European wild plants

I thought it was a good idea (suggestion by Kathleen) to start a separate thread about European natives.
I've once started a thread about them in the European Gardening forum,
so for the ones who haven't yet seen it, here is the link;
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/739829/

Some pictures will be from plants in my garden, others taken in the wild.

I start with this modest but very charming groundcover from woodland places,
It grows happily in my shady garden, I love its star-shaped foliage and the pretty white flowers in spring.
Galium odoratum;

Another wild woodland lover is this pretty bulb-plant blooming in spring. I have seen whole carpets of them in the wild, but this one is growing in my garden,

Ornithogalum umbellatum;

This one with graceful lace-like flowers and finely divided fern-like foliage can often be found as a companion of the previous as they like the same habitat, being deciduous woodlands and forests.
But it can also be found on humid grasslands and on road sites.
It goes dormant during the summer to return in spring.

Anthriscus sylvestris

They are all beautiful Bonitin, I love white flowers too.
Josephine.

Thanks Josephine!

and who doesn't know this very common one;
Bellis perrenis, the small but very tough charmer in grass lands. In mild winters one can still find some brave flowers.

Bellis perennis;

they sometimes have a pinkish hue on the outside of the petals;

Around here, they call the Bellis lawn daisies. I've had a few, but they don't seem to like my clay very well.

Thank you for starting this thread. The wonder is that we have many of these as garden plants over here.

Thank you Kathleen!
The same applies for many native American plants being used as garden plants over here, and also in my garden!

one more for today;
another early spring time bloomer is Leucojum aestivum. It grows happily in damp and even wet soil on the margins of my small pond.

another pic;

That is beautiful, bonitin! I have a clematis that is white with green tips - I don't know why that is so appealing to me! I love the graceful nodding nature of your flowers, too.

Kathleen (from the other coast!)

Absolutely lovely! The foliage on the Galium odoratum is quite beautiful. The little daisy-like Bellis perennis is so sweet. We have something that looks similar here in the desert. My favorite so far has to be your Leucojum aestivum, so delicate like little ballerina skirts!

I have those in my garden too,( Not native to Texas,) I inherited those from an old friend many years ago, we call them Snowdrops.
Very pretty indeed.

So sweet! You must have a very pretty garden.

Thank you all!


I do have a weak spot for white flowers Kathleen (from the other coast), and these are among my favorite springtime bulbs. The bees love them too..

I like your description of the ballerina skirts Angele !

I see you're in the same climate zone as I Josephine, so they should feel at home in your place!

My garden is very tiny Roybird (being a town garden) but it is my little paradise...


Another one of my very beloved spring flowers is Galanthus nivalis, I melt for them..
It has its origin in South-West Asia, South-East and Middle Europe but became naturalized in Belgium where one can find whole carpets in deciduous wood lands.
They have finished flowering by now, but the foliage stays beautiful;







This message was edited Mar 12, 2008 3:42 PM

and then Fritillaria meleagris, an endangered specie because of the destruction of its natural habitats, sigh...;

there is also its natural 'alba' form

I have both the Leucojum which we call snowflakes and the Galanthus better known as snowdrops. And I use the fritillaria to help keep rodents out of my gardens - the lovely flowers are a wonderful bonus.

bonitin,I went to plantfiles to see if you had added your photo of Galanthus nivalis so I could recommend it for Bloom of the Day! That is one beautiful photo of a gorgeous flower - I'm melting too! Your photo wasn't there but KMAC http://davesgarden.com/members/KMAC/ has added a photo of the "whole carpets in deciduous wood lands" you speak of! Incredible beauty!

I'm very intrigued by the Fritillaria. There are native species here & I wonder if they have the deterring effect on rodents. Every year New Mexico has people die from plague carried by rodents.

