Native wildflowers still blooming despite dry August weather

The tops of the ash and maple trees have begun to turn from their luscious emerald green to a weary, sad-looking, yellow-tinged jade hue that perennially marks the onset of fall. The trees in the greater landscape are perhaps one step behind the weather-fatigued plants in the garden. Formerly glorious plants here, even those growing in the most fertile ground, appear to weep with thirst. Their droopy leaves seem a sad expression of an August with little rain.

Each plant is covered with a haze of fine particles that swirl from the road surface every time a car passes by. Even a light sprinkling of rain does not seem to offer the slightest relief. The layer of dust on the leaves and the hungry earth swallow each droplet instantaneously, hardly leaving evidence of its presence.

It is not so astonishing, really, that the most beautiful plants this time of year are those that grow as native wildflowers. Along many a roadside, from the coast of Maine to the interior and north, chicory is one of those flowers. It can be found growing in the poorest soil, in the most arid places, blooming with cheery, lucid blue flowers. Each chicory bloom lasts only a day or so, but while it does last, it is a pure joy. The petals of the delicate blue flowers are serrated, as though cut at their tips with fine pinking shears.

Chicory is easy to grow, and very practical to boot. In the first year, lush green leaves can be picked and added to a salad. Leaves from the basal clump of foliage may be somewhat bitter, but they add a flavorful flair to a salad composed of other homegrown greens. The roots of the chicory plant may be dried, ground and used for beverages or as a food supplement.

Although the leaves may still be harvested and eaten in the second year, chicory flowers occupy center stage at that time. The plant takes on a very different form in the second season, growing in an upright habit, with deeply lobed leaves and producing an airy burst of flowers here and there.

Another native plant of unrivaled beauty is the cardinal flower. If you’ve never spotted this wetland plant growing in its natural setting, you must! Brave the steepest embankments. Crawl along slippery rocks. Creep your way through lowland vegetation. Do whatever you need to do (except trespass or destroy other wetland plants, of course) to view it in its glory, to witness its sentinel beauty along the shaded creeks and rivers of Maine.

Perhaps the best and least intrusive way to see this wondrous native plant is to travel by canoe. It commonly grows along riverbeds, in standing water, or in areas that are exceedingly moist throughout the growing season.

Cardinal flower is one of the most striking of our native plants. As if its deep burgundy ruffled leaves aren’t pleasing enough, its tubular scarlet flowers that spire upward from sturdy maroon stems are simply breathtaking. The beauty of cardinal flower in the wild is unsurpassed; however, the plant can be grown in the garden. It performs best in wet, shaded woodland settings and may require mulching to overwinter with success in some areas.

The temptation to harness nature’s beauty, to draw it closer to us through the garden, is at times overwhelming. Witnessing gorgeous native plants such as chicory or cardinal flower along the roadsides and waterways is just not good enough for some, who attempt to bring it closer, to plant and cultivate that beauty in places it wouldn’t naturally appear.

Although you may have chicory and cardinal flower growing in the garden, they may not bring the same joy as capturing an image of plants in the wild. We’ve tried to harness their beauty, but it’s somewhat pointless and quite a bit less satisfying than seeking out the plants where they adore living. It is so important, in these waning days of summer, to take the time to slow down along dusty roadsides, to trail streambeds and peek over mossy boulders. The beauty of these precious native flowers will soon be dashed by the glorious turning of autumn foliage.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, RR1, Box 2120, Montville 04941, or e-mail them to dianagc@midcoast.com. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.