This Week in Wildflower Gardening

Among our bulbs this spring, we're introducing a wonderful new group chosen by the horticultural experts at the Biltmore Estate, the famous Vanderbilt mansion near Asheville in North Carolina. Long famous for their incredible gardens, Biltmore House horticulturists have chosen a group of really outstanding bulbs including spectacular dahlias, unusual glads (as you see here), exquisite lilies, and more. We're delighted to see they chose two North American native plants, the famous Leopard Lily from our Pacific states, Lilium pardalinum, and a selection of the unique wildflower "Blazing Star" (Liatris) from the Great Plains. All the Biltmore selections will be on our site soon.

My favorite holiday is here. And I'm delighted to share this beautiful photo, just sent to us by our favorite photographer Don Paulson out in Oregon. Don's wife, Kathy, is a great gardener, and these roses and dahlias are from her garden. What a great expression of fall beauty! Here's to a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday for you and yours. (Visit Don's website for a tour of his outstanding photos.)
Don Paulson Photography

If you haven't already, it's time to mow. The later you wait, the more ripened seeds your mowing will "plant" from the late wildflowers, such as wild sunflowers and the native asters. Of course, the later you mow, the more rotten the weather. But fall mowing is important, since it efficiently removes brush and flails flower seeds down into the soil. This once a year project is not much work, since we always leave the mowings on as a winter mulch. Mowing's important for other reasons, too. If you don't mow, your meadow will look ugly and scraggly next spring. If mowed in the fall, everything comes up nice and green and fresh after the winter. What to use? Most lawnmowers are fine, and if you can, set yours on a high setting (3 to 4" is good) since you don't want to scalp the crowns of your perennial wildflowers. My personal favorite machine for this project is the DR Trimmer from our Vermont neighbors, Country Home Products. Their mower/trimmers are really weed whackers on big wheels, and they're not cheap. But they do a great job, and will work for you for years. Now get out there and put your wildflowers to sleep for the winter!