Meadow at PEAR Park

Layering is key in Orange County meadow design

Grants, News, Planting

Central Florida gardeners will soon a have a new location to see and explore Florida’s native wildflowers and grasses. A no-mow wildflower meadow is being installed at the Orange County UF/IFAS Extension’s Exploration Gardens in Orlando, funded by the Florida Wildflower Foundation’s Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden grant. The meadow will be approximately 2,700 square feet and will include 25 species of Florida native wildflowers and grasses. Eventually, it will connect two sections of a planned native tree walk.

Dr. Loran Anderson

Member profile: Dr. Loran Anderson

Member profile

Dr. Loran Anderson is a professor emeritus in the department of biological science at Florida State University in Tallahassee. His research has focused on plant taxonomy and systematics in the Florida Panhandle and elsewhere. He is currently compiling a checklist of native plants in Panhandle counties that will include rare and endangered species. In 2016, he received the Foundation’s Coreopsis Award in recognition of contribution to Florida’s wildflowers.

Common eastern bumble bee on Thistle flower

Know your native pollinators: Bumble bees

News, Pollinators

Bumble bees are very efficient pollinators because they “buzz pollinate.” The bee grabs onto a flower and vibrates its flight muscles but not its wings. This causes the flower to release its pollen. It also creates an audible buzz at the frequency of a middle C note. The genus name Bombus comes from the Greek bombos, which means “buzzing sound.”

Grow Wildflowers

See how Resources Plant sources Start with 20 Easy Wildflowers With interest mounting in using wildflowers in urban landscapes, there is a huge demand for information for those new to Florida’s native plants. Enter “20 Easy-to-Grow Wildflowers.” The 24-page magazine features a selection of 20 “tried and true” wildflowers that are easy to grow and…

About the Foundation

Mission and Values Work for Wildflowers Meet the Board Sponsors & Partners What we do Our mission The Florida Wildflower Foundation protects, connects and expands native wildflower habitats through education, research, planting and conservation. Our vision Wildflowers are recognized as essential to Florida’s ecological health, economy and natural beauty. Our values Sustainable We work toward…

Swallowtail butterfly on Liatris spicata flower

Bloom Report: Spotlight on Butterflies

Bloom Report

Swallowtail butterfly on Liatris spicata. Photo by John Moran Pollinators and the native plants that support them have come to the forefront this year. The showiest of the pollinators are the butterflies, which often are seen flitting around native wildflowers. While large butterflies like swallowtails (such as the one pictured above on Liatris spicata) can…

Chris Waltz with pollinator pots

Create a pollinator garden in a pot!

News, Planting

Chris Waltz, volunteer extraordinaire and wildflower-gardening enthusiast, was inspired by people saying they can’t grow natives because they live in an apartment, condo, or other small space. He started thinking: They grow houseplants and annuals; why can’t they grow natives the same way? The result? A “pollinator garden in a pot.”

Ironweed seedheads

Advice on fall garden maintenance and seed collecting

Planting

‘Tis the season for seed collecting. As you return to the garden after the last two months of unbearable heat, biting bugs and sweat, you’ll probably encounter a lot of overgrown stems. Cut those back to their base to freshen up the plant for winter. Trailing species, such as beach sunflower and Gaillardia, can also be whacked into submission and will probably bloom again by late November.

Chris Waltz

Member profile: Chris Waltz

Member profile

There’s a good chance that if you’ve been to any Florida Wildflower Foundation events, you may have run into this member. Most recently, he could be found with 25 other wildflower enthusiasts at the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area, soaking up some plant identification and lore on a walk led by author and FWF board member Dr. Walter K. Taylor.

FWF member Chris Waltz is known to many in native plant circles because of the supporting role he plays in conferences and other events. Here is what Chris has to say about his involvement with the Florida Wildflower Foundation.

Elliott's aster flowers

Bloom Report: Fall is Aster Time!

Bloom Report

Elliott's aster (Symphyotrichum elliottii) by Ron & Diane Bynum Northern neighbors have their leaves, but we have a rainbow of wildflowers by Jeff Norcini In cooler climates, fall is when “leaf peepers” hit the road to view red-, yellow- and orange-leaved trees. Here in Florida, fall color means wildflowers. And when you hit the road…