Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 15, 1990< TAG: 9104050045
SECTION: LAWN & GARDEN PAGE: 20 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The dictionary defines a wildflower as a "flowering plant that grows in a natural, uncultivated state." That means any species that can survive without cultivation by man can be called a wildflower.
Some wildflower species are not native to an area but can grow there without cultivation. As long as the species are compatible with the area's climate and do not become invasive by disturbing the ecological balance by outcompeting the native plants for space and nutrients, they are considered naturalized.
As more gardeners begin to grow and cultivate wildflowers, one might wonder if they are still considered wild. As long as nature, rather than man, continues to do the selective breeding so that the plant is not changed genetically from the original strain, it is still considered wild.
The reasons for growing wildflowers are many and varied, either aesthetic, practical or ecological.
Wildflowers add color and natural beauty to an area. Although they do require some work initially, over time the effort needed to maintain a wildflower garden is much less than for a more traditional cultivated garden.
For many of today's busy gardeners, the appeal of low maintenance as well as the benefit of an almost continuous display of color is ample reason to try wildflowers in a garden.
Those who want to learn about wildflowers will get an opportunity through a program offered by the Science Museum of Western Virginia. Wildflowers are but one of the botanical-related programs scheduled by the museum throughout April, May and June.
On April 22, the museum will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. With one piece of recyclable paper, plastic or aluminum the museum will offer a discount off the regular admission to the exhibits. Special presentations by Science Museum educators and visiting faculty will provide information about vanishing habitats.
Tree seedlings will be given away, and the winner of the Science Museum's Earth Day Essay Contest will be announced.
On April 27-29, the museum will be host to the 21st Annual Wildflower Pilgrimage. Friday the program will be "Small Secrets: A Creature Garden of Verses," a special photography/poetry presentation of wildflowers and insects by author and poet Helen Worth and well-known arthropod photographer Arthur Gladstone, in Hopkins Planetarium.
Offerings April 28-29 will include a variety of walks and programs led by wildflower enthusiasts and naturalists from Roanoke College, Hollins College, the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs, Radford University, Virginia Tech, Virginia Western Community College, the Virginia Native Plant Society and the Science Museum.
On April 28, participants may visit wildflower sites including the Cascades, Peaks of Otter, Falls Ridge and areas along the Roanoke River. Wildflower and herb gardening workshops will be held at the museum that day.
Pack a picnic and bring the family out to the Blue Ridge Parkway the evening of April 28 for "Star flowers to Star Pictures" a walk along the Blue Ridge Parkway followed by a picnic and a look at the nighttime sky.
Activities on April 29 include tours of local wildflower gardens in addition to morning wildflower walks. Throughout that weekend, enjoy special exhibits of wild flowers, herbs and exotic plants on display in the museum.
Explore the Chessie Trail near Lexington on May 5. Members of the Virginia Military Institute Biology Department and museum educator and naturalist Bill Hunley will lead this nature hike. Pack a sack lunch and spend the day hiking along the trail flourishing with wildflowers and wildlife. This is the first of a series of daylong hikes to be offered throughout the spring and summer.
On May 19, come along and explore one of the Southeast's foremost regional centers for the conservation, interpretation and research of plants. The North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill spreads across more than 525 acres and includes both the Coker Arboretum and the Mason Farm Biological Reserve. The day's activities will include special guided tours of the main garden and arboretum.
In the morning, wander along wooded trails and enjoy living collections of ferns, aquatic plants and native wildflowers flourishing in the garden. After spending the morning in the main garden, enjoy a special deli buffet luncheon in the Carolina Inn. Following lunch, the group will be treated to a tour of Coker Arboretum. Designed in 1903 by botanist William Coker, this 5-acre arboretum features native as well as exotic trees and shrubs found on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. Planted among the evergreens and conifers, look for tulips, daylilies, and daffodils.
Roanoke's largest trees will be the subject of an afternoon tour on June 3. Bill Hubbard, a local "big- tree" expert, will point out the giants and explain the nomination and selection process used to include these rare specimens in the "Roanoke Big Tree Register."
Strolls across the campuses of Hollins and Roanoke colleges will allow participants to view and photograph many of the more than 70 giant trees in the Roanoke area.
The museum, on June 20, will offer a tour of the historic Hollins College campus with David Bell, horticulturist and supervisor of grounds, and Jo Ferguson, coordinator of interior planning and design. The tour will begin with a discussion by Dr. Charles Morlang of plant propagation using tissue culture.
The tour will continue with a history of the pre-Civil War buildings, a walk through the Peale Garden and a stroll through the beautiful, tree-shaded Quadrangle, containing Roanoke's Sesquicentennial Tree, a 73-foot Copper Beech.
For more information about "Spring in Bloom" activities, fees and registration deadlines, call the Science Museum at (703) 342-5710.
by CNB