Common North American Flowers
The flower contains the plant's reproductive organs, and its function is to produce seeds. After fertilization, portions of the flower develop into a fruit containing the seeds.
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Nova Zembla Rhododendron
Nova Zembla Rhododendron
Calsap Rhododendron
Calsap Rhododendron
Girard's Fuschia Azalea
Girard's Fuschia Azalea
'Weston's Mayflower' Rhododendron
Weston's Mayflower
Hong Kong Rhododendron
Hong Kong Rhododendron
Nova Zembla Rhododendron
Nova Zembla Rhododendron
Peter Tigerstedt Rhododendron
Peter Tigerstedt Rhododendron
Tapestry Rhododendron
Weston's Tapestry Rhododendron
Japanese Azalea - Rhododendron japonicum
Japanese Azalea - Rhododendron japonicum
Cabbage White Butterfly
New England Aster - Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Yellow Cheerfulness Narcissus
Ox Eye Daisy (invasive)
Ox Eye Daisy

Primrose Rose

Wild Hydrangea
Lead Plant
Lead Plant
Dwarf Dogwood
Dwarf Dogwood
Eastern Prickly Pear
Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus
wild parsnip
Wild parsnip
spiderwort
Spiderwort
Most wildflower guides use color as the primary criterion for identifying wild species. The main color groups are white, yellow, orange and orange to red, maroon, pink (another big group), blue, and green. (Each guide has its own way of naming and organizing its color scheme, but this is the general pattern.) The trick here is that some of the colors are subtle and it may be hard to determine if the flower is one particular color or not. In these cases you will have to choose one of the colors and search the guides to eliminate one or the other color choices.

Once you determine a color, the guides usually divide up those plants by how their flowers are shaped and where on the plant the flowers are growing from (a spike at the top, from between the leaves etc.). Then they subdivide those plants by the actual number of the flower petals or shape of their seed heads. If you are using an illustrated guide, after you get to the point of determining all this, there is usually a picture of the plant you are trying to identify.

Chicory
Chicory

Common Cinquefoil
Purple Coneflower
 Echinacea purpurea

Fall Sneezeweed
Jewelweed
Jewelweed

Deptford Pink

Rough Cinquefoil

Red Clover
Here are a few common mistakes made by gardeners attempting wildflower plantings or prairie restoration.

  • Good drainage is a must. Marshy soil is acidic, and standing water is the enemy of wildflower root structures. Overwatering can damage seedlings as well.
  • Soil preparation deeper than one inch may unleash dormant weed seeds that can compete with the plantings.
  • Seeds should not be covered with soil - wildflower seeds can be strewn on top of the soil, then simply rolled or walked upon for best results.
  • Planting at the wrong time of year; check with your supplier for proper germination times - some seeds need to overwinter.
  • Don't try to cover too large an area with the available seed. Insufficient plant density will allow undesirable weeds and grasses a foothold.
  • Be sure your site conditions match the flowers' requirements. A flower requiring full sun will not prosper in shade, and vice versa.
  • When in doubt, assume your wildflower plantings will need at least eight full hours of sun per day.
  • Do not allow your plantings to dry completely, but do not overwater. Soil should be kept damp; allow no standing water or puddles.
  • Be patient. Wildflower and prairie restorations take time. Both annual and perennial wildflowers will come back year after year after established and allowed to reseed.

mock orange flowers
Mock Orange 'Natchez' cultivar's flowers can be 2 inches across
Little-Leaved Clematis - Clematis microphylla

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