I love ruderals for their flashy essence. They are the YOLO of the plant world. Live it up because life is short.
And, in the youth of a planting, ruderals are wonderful for quickly filling the gaps, providing color, and helping support ecology. Often, perennials need a few years to get established before they can have a presence, but ruderals hit the ground running, often blooming within months of their seeding while covering the ground to reduce weed growth.
I have been noting good choices for east Texas and the deep south. A new one I can add to my growing list is Phlox drummondii (annual phlox). I’ve seen it scattered pretty sparsely on roadsides, but thanks to a planting project just north of Nacogdoches, TX where it is intensely planted, I have a new appreciation for this native (header image). Over the past month I’ve watched this roadside planting explode with a multitude of tints and shades of red as I drive into town.
What a wonderful explosion of color! I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so much color diversity in species mix as I did with these Phlox drummondii.
If you’re unfamiliar with Phlox drummondii, annual phlox is a short lived native wildflower with sticky leaves. It is native to Texas and Oklahoma, though in some states it is introduced. It was so beloved by Europeans that after Thomas Drummond—this phlox’s namesake—sent seeds back in 1835, they were able to select up to 200 different color strains. And, now Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan) is starting to pop in this planting.
It’s amazing to see all this incredible color right next to the road.
One of my favorite color morphs of Phlox drummondii was this pink with watermelon-colored eye.
My friend Dawn Stover helped create this beautiful tapestry, and besides the usual Texas bluebonnets, it is one of the best wildflower plantings I’ve seen in east Texas. The first time I passed by I was stunned by how good the flowering was on these median patches.
Dawn works at the USDA–NRCS East Texas Plant Materials Center (ETPMC). She shared that the City of Nacogdoches approached the ETPMC in 2021 about doing a wildflower planting in median areas that were difficult to mow along the four lane leading north out of the city. She worked with the Texas Natives Seeds Project to create a blend of species that would work well in this area. Here’s a full list of the species included in the mix.
ANNUALS AND COVER CROPS
Gaillardia pulchella (Indian blanket)
Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan)
Monarda punctata (spotted beebalm)
Phlox drummondii (annual phlox)
Hordeum pusillum (little barley)
PERENNIALS
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed)
Coreopsis lanceolata (lance-leaved coreopsis)
Penstemon digitalis (smooth beardtongue)
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (narrow-leaf mountain mint)
Rhexia mariana (Maryland meadow beauty)
Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master)
Solidago rugosa (rough goldenrod)
Symphyotrichum laeve (smooth aster)
Mimosa strigillosa (herbaceous mimosa)
NATIVE GRASSES
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
Andropogon gerardii (splitbeard bluestem)
Bothriochloa laguroides (silver bluestem)
Bouteloua hirsuta (hairy grama)
Eragrostis secundiflora 'El Reno' (red lovegrass)
Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama)
Eragrostis trichodes (sand lovegrass)
Sporobolus cryptandrus (sand dropseed)
Elymus virginicus (Virginia wildrye)
They prepped the site in the summer of 2022, and seed were sown this previous February. In naturalistic design, we call this approach a randomized mix where seed are broadcasted over an area, and plants establish where conditions are favorable. Changes across a site like a slight wet spot here or a subtle change in pH there can cause a shift in what species thrive. And, a plant’s presence or absence can be further shifted by varying the seed mix concentration across the site.
Of course, the ruderals are quite happy, and under their cover are the other species bulking up. Dawn shared that the biggest challenge has been people trying to pick the flowers, which is not good as the plants need to be able to go to seed for next year. The area will be mowed after the spring flush has been allowed to go to seed. And, eventually as the other perennials and grasses begin to dominate and leave less room for the ruderals, this wildflower planting will be more subtle.
As conditions change across the site, species shift. Notice how there’s less Phlox drummondii running through the middle of the planting.
This planting reminds me of the Tower of London Superbloom that we saw last year while in England that was designed by Nigel Dunnett. While that planting was ephemeral as part of a celebration of the queen’s platinum jubilee, this installation is more permanent.
England Superbloom
Texas (mini) Superbloom
And, I think that seeing this mini-superbloom in east Texas is a reminder that ruderal mixes are possible in a variety of different habitats. I have the hope that one day our roadsides will be viewed as not a place that needs to be constantly mowed but a space where we can have ecology and beauty for creatures big and small. And, I believe that plantings like these are just the start of better things to come.
