flax Archives - Loreeebee

We have a large space on our cottage property that acts as a buffer zone between the road (a major highway in those parts) and the cottage. A 2-foot strip of vegetation along the road is cut by the township each year. Adjacent to that the land begins to slope downward for an approximate width of five feet before it levels off. A row of cedar hedges was planted approximately 40 feet from the road many years ago, but the area between the bottom of the slope and the cedars is rarely maintained, left to grow wild. I have always felt this whole area was wasted space. What does a gardener do with wasted space? Turns it into a garden of course, in this case, a cottage wildflower garden.

The first season (2018) we planted several evergreen trees (pine, balsam, and spruce) at the bottom of the slope. Next season we planted more, spaced throughout the flat area to create (eventually) a forest of evergreen trees as a visual and noise barrier between the road and the cottage.

I then whippersnipped the flat area around the evergreens, avoiding all of the frogs (there were tons), then sprinkled seeds (pink and white coneflowers, Queen Anne’s lace, black-eyed Susans, pink and red beebalm to name a few) along the slope and flat strip close to the road. These plants are not exactly wildflowers, more hardy, and tall perennials, but I mixed all the seeds in one large bag as I was collecting them to achieve a wildflower look.

Next Season (2020) Update

The first set of evergreens we planted have grown even though gypsy moths have persistently tried to hamper their survival.

cottage wildflower garden — Spruce, balsam, and pines

The most recent set are coming along well too; they love the full sun and lots of space to put down roots, literally…

After a few arguments with hubby over what grass to cut (he likes the manicured city lawn look, I prefer a more natural look here) we compromised with some of each. To mark my territory of where I want the cottage wildflower garden, I trampled down the grass to create a “line” he was not to cross with the lawnmower. You can barely see it on the right side of this picture, but he saw it and that’s what counts.

The area is not very garden-friendly, sloped with sandy soil enhanced (not) with salt and bits of gravel from the road.

Unfortunately, many of the seeds I spread over the past few seasons migrated to the designated lawn area at the bottom of the slope. The soil is very sandy in this neck of the woods, so removing the errant plants and transplanting them to wildflower ridge was easy.

2021 Update

Now that I’ve trained my husband to cut the grass properly around it, (or I cut it myself) my wildflower ridge is currently chock full of daisies, black-eyed susans, malva, white and pink achilea, Queen Anne’s lace, viper’s bugloss, and milkweed. My cottage wildflower garden is coming to life!

The milkweed attracts monarch butterflies. They lay eggs on the leaves which hatch into caterpillars (you can see 2 in the picture below) which in turn morph into more monarch butterflies.

Queen Anne’s Lace

Queen Anne’s lace is dominating right now; I may have to selectively remove some of it next season if it takes over the other wildflowers.

I love the white lacey flower heads that ruffle in the breeze. The bees do as well. Queen Anne’s lace was my mom’s favourite wildflower, so they are obviously now one of my favourites as well as a sentimental touch in this garden.

I also have a patch of Queen Anne’s lace closer to the cottage interspersed with black-eyed susans, my mother-in-law’s favourite. I love this random patch as it reminds me that both of these wonderful women are always nearby. In spirit only, unfortunately.

Globe Thistles or Echinops

Thriving within wildflower ridge are the vibrant blue globe thistles, AKA echinops, that I planted from seeds last fall.

Wild Chicory

Slower to thrive in wildflower ridge are the wild chicory plugs I pulled from the roadside on a trek back to the city. It’s a good thing I picked them when I did, this weekend they have all been cropped off.

A member of the daisy family, the pretty cornflower blue blossoms of wild chicory are quite common along the roadsides here in Eastern Ontario.

The chicory roots were only recently transplanted in my wildflower ridge though, so I may have to exercise some patience with them.

Not so Wild Cultivars

Mingling nicely with the wildflowers indigenous to this area (those mentioned above as well as daisies, vipers bugloss, milkweed, pink thistles, and achillea) are some not-so-wild, cultivars. These all love full sun conditions and are hardy to zone 3. Coneflowers, malva/mallow, yellow daisies, monarda, and even the recognizable leaves of a hollyhock have sprouted from the seeds I collected and sewn over the past few seasons…

Wildflower Ridge is Blooming — coneflower

Collecting Wildflowers

I’ve used a combination of seeds collected in the fall and root plugs borrowed from the roadside. For obvious reasons, the root plugs offer quicker rewards, although require more maintenance in the form of supplying them with water. This south-facing strip of property bakes in the sun, the hose doesn’t teach that far and water from the lake is a chore.

To keep our local bees and butterflies content and thriving, it is important to choose native wildflowers (ones that you see growing naturally in your area) for your gardens.

2022 Update

This year I have purple asters, white and pink achillea, and more traditional daisies blooming in addition to the varieties listed last season. The wild chicory did not fare so well, I will have to try it again. Unfortunately, some of the perennials (coneflowers and monarda) that looked so great last season did not return this year. I am discovering that the seeds work better than trying to transplant divided plants from my home gardens. This could be a result of the incredibly sandy soil here or the full sun location. Or a combination of both challenges.

I will keep trying though. Recently I added joe pye weed, and purple creeping bellflower plugs (yes, I’m aware they are invasive, but I like them in this spot), as well as cosmos, zinnia, poppy, flax, and blanket flower seeds from the butterfly garden I created at my local hospice. This process is slow, will have to wait until next spring to see the results of the latest additions.

I am hoping the bees and butterflies like my cottage wildflower gardens as much as I do! Shortly after I captured a picture of this yellow butterfly feasting on asters, a fat bumblebee buzzed in, shooing the butterfly to the next blossom.