn’t forget my bed of varieties of calendula that range in size from two to five inches across and in colors from light to bright yellow to deep orange. I love the little blue stars of hound’s tongue that pop up among the yellows and oranges of the calendula, complimentary colors that make me laugh with joy at how perfectly they set off one another.

    While I delight in the eye-candy of color and form, the pollinators are flocking to the feast. Have you ever seen a hummingbird moth? The first time I saw one, I thought it was a hummingbird visiting our scarlet bee balm. As I looked more closely, I saw that it was not a bird but an odd moth. I looked it up and began to recognize a few as regular visitors. Butterflies love the coneflowers and butterfly weed, and the bees, bumblebees and honeybees, love everything. When I visited our stand of New England Asters this fall, I could hear the humming as I approached. The bees paid no attention to me. They were too busy harvesting pollen, stocking up for the approaching winter. 

    If you are concerned about the environment and the health of our bee population, plant native wildflowers. Feed the bees. They are also great for birds, moths, beetles and many other valuable pollinators. Take one step towards nature and she takes three steps towards you.
    Even after the flowers die back, the seed heads add visual interest. As they sway in the autumn winds they seed the ground for the next generation of our garden and they feed the birds through the winter. Less work for us, more food for the wildlife. 

If you, like me, delight in nature’s surprises and are content to let Nature do the bulk of the work, give the folks at Bear Creek Organics a call to help get you started. Visit bearcreekorganics.com to fill out their ‘contact us’ form or call owner, Richie Mitchell at 570-582-0615. Winter is an ideal time to engage with the planning and design process.

Bear Creek Organics - 76 Helmer, White Haven, PA

We create organic and ecological edible landscapes. With mother nature as our teacher, and extensive knowledge of edible plants, we develop beautiful food production systems that support ... Read More »