IN BRIEF

• Wild plants and (in) heme (se) plants are actually the same thing.
• The perennials you buy today are adaptations of wild and (in) heme (se) plants.
• You could call wild and (in) heme (se) plants the basic plants of today’s species.
• Wild and (in) heme (se) plants often attract other, better (much more useful) insects than the processed species.
• With the disappearance of Wild plants, the beneficial insects also disappeared.
• Because many useful insects have disappeared, diseases and pests such as oak processionary caterpillars arise
• By planting wild and (in) heme (se) plants again, beneficial insects return.
• You can also ensure sufficient beneficial insects with the right combination of processed plant species.

LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING

You have to remember that in the past, when there were no cultivators, all plants arose spontaneously or were applied centuries before by Mother Nature. The climate, the soil and the fact that people let them go about their business undisturbed meant that nature itself regulated which plants did best in a certain place and which did not. This involved much more than just plants; insects, birds, butterflies, bees and underground ‘life’ also played a role.

The system, as it were, kept itself in shape and maintained. Pests and diseases were repelled because natural enemies were always around to attack them. The natural enemies were there because there were the right plants to live on. And the residues of all animal life in turn ensured the growth of existing and new plants. It could always have remained that way if ‘humans’ had not intervened. Then the plants that were naturally best in place there would have grown everywhere. We call these plants native or heme plants. If you grow the native or heme plants in places where they did not occur naturally but do thrive, we call them wild plants. All plants that arise or grow naturally in a place are therefore called wild plants.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WILD AND NORMAL PLANTS

Wild plants are often thought of as plants that become wild, plants that are difficult to control, plants that proliferate. That’s a misconception! Wild plants are not by definition naturalizing plants, on the contrary. We have to go back again. In origin all plants are the same. They originated somewhere in nature or have been there for centuries.

by human intervention; think of agriculture, livestock, grazing, construction and deforestation, many of the originally present wild plant species have disappeared. Only the toughest species survived and are still there, for example the nettle, the thistle, ground elder, etc. etc.

Well, and these species proliferate to such an extent that they were and are soon called ‘wild plants’. In fact it is also true, but there are also so many wild species that have remained intact by nature that do not proliferate but provide added value in terms of color and scent and are very important for the interaction with insects, birds and soil life. We don’t actually have an extra name for the non-wild plants. In practice, however, these are the plants that are created by the cultivation of the growers and breeders. They crossed the original strain with other strains. They went looking for an even more beautiful color for the Tulip, a darker leaf for the Hosta and more flower and fragrance for the Rose. Then we all started to put those new species in places where the wild species used to be. And all that wouldn’t be so bad if the processed species, also called cultivated species, had the same qualities for our environment, the interaction with the bees, birds, butterflies… the ecosystem. Unfortunately that is not the case.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLANTS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE BEST!

Many of the cultivated species we cultivate have ‘different qualities’ than the original wild native species. They have a nicer colour, they are less susceptible to aphids or spider mites and they spread a different odour. Sometimes they are so different in shape that bees can’t even reach their nectar and stamens. You already feel it; the qualities so valued by man are sometimes simply less appreciated by insects and even smaller animals.

It goes even further; much of that all-important animal, flutter and buzzing life disappears if there is too little for them to heal from the cultivated plants. And as always, the bad guys remain. Plagues such as the oak processionary caterpillar could have arisen because their natural (useful) enemies had disappeared. The useful critters and certain bee species have disappeared or become extinct because there were no longer the right plants for them.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

It’s not that you ca n’t create a good ecosystem in your garden with normal (the cultivated) plants. That’s possible. You just have to make sure you choose good varieties that create a good cycle. Plants that have the right attraction for birds, bees, butterflies and all kinds of other beneficial insects. In practice, these types of plants are often referred to as ‘host plants’. Sometimes you also read it on the herbivore. In addition to choosing the right plant, you also have to keep an eye on the soil life. Good permeability and airiness always ensure more life.

It is good to know that wild and heme plants are often simply better than cultivated varieties that require a lot of care. After all, wild plants are not literally wild, but have their own qualities that can really come into their own in your garden. Building a cycle (ecosystem) is therefore possible with wild, native and ‘normal’ plants, but it can also be a combination. If everyone would only think about it, our world would become a lot more beautiful and healthier.

