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Gardeners trying to lure pollinators to their landscape would be wise to mimic nature and plant wildflowers. The attractive perennials tolerate harsh climates, seldom need fertilizing and resist most diseases and insect pests.
Wildflowers are durable, too, requiring little or no irrigation once established.
“They bloom early and establish nicely to make a very natural colony,” said Barry Glick, owner of Sunshine Farm and Gardens in Renick, West Virginia.
But beware: Some native plants are invasive.
“Ragweed, for example, is a native plant but is considered undesirable because it gives us hay fever,” said Sharon Yiesla, a horticulturist with The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.
On the other hand, she said, “There are plants that people think of as wildflowers but they are not native.” Queen Anne’s lace, for instance, came from Europe and has been around so long that it has naturalized here.
“Some people call it a wildflower; some call it a weed,” she said. “Know something about each plant before you choose it.”
Shop at a specialty nursery if you want to grow wildflowers, Yiesla said.
“Wildflowers should be purchased rather than dug from the wild,” she said. “This is often regulated by law and even if it is not, a tremendous amount of damage can be done to wild populations through digging.”
Wildflower varieties generally are divided into three major groups: meadow, woodland and wetland. Plants taken from nature generally don’t survive being transplanted because growing conditions can differ so greatly in residential backyards.
“The first step in starting a wildflower area is choosing an appropriate site and matching plant species to environmental factors such as climate, rainfall, pH and soil type,” said Leonard Perry, horticulture professor emeritus with University of Vermont Extension, in a fact sheet.
“Whenever possible, try to select native species as they often perform better than non-natives,” he said. “Native species generally are more attractive to pollinators and beneficial insects, too.”
Simply spreading wildflower seed over unprepared ground is inefficient. Site preparation is important.
Break up the soil and eliminate weeds before sowing any seed. That will speed germination and reduce confusion over what’s a weed and what’s a wildflower.
It usually is better to choose bare root plants, plugs or seedlings if you want your wildflower gardening to be faster and easier to manage. Seeds are cheaper if you have large areas to cover.
Study package labels closely when buying seed mixtures. Ideally, you want 100 percent pure seed without any fill.
It’s ideal to source natives or varieties that are proven in your area if you want lasting colors for years to come, said Mike Lizotte, a managing partner of American Meadows Inc. in Shelburne, Vermont.
“Finding a reputable seed company or contacting your local Master Gardening Extension or native plant source would be great resources to get you started in the right direction,” he said.
Landscapes may look disheveled once the flowers fade but don’t be quick to remove spent plants.
“The leaves produce food that help the plant grow and become bigger and stronger the next year,” Yiesla said. “Also the plant may produce seeds or fruit that feed birds and wildlife.”

Coming into last season, the Berwick Panthers had a lot of holes to fill but did so with players who had waited their time and then made the most of it on the field, leading the school to a Class 3A state championship, its first baseball title in 40 years.
This season, after working to reach the proverbial mountaintop a year ago, Berwick has done the same thing, utilizing a mixture of returning starters from 2018 along with multiple seniors who have waited their time, to put the Panthers in prime position to make a run at a second consecutive state championship.
“Knowing that we were going to have some new starters, (it) was pretty much easy to tell the guys, ‘hey, this is a new season. This isn’t the same,’” second-year Berwick Coach Brandon Bravata said. “And honestly, we’ve done a phenomenal job of kind of putting that (state championship) in the past. It’s something we’ll always remember, but at this point, that needs to be put off to (remember) until later in their lives.”
Bravata said his team has done a good job of focusing on the present.
“I have not seen much of a hangover effect,” he said.
On last year’s team, the Panthers lost the District 8-3A Most Valuable Player, three Class 3A All-State selections and two additional first-team all-district selections.
All-State players who were lost to graduation were utility player Kyle Pitre, outfielder Reid Wiley and catcher Lucas Hatch. Pitre was a selection on both the Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association Class 3A All-State team and a first-team pick on the Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State squad after pitching and playing shortstop.
He, along with Wiley, were named to the Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association All-State Composite team. Wiley also was an honorable mention Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3A All-State selection a year ago.
