Most of us are delighted when we see wildflowers growing in their elements, but we never think to plant them. Half the time we don’t even know their names. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin has recently revamped their comprehensive Plant Information Network, with the gardener in mind. Clicking on the “Explore Plants” link gives you easy access to some 16,000 plant images and info on more than 6,000 native plant species. And you can zero in on wildflowers in your particular region.
Searching for Native Plants and Wildflowers
Within each “Regional Spotlight” are:
- A Native Plant Search Engine - search by name, habit, region, light and/or requirements, bloom time or bloom color.
- A featured Native Plant.
- Mr. Smarty Plants - A compilation of Q&A Faqs, answering questions as general as ‘What plant attract butterflies?” to specifics like “When is the best time to visit Texas to see bluebonnets?”.
- Plant ID - Email Mr. Smarty Plants a photo and some basics about where the plant is growing and he’ll do his best to ID it.
Sources of Native Plants and Learning More about Wildflowers
The Wildflower Center doesn’t just tease you either.
- The "National Suppliers Directory" has links to over 2,700 businesses that sell native plants or seeds or provide professional landscape services.
- And the "How-To" section has enough (free) information about growing and propagating wildflowers to keep you busy for several seasons.
- Just in case you can’t stop yourself once you become thoroughly infatuated with natives, there’s a "National Organizations Directory" of more than 560 native plant societies, conservation groups, garden clubs and botanical gardens. You won’t be alone.
“Native plants are a wonderful asset in the garden because they’re not only beautiful, but hardy and well adapted to local conditions,” said Dr. Damon Waitt, director of NPIN at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. “We wanted to make it easier for people all over North America to find out about native plants in their area.”
