MANY FLOWERS DERIVED FROM OUR WILDFLOWERS

The Preakness, marking the second race in thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown at Pimlico Downs in Baltimore, Md., recently made us recognize, strangely enough the versatility of one of our common wildflowers, black-eyed Susans.

How? You ask.

Well, each year they use black-eyed Susans to make the traditional blanket to be presented to the winner of the Preakness.

Since black-eyed Susans are a summer wildflower, not blooming this early in the season, they created the blanket of these beauties by dying white daisies. Their 15 to 20 petals were dyed orange-yellow and the yellow centers of the daisies were painted chocolate brown. This colorful blanket adorned Pine Bluff, the Preakness winner.

This member of the aster family originally was native to the Midwest, but expanded its range when seeds were accidentally shipped to the East with clover seeds and planted in farm fields there.

Black-eyed Susans are generally found along roadsides, but can be grown in domestic gardens. They are quite indifferent to soil conditions and do well under cultivation, but often may become somewhat aggressive.

So many of our flowers have come from wildflowers. Not all plants that are commonly called wildflowers are native to North America. Some other daisies, yarrow, Queen Anne's lace, penstemon, butterfly weed and others have taken up residence here. Some have been imported from Europe and Asia, either by accident or for their ornamental value. Not all wildflowers are such welcomed guests, for some have become aggressive weeds.

Some American species of wildflowers have become more popular in European gardens than their native range.

Other North American natives such as Virginia bluebells, phlox, cosmos, spiderwort and California poppies have been listed in garden catalogs for so long that we may be accustomed to thinking of them as domesticated plants.

Organic Gardener's Peaceful Valley Catalogue offers 12 different regional wild flower mixtures of 26 annuals and perennials for the midwest. These are mixes to plant in meadows or open spaces where one would want only wild flowers to grow. These include white yarrow, bishop's flower, tall cornflower, lance-leaved coreopsis, foxglove, purple coneflower, baby's breath, scarlet flax, evening primrose, Missouri primrose, Shirley poppies, and wild columbine.

Wildflowers do best on sites with full sun, low nitrogen and low fertility. They must be protected from heavy weed competition.

Moonbeam coreposis, chosen by the Perennial Plant Association as the Plant of 1992 is a derivative of a native wildflower. It has creamy yellow, daisy-like flowers. Though only one to two inches across, they are borne in such profusion as to cover the plant to create quite a show.

In Missouri there is a $25 fine for digging wild flowers in any state park or other conservation land. A friend, who lives near a state park, recently told of watching two women stop in Roaring River State Park, remove shovels and large boxes from their trunk and proceed to fill them with early blooming spring wild flowers. Although there is a fine for digging, one can legally pick the seeds if the plant is not disturbed.

There should be signs, "Do Not Pick, Do Not Dig Wildflowers" for such persons. The wildflower lover will identify plants without picking them. Flowers are for all to enjoy, hopefully, for untold generations to come.

Operation Wildflower, a nationwide effort sponsored by the National Council of State Garden Clubs, state highway agencies and the federal government, was started in 1973 to establish native plant species along roads and highways.

For a number of years local garden clubs donated small packets of wildflower seeds to the Conservation Department. They asked that fishermen and hunters be given one of these packets to insert in their wallets along with their license, and to scatter the seeds along the banks of streams as they hunted and fished in hopes of restoring some of our wildflowers to their natural environment.

It was Ladybird Johnson who had as her project during her husband's presidency the restoration of wildflowers. This project was continued after her husband's death and after she became an ex-first lady. On a trip to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga., she was just one hour ahead of us on her tour of inspection the wildflower plantings there.

There is a growing interest in the cultivation of native plants, as is exemplified by programs aimed at preserving and restoring wildflowers as part of our national heritage.