I've heard of The Fritillaria imperialis having that effect on rodents, Kathleen but never heard that about F.meleagris, but it could well be, I don't know.. I've never had the problem of rodents, except for a mouse or two once in a while, but the neighbours cats deal with that..
Why is it, Angele that rodents have become such a plague in New Mexico, has that always been so or just a recent development ?
When you talk about rodents does that mean rats, mice ?
I didn't think of putting my recent pic. of the snowdrops in PF as there were already so many..

Also an endangered specie is Osmunda regalis, a decidious fern I love very much.
This is a 17 year old one I got as a present when it was a baby fern and is still getting bigger every year on the margin of my pond.

a view on the whole fern;

and a detail on the young unfolding frond;

I think what Angele may be referring to is that mice are a vector for various diseases. I recall reading that people harvesting pinon nuts were getting ill from a virus found in deer mice droppings under the trees.

Sorry I missed your question regarding the plague bonitin. Terry, I am talking about plague. Bubonic plague most commonly. There have been 256 cases of human plague in New Mexico since 1949 with 33 deaths.
4 confirmed cases so far this year: 2 in cats, one in a squirrel and one human.
http://www.health.state.nm.us/epi/plague.html - lots of good info here

More pretty flowers please! This is fast becoming one of my all time favorite threads on DG!!

Thanks Terry and Angele for the info!

More pretty flowers, ;-);

Borago officinalis is native in South Europe, but has naturalized in other European countries.It is an excellent source of nectar for bees.

A modest but in my eyes very pretty wild flower is Cymbalaria muralis; it loves to grow in the cracks of old walls and on alkalic rocks.

close-up of its tiny flower;

This one has its flowers hidden under the leaves, but I love the shiny foliage of this shade-loving groundcover;
Asarum europeum

This one is an impressive beauty; malva alcea.
The foliage is very attractive too with its grayish colour that set of the pinkish flowers so well. I think it's a 'chic' aristocratic plant...

close-up of its flower

They are all precious Bonitin, especially the Cymbalaria, looks like a bunny close up, so sweet.

Jes, Josephine I had the same idea of a bunny look-a-like,lol. Thanks!

Just wanted to say that I love sweet woodruff (galium odoratum)! I have a bunch of plants growing in my little front rock garden. I love their scent and the woodland look. They're definitely one of my favorites.

Thanks for sharing these photos, Bonitin!

Thanks Kayly!
Another lovely native woodland plant is Pulmonaria officinalis, it is blooming in my garden;

detail of its interesting flowers;

Very pretty Bonitin.

Hehe...I've thought of planting pulmonaria, too! Are they very invasive, bonitin? I know that sweet woodruff can be, but mine hasn't shown a tendency to invade yet. I think it's not a fan of our heavy clay soil.

Oh! Pink & purple at the same time! Do they fade to the pink? Are the leaves spotted or is that water? Looks so familiar, I am wracking my brain trying to remember what this reminds me of. I've looked at the Borages in PF and just can't think right now! Maybe it is just the hairiness of it that is familiar.

Angele -- Pulmonaria is also called by its common name, lungwort. Does that ring a bell?

Mine have been planted about 16 years ago Kayly and I have divided them a couple of times of course, but they have not been invasive for me. Perhaps that could be because they are planted on the foot of a tree so have to deal with tree roots. I don't know if they would be invasive in more favourable conditions but it is so easy to pull them out if spreading too much, and they easily transplant.
They are ideal plants for difficult spots where other plants would give up.

The flowers start a deep pink Angele and fade to a deep true blue. The leaves are really spotted and its like Kayly says its popular name being lungwort because of the resemblance with lungs. In the past it was used as a medicine for lung diseases.
The leaves grow larger after the flowering and make a beautiful groundcover in light shaded places. being a woodplant it cannot have full sun without its leaves getting scorched.

Impatiens glandulifera is a naturalized plant in the biggest part of Europe that grows along river and brook banks also humid wood lands and forests. It origin is the Himalaya and India.
I think its a lovely plant for natural gardens but it can be invasive!