Spring in my little wildflower bed is in full force. Now my neighbors will understand why I grow "weeds"... maybe.

Very nice, please keep on growing them

I am working on removing all non-native decoratives (I'm looking at you Japanese barberry) out of the large bed across from this one. Only native wildflowers at this house!

Just noticed this little guy on the skirts of my "erosion control" bed after mowing. He was hiding pretty well before the lawn was mown; glad he didn't become a victim.

Oh! that is adorable!

your little weed friend is a purple deadnettle (lamium purpureum)
We have beautiful purple fields if this plant this time of year, before the farmers till.

It is eatable
but not too tasty

Just picked up some of this, Yarrow (Achillea millefolium 'Paprika'), lovely "weed"!! Major goal of my medicinal garden checked.

Hi Starbookworm,

Not to rain on your garden, but if you really are going for native plants only, then you may like to know that many of the plants pictured in your garden are not native, but introduced Eurasian species.

Lamium purpureum - Purple Deadnettle
https://plants.usda.gov/core/p...

Lamium amplexicaule - Henbit
https://plants.usda.gov/core/p...

If your Dock is Rumex crispus, then that is introduced, too.
https://plants.usda.gov/core/p...

The most common Dandelions (Taraxacum) are introduced Eurasians, as well, but there are some native species.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is listed as both native and introduced. It's good for a medicinal garden, irregardless, and 'Paprika' is a lovely color.

The Violets could be native or introduced depending on the species. Even some of the native species can reseed a lot in the garden.

Hostas aren't native either, but I'm sure you know that. They aren't invasive or weedy, though, so are nice plants.

Of course, you can keep growing them if it makes you happy, and you may be growing some of them as medicinals/edibles anyway. I just thought you might appreciate knowing that they aren't all native since you stated , "Only native wildflowers at this house!"

Danita, thank you for your post. It is nice to have the information on introduced species. The locals had them listed as natives. They must consider them native around here because they were introduced so long ago West Virginia considers them a part of the landscape now. I'm torn.

I did know about the hostas, however. They were planted there when I moved in, but after a harsh summer and my inexperience seemed to have died. My wildflowers came in and I thought for sure the hostas were choked out goners. The next spring they popped out with a vengeance. I felt too bad to pull them after they had worked so hard to come back.

I spent 3 hours last year pulling American burnweed from the edge of my forest. It had absolutely spread everywhere. The whole moment was bittersweet because I was happy to be rid of the aggressively invasive burnweed but they left behind a massive barren patch of dirt. I came out this week to find the barren patch filled in with the below beauties.