in the meadows today
Western ironweed
oh those are good pics
Yes, butterflies DO love it! I've got that ironweed and another one that's called Woolly Ironweed (Vernonia Lindheimeri). Butterflies all over them when they're blooming!
Linda, do you have a photo of the Lindheimeri? I have tons of the Baldwinni..would like another variety
The V. Lindheimeri grows down here in Texas, don't know where else. Here's a pic below:
the foilage looks to be a gray-green........could you possible save me some seed this fall? I"d like to try it here
I don't know what I have. I'll go to Frostweed's "Native" threads and find out tho. Here's a quick pic I took of my lone Ironweed. It's so funny looking because it's just...there. Next year I'll pinch it back so it will branch out. I've got a few other ones but they are smaller and haven't bloomed.
I'll get a closer pic of the top tomorrow.
Jackie, I'd be glad to save some seed! The woolly one does have kind of narrow grey-green foliage. I've never seen it wilt. And so far that one hasn't made any more plants nearby like the western one...just a slightly bigger clump of stems as time goes by. Paige, does your ironweeds get enough sun? Well-drained soil? Seems like I may have read somewhere that ironweeds need those two things.
I dont think the ironweed would branch if you pinch it...it grows straight up on a single stalk...yes...hot sun, little water, too much and the stems turn black from the bottom up
I"ll be grateful for the seed, and I"ll send you some of the Baldwinni if you'd like
Mine is the Western Ironweed. This one gets plenty of sun but I need to move it to the back of my big bed. It just kind of got "stuck" here temporarily but then it seemed happy so I didn't want to move it.
The smaller ones are in the back of my bed and probably aren't getting enough sun this year. The other plants started coming up and growing earlier than the ironweed so they are getting a little overshadowed. Maybe next year they'll be more established and grow faster.
Any idea how well this grows from seed? I might want to collect some or deadhead it, in case.
yes, my info from Frostweed says that ours is the Veronica Baldwinii Western Ironweed......mine just self seeds in the wind....I think it also increases from underground stolens...... I am going to collect seed this fall...I have it thick in the open meadows here and have just moved some into the butterfly garden next to the house this spring , it is doing very well , I dug it up from roots last fall.........they seems to like a lot of hot sun and a bit of circulation space. I think left alone your ironweed will continue to grow and over shadow the others...I also have goldenrod in the meadows that will be blooming soon, it does well cultivated in the Bfly gardens if you dont let it seed ....It spreads a bunch if u do.....and blue mist flower and white eupatorium and goats rue in the fields I am now cultivating in the garden.....
I hear ya on that Goldenrod. I love it and really wanted some and some nice little birdie left me one, then I got a few from Josephine. I'm looking forward to it blooming tho.
white eupatorium and goats rue...what are these? pics please!
Goat's Rue....
Eupatorium....white boneset
in the meadow
That is very pretty! It wouldn't like my high alkaline clay soil tho.
Wow, that eupatorium sure is big! Is it like the mist flower? That family confuses me.
This message was edited Jul 9, 2006 3:36 PM
my soil is alkaline sands, it cracks my heels and hands to work in it.........yes the mist flower is also an eupatorium family....wildflower picture collage from sept 2005
