Oh wow! I had no idea blanket flower was no longer considered native. I used to teach classes for Sea Turtle Conservancy and my wildflowers class focused on it and the dune sunflower. They are so crucial here on the east coast for protecting our dunes and helping hold them in place.
When I saw the first butterfly of the year (for me) I did a happy dance, and thought of you. I don't have much going except for bolting brassicas outside, but even that seems to draw bees and butterflies. Can't wait until some of my native wildflowers get to size. Loved the shot of 2 monarch caterpillars chowing down. And the armadillo....hope he's on grub patrol, not on some scouting foray into your vegetables.
I have blanket flower too. I was disappointed when I found out it wasn't native. I bought it down at Sweetbay nursery in Parrish, Florida about a year ago. It was represented as native. Oh well, still pretty. I think I'll leave it where it is too.
I brought home a tropical sage plant, it got set out in an odd place and forgotten?. I found it dead brown and crispy a week later. A couple months later there were little plants coming up everywhere in the lava rock! I now have red (original plant was red ) salmon pink, white and pale pink. All from one plant.
It is so funny to hear you talk about spiderwort the way you do. I grew up here in Florida in a neighborhood where turf was not common and we definitely considered this a weed. I have been treating that way until recently. I am going to start letting it grow. The same exact story goes for Bidens alba. I was told if spiderwort flowers grow pink it means there is increased radiation in the area anyone know if that is ture? I have only seen it once.
I've started a native flower garden. I've planted Giant Ironweed, Blackeyed Susan, White Beard Tongue, Goldenrod, Calico Aster & Silky Aster. I did have Mexican Milkweed too, but after I saw your video I trashed it, so sad. They are just seedlings but are doing well. I'm so excited for them to bloom. I do also have native milkweed, I got from a neighbor, scattered in the garden. Thanks again for all your advice.
Most of these will do well in north florida too - but die back in the winter. We have a lot of trees on our property so I am always in search of flowers that do well in partial to full shade.
Where does blanket flower come from? The funny thing I've noticed about my blanket flower is that they mostly only attract my native bees, especially the small ground bees. Honeybees don't have much use for them and butterflies visit only occasionally.
Just a hop and a skip away! It is from the US and gulf coast region. The researchers determined, after years, that it isn't native to Florida (pre-Colombian contact). I forgot to mention in the video that the biggest reason the news needs to get out there from the researchers is for restoration work for native wild ecosystems. They need to make sure that they don't use blanket flower in those ecological restoration projects. It doesn't change that the fact that our native wildlife (with species that range through the gulf coast) really enjoy it. I just wanted to make sure people were aware on the technicality.
Are their spiderwort in a more shaded area? I've noticed with my spiderwort, the stronger the sun the quicker the flowers fold up, but the ones in the shade or on cloudy days they bloom longer into the day.
I'm getting there, just picked tropical sage one white and one white an pink along with beach sunflower. Hopefully I can keep them alive over the summer
Hi, do purple coneflowers do well in central and southern Florida? I keep finding mixed answers online from them being a short lived perennial to them dying by summertime. Could you clarify this?
I live in Central Florida... zone 10b. The ones online aren't going to work how you would want. All the purple coneflowers I have in my garden are Florida ecotypes. The only way to ensure you get a Florida ecotype is to get them from a Native Nursery. Hope that helps.
@@WildFloridian Thank you so much for the reply. Do you have any suggestions for online stores that sell seeds of Florida ecotype coneflowers? Also, why don't typical coneflowers do well in Florida?
Hello, I was hoping you could answer some of my questions. 1. Will my swamp milkweed have underground root systems and spread in my yard? 2. Do I have to cut back my swamp milkweed if I live in Florida? 3. Would it be better to plant my swamp milkweed in a spot where there is more of a wet area? And can you get me any tips that will help me .
You have all these beautiful wild flowers but my question to you is do you have these flowers on drip irrigation as well or do they just grow wild because we only have sprinklers twice a week that go on, so do you think these wildflowers will survive without constant watering if planted in the ground thank you
I find that it takes most native plant starts about 6 to 8 weeks to bloom from planting. I notice pollinators arriving often as soon as they start budding. But depending on the season this can be faster or slower. Summer faster and winter slower
Hi Jackie. I have a sad question. I had the cutest baby monarch caterpillar on my butterfly weed - which I made sure was tuberosa and not tropical because of your advice - only to see him carted away by a large orange-looking wasp ): Does this happen in your garden? I plan to plant more Milkweeds (again based upon your excellent advice) but I'm not looking to plant a caterpillar banquet for wasps. Any advice/experience you have would be most appreciated and welcome.
This is the tough issue of gardening with caterpillars. Wasps will eat some of them. Once the caterpillars are bigger the wasps leave them alone. But don't try to stop it. I know a lot of us want to help wildlife... but only the wildlife we like. Wasps are part of the wildlife system. And what you'll find is that the more milkweed you have... you'll have more caterpillars make it to butterfly. But don't try to save them all. There is reason that monarchs lay hundreds of eggs. Keep going! You are doing awesome!
