Re-Wilding the Garden

Left to right:  Large-leaved Aster, False Solomon's Seal, Swamp Milkweed, Wild Bergamot

​There’s new terminology for letting your garden get a little wild:  rewilding.  I’ve been doing this for years without putting a name to inattentive gardening, but now it’s in vogue.  Love that! 
This week has been declared Pollinator Week by the University of Wisconsin Horticulture and rewilding the garden fits right into adding more native plants to our gardens.  By letting nature do some of the planting we can increase native vegetation that pollinators appreciate.   

​In looking through Heather Holm’s book, Pollinators of Native Plants, many of the plants look familiar.  This book is an excellent field guide for pollinator plants.  Here’s some that have established in my gardens without much effort on my part.

• Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) – the flowering season of this plant coincides with the return of hummingbirds.  It grows in sun to part shade and naturally reseeds itself.  I’ve also noticed some other types of Columbine that have reseeded in my garden.  These volunteers add color in June before many of our summer flowers begin to bloom. 
  
  
• Wild Lupine (Lupinus Perennis) – I started my Lupine with seeds from a native plant nursery.  Once started they keep reseeding themselves.  This biennial plant has first year leaf growth and blooms the second year.  If you leave the blooms they will turn into seedpods that scatter in many directions.  While lupine flowers lack nectar, they are an important larval host plant for many moths and butterfly including the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly.  Wild Lupine grows well in sandy soils and along woodland edges.  Due to its self-seeding it may not be suitable for a manicured garden bed. 
  
  
• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) – Just like the Monarch and Pollinator Sanctuary at the Spooner Agriculture Research Station, I’ve let a stand of Milkweed get established for Monarch Butterflies.  Monarchs lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves and consume both the foliage and flowers.  Find a suitable location in the full sun and let them stand. 
  
  
• Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) – Many years ago I lived next to a wild area that included Wild Bergamot.  I didn’t appreciate the wind blowing seeds into my garden beds, it can become a bit overwhelming.  Bumble bees are rewarded with ample nectar from Bergamots all day long over a long period.  There are many cultivars of Monarda that a bit better behaved for a garden setting, and I have noticed the Hummingbirds and Bees visit them often. 
  
  
• Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) – You might recognize that this flower resembles it cultivated cousin, Verbena hybrida.  The plant has a long bloom period and is common in disturbed, dry sites.  It provides nectar for many butterflies and bees. 
  
  
• White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) - I wasn’t sure what this was when it decided to enter my garden.  The flowers do not produce nectar but provide pollen for Sweat Bees.  I find the fine foliage to be a nice addition to the garden and it is easy to pull out if it plants itself in a place not to your liking.
  
  
• Large-leaved Aster (Eurybia macrophylla) – these plants enjoy the woodland edge and are one of the few plants that flower in late summer.  This Aster provides both pollen and nectar and is a larval host plant for several butterflies.
  
  
• False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) – this plant has been especially beautiful this year.  It enjoys part shade, medium to dry conditions and is not fussy about the soil.  It flowers in late spring, early summer.  It provides pollen for small bees, flies, and beetles. 

What I have learned is that not all volunteer plants are weeds.  By paying attention and allowing my gardens to be a bit wild I’ve gained many native plants.  Enjoy a visit to the Spooner Agricultural Research Station’s Monarch and Pollinator Sanctuary to see more native plants that should have a place in your garden.

Blog and Photos by Sue  Reinardy, Master Gardener