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| Wildflowers and native shrubs and trees can be used along with modern cultivars to create an informal border or allowed to naturalize for an old fashioned cottage garden. Native plants can be used in small wooded areas for an attractive wild garden. Most all wildflowers can be purchased from nurseries or mail-order companies in cultivated forms, or as bulbs or seeds. Some wildflowers are endangered and should not be dug up from the wild. |
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| Field or meadow wildflowers require less fertile soil, low in organic content. These plants are easier to grow than perennial wildflower species that grow in the woods, which require a rich, humus soil. Some, such as orchids, need a native fungi in the soil, which exists only in natural habitats. Make sure the flowers you choose are suitable for the soil and climate in your area. |
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| Before planting, be sure and check local nurseries for information on which plants are considered invasive. Some plants are considered noxious weeds, and by law, must be controlled even on private property. Kudzu was once planted as a decorative ornamental, but now covers more than 7 million acres in the southern US, and has destroyed much forest land, both public and private. Growing much better here in the South than it does in its native land of Japan, it can grow more than a foot a day during the spring and summer months, spread for many miles, and can take up to 10 years of specific herbicide use to get rid of it. "Southerners must close their windows at night to keep the kudzu out..." Quote from The Amazing Story of Kudzu
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| Common Wildflowers |
| Wallflower
Shasta Daisy Scarlet Sage Rose Mallow Larkspur Ox-eyed Daisy Blue Sage Yarrow |
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Foxglove Blazing Star Cornflower California Poppy Butterfly Weed Bluebonnet Black-Eyed Susan Prairie Clover |
| Wildflower Seed Sources |
| Wildseed Farms | Wildflower seeds, many varieties. |
| Victory Seeds | Old fashion flower seeds. |
| Easy Wildflowers | Native perennial plant seeds. |
| Select Seeds | Antique flower seeds. |
| Amer. Meadows | Wildflower seeds, variety. |
| Clyde Robin | Popular wildflower seeds. |
| Prairie Nursery | Wildflowers and native grasses. |
| Earthly Goods | Wildflowers, herbs, grasses, mixtures. |
| Albright Seeds | Plant science resources. |
| Seed Source | Native American seeds and grasses. |
| Wildflower World | Wildflowers and other flower seeds. |
| Wildflower-Seed | Wildflower seeds without added fillers. |
| NE Seed | Wildflower mixtures, vegetables, grasses. |
| Larner Seeds | Perennial and annual wildflower seeds. |
| Wildflower Farm | Wildflowers, grasses, mixtures. |
| Great Smokies Wildflowers |
| The Great Smoky Mountains consist of over a half million acres of forest, evenly distributed in North Carolina and Tennessee. Over 1500 flowering plants grow here, more than any other national park. We also have more tree species than any other park in the U.S.--about 140 different kinds. |
Click on each of the flowers listed below for a color photograph, information about how it is used, and a bit of history and folklore about each one. These are just a few of the many native wildflowers that grow in our area of the Smokies in western North Carolina/eastern Tennessee.
| Local Area Attractions |
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