Blanket flower, spiderwort and salvia are the 3 flowers in my yard that never need replanting. Love em...except I do have to weed up some salvia every other year before they take over other spots. My blackeyed susan I have to replant some each year as it doesn't reseed very well. Isn't the blanketflower native to the USA...just not Florida?
You are correct! Blanket Flower is native to the US... I think Texas area. And there is a native blanket flower, but not the one sold at the nurseries (flowers are much smaller). I forgot to mention in the video that the biggest reason the news needs to get out there from the researchers is for restoration work for native wild ecosystems. They need to make sure that they don't use in those projects. Interesting to hear that your Black Eyed Susans also didn't reseed well. Mine are similar.
@@WildFloridian I keep trying to get susans going. Figure eventually they will take. After 4 years of seeing my butterfly milkweed (tuberosa) die off and not come back...I finally have one flushing out and blooming this spring.
What zone are you in? Central FL? I am in North Central. Almost 8B depending on the year. Do you know if all of these do well in 8 B? I am assuming these do well in sandy soil and full sun and drought tolerant?
What do you mean, "You might want to think about where you want it AND where you don't want it." ? I thought everyone liked to garden like me. "Y'all reseed where ever you want, I'll work around ya!" Hmmmmm, could be why that old man loves the weed whacker 🤔
I don’t know if it’s right, but the same thing happened to me I bought two red salvia‘s, which have been doing really well and then I got a tiny shoot up of white and I moved it so I’m hoping it will Do well and spread
They remember and bring friends. He's probably got a hole somewhere he's living in. Not a friendly. Check for holes around the house. They can destroy a garden pretty fast. They love strawberries and young plant roots.
That was amazing you got an armadillo on camera...he looked so chill 😂
Mr. Armadillo, I suspect, has moved into Mr. Bunny's old home.
Oh wow! I had no idea blanket flower was no longer considered native. I used to teach classes for Sea Turtle Conservancy and my wildflowers class focused on it and the dune sunflower. They are so crucial here on the east coast for protecting our dunes and helping hold them in place.
When I saw the first butterfly of the year (for me) I did a happy dance, and thought of you. I don't have much going except for bolting brassicas outside, but even that seems to draw bees and butterflies. Can't wait until some of my native wildflowers get to size.
Loved the shot of 2 monarch caterpillars chowing down. And the armadillo....hope he's on grub patrol, not on some scouting foray into your vegetables.
Trivia on spiderwort:. Radiation exposure makes the stamens turn bright pink.
I need to hire you to come tell me what to plant and where at my house!
I have blanket flower too. I was disappointed when I found out it wasn't native. I bought it down at Sweetbay nursery in Parrish, Florida about a year ago. It was represented as native. Oh well, still pretty. I think I'll leave it where it is too.
It was a BIG bummer when the news came out.
I just bought some blanker flower seeds from wildflower seed company that was at our local Spring Festival at the weekend ,
Great to see your video once again! Thank you! Awesomeness.
Spiderwort blooms fantastically in semi shade or full sun in wetter locations.
I brought home a tropical sage plant, it got set out in an odd place and forgotten?. I found it dead brown and crispy a week later. A couple months later there were little plants coming up everywhere in the lava rock! I now have red (original plant was red ) salmon pink, white and pale pink. All from one plant.
My spiderworts (or blue jackets) have grown organically in my back yard. Mostly in shade. They are in the forest near here (very shady).
It is so funny to hear you talk about spiderwort the way you do. I grew up here in Florida in a neighborhood where turf was not common and we definitely considered this a weed. I have been treating that way until recently. I am going to start letting it grow. The same exact story goes for Bidens alba. I was told if spiderwort flowers grow pink it means there is increased radiation in the area anyone know if that is ture? I have only seen it once.
Sider wort does spread aggressively in my garden - Orlando with relatively nutritious soil. But it’s easy to pull out, so I don’t mind.
I've started a native flower garden. I've planted Giant Ironweed, Blackeyed Susan, White Beard Tongue, Goldenrod, Calico Aster & Silky Aster. I did have Mexican Milkweed too, but after I saw your video I trashed it, so sad. They are just seedlings but are doing well. I'm so excited for them to bloom. I do also have native milkweed, I got from a neighbor, scattered in the garden. Thanks again for all your advice.
Most of these will do well in north florida too - but die back in the winter. We have a lot of trees on our property so I am always in search of flowers that do well in partial to full shade.
So true Tom! Some of these, like Black Eyed Susan, are native to North Florida. Shade and big bloomers is always a challenge...
Where does blanket flower come from? The funny thing I've noticed about my blanket flower is that they mostly only attract my native bees, especially the small ground bees. Honeybees don't have much use for them and butterflies visit only occasionally.
Just a hop and a skip away! It is from the US and gulf coast region. The researchers determined, after years, that it isn't native to Florida (pre-Colombian contact). I forgot to mention in the video that the biggest reason the news needs to get out there from the researchers is for restoration work for native wild ecosystems. They need to make sure that they don't use blanket flower in those ecological restoration projects. It doesn't change that the fact that our native wildlife (with species that range through the gulf coast) really enjoy it. I just wanted to make sure people were aware on the technicality.
