Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants
Let’s start with herbal teas. Wild strawberry leaves and linden flowers are two favorites of mine, and both are super easy to grow. Native strawberry (Fragaria virginica) (not the non-native “strawberry” groundcover present in some lawns) is easy enough to harvest, if you can lean over to pick them from the ground without pulling a muscle in your back. Linden (Tilia spp.) requires reaching up or standing on a ladder. First order of business, be safe. Linden trees bloom in early summer. Their flowers are delicately fragrant, like jasmine, and are pollinated by moths at night and bees by day. For the best flavor, strawberry leaves and linden flowers should
chopped root smells like wintergreen or root beer. Steep two tablespoons of chopped root in a quart of pure water, heated to 170°. Another customer recently asked for stinging or wood nettle (Laportea canadensis)—the floodplain species that stings and itches like crazy if you brush up against it on a walk wearing shorts. But there’s nothing tastier than steamed nettle Nettle leaves cooking in a steamer. leaves, dripping with butter, salt, and pepper, or added to a broth with arugula and stale bread (see Marcella Hazan’s The Classic Italian Cook Book). Surely somebody will start selling wood nettle plants at the local farmer’s market when people discover how tasty cont’d. on next page
Carol Davit
are willing to risk fines, jail time, and perhaps a loaded shotgun to poach them. Harvesting plant parts from public property, if not expressly allowed, is against the law, as is trespassing on private property. The perfect solution: grow and harvest wild edible plants yourself.
Missouri Wildflowers Nursery
Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis) can cause unpleasant stinging if carelessly brushed against, but when harvested and prepared properly makes a tasty dish steamed and dripping with butter-what doesn’t?! be dried before steeping in water at 180° for three minutes, either together or separately. Mmmm-mmm good! Another favorite tea is sassafras (Sassafras albidum). A sixinch portion of half-inch diameter (or smaller) root is harvested, washed, and cut into 1/8th inch slices. The freshly harvested and Scott Woodbury was the horticulturist at Shaw Nature Reserve for 30 years and stepped down from that position in June 2022. He continues to work on contract for Shaw Nature Reserve to carry out native landscaping education, and has launched his own business called Cacalia: Native Garden Design and Wilding. Scott is also founder of the Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter, which financially supports this column. Find suppliers of native plants, seeds, and services at the Grow Native! Resource Guide: www.moprairie.org.
SUMMER 2023
The Gateway Gardener™
9814 Pleasant Hill Rd Jefferson City MO 65109 www.mowildflowers.net mowldflrs@socket.net 573-496-3492
If you have purchased our native plants in the past, thank you very much. If you haven’t been a customer, here are a few things to keep in mind: We propagate almost all of our plants from seeds, instead of cuttings or divisions, because we want to keep the genetics of these plants as diverse as possible. The source of our seeds and plants can be traced to native plants growing wild in Missouri. We strive to keep them as wild as possible. Shopping at our Brazito (Jefferson City) location: The retail “store” (outdoor sales area) is open 9 to 5 year round, Monday through Friday and weekends in spring and fall as listed on our website. Pre-orders are welcome. We can ship your order! Plants are shipped on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays all year. UPS usually delivers the next day to all of Missouri and to the middle of surrounding states. Shipping charges apply. We will be selling plants in the St. Louis area again in September and October. Watch our website and Facebook for dates.
www.mowildflowers.net
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