Taming the Wild

There are many considerations to moving wild plants into your garden. First and foremost are the rules around moving plants in the wild. You should never dig plants from public spaces or from private property without permission. Then you have to consider invasive plants that are not native to our area which, despite their beauty, often threaten our local ecosystems. Finally, wild plants can be very temperamental to move. But when you find the right opportunity and the right plant, the results can be awesome.

Prairie Coneflower blooms in late June-July and can be found growing in the wild all over the Qu'Appelle Valley. It does not multiply quickly though and it would not take many of us digging to make it disappear. So we do not dig it.

I was fortunate two years ago, when a neighbour was building a barn, to have the opportunity to rescue three plants. They are very pretty when blooming but can be leggy when they are not. They were extremely difficult to move and I had to baby them for an entire season while they looked sick and a little hopeless. Although I was rewarded with masses of blooms in year two, by year three, I find I only have one plant left. Surprising considering how many seeds those masses of flowers dropped. No self-seedlings have appeared.

Lady Slipper, an early June bloomer, is another I have been able to try. Another friend building on their property, this time further North, had moved one to their city lot instead of squashing it with the new shed. When it started to multiply last year, I begged and was handed a shovel. Having learned from the Prairie Coneflower experience, I dug the largest root ball I have ever dug. I could not even fit the root ball in a bucket and had to use a plastic bag to transport it instead. When I got into my garden with it, I dug a huge hole, filled it with compost by about half and then plopped the root ball into it. I watered like crazy and crossed my fingers. No luck was necessary. The Lady Slipper took hold immediately and never skipped a beat, in spite of the fact that it was in full bloom when I dug it. I didn't want to wait in case the offer came off the table. Happily, she has returned to my garden this year!

This article was originally published in the RHS monthly newsletter, Let's Get Growing! June issue. If you would like to receive our newsletter in your inbox, click here to sign up!