Are their spiderwort in a more shaded area? I've noticed with my spiderwort, the stronger the sun the quicker the flowers fold up, but the ones in the shade or on cloudy days they bloom longer into the day.
Thank you for your content 🙏💚💚💚
Thanks!
OMG! Thank you Diana 🥰
I'm getting there, just picked tropical sage one white and one white an pink along with beach sunflower. Hopefully I can keep them alive over the summer
Hi, do purple coneflowers do well in central and southern Florida? I keep finding mixed answers online from them being a short lived perennial to them dying by summertime. Could you clarify this?
I live in Central Florida... zone 10b. The ones online aren't going to work how you would want. All the purple coneflowers I have in my garden are Florida ecotypes. The only way to ensure you get a Florida ecotype is to get them from a Native Nursery. Hope that helps.
@@WildFloridian Thank you so much for the reply. Do you have any suggestions for online stores that sell seeds of Florida ecotype coneflowers? Also, why don't typical coneflowers do well in Florida?
Hello, I was hoping you could answer some of my questions.
1. Will my swamp milkweed have underground root systems and spread in my yard?
2. Do I have to cut back my swamp milkweed if I live in Florida?
3. Would it be better to plant my swamp milkweed in a spot where there is more of a wet area?
And can you get me any tips that will help me .
You have all these beautiful wild flowers but my question to you is do you have these flowers on drip irrigation as well or do they just grow wild because we only have sprinklers twice a week that go on, so do you think these wildflowers will survive without constant watering if planted in the ground thank you
My yard is on overhead sprinklers that run twice a week. So... YES. They will definitely do well in your garden. 😄
If you where to plant more wildflowers how long before you would start seeing our great pollinate friends?
I find that it takes most native plant starts about 6 to 8 weeks to bloom from planting. I notice pollinators arriving often as soon as they start budding. But depending on the season this can be faster or slower. Summer faster and winter slower
@@WildFloridian thanks also love the information you provide.
I got some native wildflower seed is it best to sow in trays or straight in the garden?
Hi Jackie. I have a sad question. I had the cutest baby monarch caterpillar on my butterfly weed - which I made sure was tuberosa and not tropical because of your advice - only to see him carted away by a large orange-looking wasp ): Does this happen in your garden? I plan to plant more Milkweeds (again based upon your excellent advice) but I'm not looking to plant a caterpillar banquet for wasps. Any advice/experience you have would be most appreciated and welcome.
This is the tough issue of gardening with caterpillars. Wasps will eat some of them. Once the caterpillars are bigger the wasps leave them alone. But don't try to stop it. I know a lot of us want to help wildlife... but only the wildlife we like. Wasps are part of the wildlife system. And what you'll find is that the more milkweed you have... you'll have more caterpillars make it to butterfly. But don't try to save them all. There is reason that monarchs lay hundreds of eggs. Keep going! You are doing awesome!
Blanket flower, spiderwort and salvia are the 3 flowers in my yard that never need replanting. Love em...except I do have to weed up some salvia every other year before they take over other spots. My blackeyed susan I have to replant some each year as it doesn't reseed very well. Isn't the blanketflower native to the USA...just not Florida?
You are correct! Blanket Flower is native to the US... I think Texas area. And there is a native blanket flower, but not the one sold at the nurseries (flowers are much smaller). I forgot to mention in the video that the biggest reason the news needs to get out there from the researchers is for restoration work for native wild ecosystems. They need to make sure that they don't use in those projects. Interesting to hear that your Black Eyed Susans also didn't reseed well. Mine are similar.
@@WildFloridian I keep trying to get susans going. Figure eventually they will take. After 4 years of seeing my butterfly milkweed (tuberosa) die off and not come back...I finally have one flushing out and blooming this spring.
What zone are you in? Central FL? I am in North Central. Almost 8B depending on the year. Do you know if all of these do well in 8 B? I am assuming these do well in sandy soil and full sun and drought tolerant?
4 weeks since you posted this, and my spiderwort STILL isn’t blooming here in north Pinellas 😊 🤷🏻♀️
Need a shade ground cover, I’m guessing dune sunflower won’t work. It’s north side of house , so sun doesn’t really hit there directly
Varietals may be the word :)
What region of Florida? Will these grow in south?
What do you mean, "You might want to think about where you want it AND where you don't want it." ? I thought everyone liked to garden like me. "Y'all reseed where ever you want, I'll work around ya!" Hmmmmm, could be why that old man loves the weed whacker 🤔
I don’t know if it’s right, but the same thing happened to me I bought two red salvia‘s, which have been doing really well and then I got a tiny shoot up of white and I moved it so I’m hoping it will Do well and spread
0:40 - 0:45 What is this plant?
Salt & Pepper, Scientific Name Melanthera nivea
Awesome, thanks for the response and your videos! They have helped transform my home garden in Tampa!
Don't let that Diller in your garden!!
He is already been moseying around for months, I just hadn't caught him on camera.
They remember and bring friends. He's probably got a hole somewhere he's living in. Not a friendly. Check for holes around the house. They can destroy a garden pretty fast. They love strawberries and young plant roots.