Hatch, an honorable mention Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3A All-State selection a year ago and a Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association All-State selection, as well as first-team All-District selections Patrick Robertson (pitcher) and Kyle Boudreaux (utility) also were lost to graduation.
Despite the losses, the Panthers do return firepower, led by senior Division I baseball signees, Mitchell Sanford, who is LSU bound, and Zeph Hoffpauir, who will become a Louisiana Ragin Cajun after his senior season ends.
Sanford, who played both centerfield and pitched a year ago, earned Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association All-State and first-team Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State honors for his work on the mound. He also was chosen as a second-team selection on the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Louisiana Baseball Team in the outfield.
Sanford has spent much of this season in the outfield for the Panthers.
Hoffpauir was an honorable mention Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State selection a year ago as a utility pick.
The Panthers also return Brett Williams, a first-team All-District selection at third base a year ago, who has moved to shortstop this season, and second-team all-district pitcher Chad La-Grange, who plays right field, too, this season.
Berwick features 13 seniors on this year’s squad, and seniors fill virtually every position on the field.
“I was actually concerned,” Bravata said. “I thought it would be a difficult year with that many seniors, but fortunately, we’ve had good leadership, and next year we’ll kind of start over and rebuild, but we’re going to enjoy it while we can this year.”
At 24-7 with the team’s regular season finale Saturday at home against Westminster Christian, the Panthers actually are ahead of last season at this time. A year ago, the Panthers finished the regular season with a 22-8 mark.
“If you’d have asked me that at the beginning of the season if I would have taken that, I would have,” Bravata said of this season’s record. “We had a couple of disappointing losses in district that were one-run games that we wish we could have had back, but other than that, I think the guys have been focused. I think they’ve come out and done everything that we’ve asked them to do.
“They’ve been strong in the weight room,” Bravata added. “They’ve come out and practiced hard every day, and so I think it’s a tribute to their hard work that they’ve put in, and we’re really fortunate to be right where we’re at. We’re hoping to stick on this four-seed and get to host the playoffs throughout.”
Berwick, who sports a 53-15 mark during the past two years and has won 20-plus straight home games, is led this season on the mound by junior ace Seth Canty, who has stepped into the role after holding a limited role a year ago, Bravata said.
Behind the plate is senior Zeph Delatte at catcher, while at first base is Hoffpauir, and senior Hunter Landry plays second base. The team’s shortstop is Williams, while senior Ethan Nguyen holds down third base.
In the outfield, senior Barrett Hover plays leftfield, Sanford is in centerfield and LaGrange, in right field.
Senior Seth Giroir is the team’s designated hitter.
Other pitchers for the Panthers are senior Rustin Ratcliff, Hoffpauir and freshman Clay Menard. Bravata said the Berwick coaching staff has used a lot of players on the mound this season.
“Even our bench players have understood their role — and that’s two years in a row where the guys have understood their role, and we’ve had very little drama in the dugout,” Bravata said.

Damian David “Big D.” Johnson, 54, a resident of Morgan City, La. and a native of New Orleans, La., passed away on Saturday April 13, 2019 at 12:20 p.m. at the Ochsner Medical Center in Kenner, La.
Visitation will be observed on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at Jones Funeral Home Chapel, 715 Sixth St. Morgan City, La. from 9 a.m. until funeral services at 11 a.m. Burial will follow funeral services in the Morgan City Cemetery, with Rev, Clayton Murphy, officiating.
Memories of Damian will forever remain in the hearts of his wife, Shirley Lee Delco-Johnson of Morgan City, La.; one son, Damian A. Johnson, of Morgan City, La.; one daughter, Tonette Quinn of New Orleans, La.; one brother, Charles Johnson; three sisters, Cheryl Moffett and Gina Bradley all of New Orleans, La., and Karen Henderson of Gulfport MS; two other children to his marriage to Shirley, Quentin Delco of Bayou Vista, La. and Rachelon Delco of Morgan City, La.; three brothers-in-law, four sisters-in-law, four grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City-Franklin-Jeanerette-Houma in charge of arrangements.
Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.