Fortunately, there are also parties that can help with your search. Appeltern Garden experts can advise you about the soil and the right plant choices. A border plan tailored to your garden is also part of this. Our product partners Lageijzer and Cruydt-Hoeck cultivate ‘normal’ and wild plants. Cruydt-Hoeck even puts together wild flower mixtures tailored to your garden!

WILD PLANTS

Yarrow	Achillea millefolium
Wild Bertram	Achillea ptarmica
Creeping sage green	Ajuga reptans
lady’s mantle	Alchemilla vulgaris
Chives	Allium schoenoprasum
Marshmallows, High Mallow, Pintail Root, Tooth Root, White Malva	Althaea officinalis
big angelica	Angelica archangelica
marram grass	Ammophila arenaria
Ordinary Ox tongue	Anchusa officinalis
Big Angelica	Angelica archangelica
Ordinary Fragrance Grass	Anthoxanthum odoratum
wound clover	Anthyllis vulneraria
Columbine	Aquilegia vulgaris
mugwort	Artemisia vulgaris
Tongue fern	Asplenium scolopendrium
saxifrage fern	Asplenium trichomanes
female fern	Athyrium filix-femina
Real Ballote	ballota nigra
Just Barbara herb	barbarea vulgaris
double haul	Blechnum spicy
Beavers, vibrating grass	briza media
clew clock	Campanula glomerata
meadow bell	Campanula patula
Field bell, Bellflower	Campanula rapunculoides
Rapunzel clock	Campanula rapunculus
harebell	Campanula rotundifolia
rough bell	Campanula trachelium
Pentecost flower	Cardamine talking sis
finger sedge	Carex digitata
Hanging Sedge	carex pendula
Just Knapweed	Centaurea jacea
great centaury	Centaurea scabiosa
Brush wreath	Clinopodium vulgare
Lily of the Valley	Convallaria majalis
wall snapdragon	Cymbalaria muralis
Raw Smele	Deschampsia cespitosa
Winding Smel	Deschampsia flexuosa
Carthusian carnation	Dianthus carthusianorum
stone carnation	Dianthus deltoides
Carnation	Dianthus superbus
Just foxglove, pipe head, doll shoe	Digitalis purpurea
Large Sand cabbage	Diplotaxis tenuifolia
teasel	Dipsacus fullonum
heart leaf sunflower	Doronicum pardalianches
male fern	Dryopteris filix-mas
heart leaf sunflower	Doronicum pardalianches
Nodding Fireweed	Epilobium angustifolium
spurge	Euphorbia cyparissias
giant grass	Festuca gigantea
Fescue Grass, Sheep Grass	Festuca ovina
celeriac
Large Wild Strawberry	Fragaria moschata
wild strawberry	Fragaria vesca
sweet woodruff
Yellow Walstraw	galium verum
dark cranesbill	Geranium phaeum
Cranesbill	Geranium pratense
Cranesbill	Geranium sanguineum
Nodding Avens
Yellow Avens	Geum urbanum
damask flower	Hesperis matronalis
hawkweed	Hieracium aurantiacum
Crooked Hawkweed	Hieracium malculatum “Leopard”
mouse ear	Hieracium pilosella
St. John’s wort	Hypericum perforate
Yellow Lis	Iris pseudacorus
We the	Isatis tinctoria
Beemdkrone	Knautia arvensis
Yellow Dead Nettle	Lamiastrum galeobdolon
heart strain	Leonurus cardiaca
Ordinary Daisy	Leucanthemum vulgare
flax beak	Linaria vulgaris
scroll clover	Lotus corniculatus
Judas coin	Lunaria annua
Wild Judas Medal	Lunaria rediviva
white field rush	Luzula luzuloides
hairy field rush	Luzula pilosa
large field rush	Luzula sylvatica
big reunion	Lysimachia vulgaris
Real cuckoo flower	Lychnis flos-cuculi
pennywort	Lysimachia Nummularia
Great Redhead	Lysimachia vulgaris
big cat’s tail	Lythrum salicaria
Five-part mallow	Malva alcea
mallow
large mallow	Malva sylvestris
penny	Mentha pulegium
Pipestraw	Molinia caerulea
cat thorn	Ononis spinosa
road thistle	Onopordum nervosum
Wild Marjoram	Origanum vulgare
Wild Marjoram	Origanum vulgare wilform
royal fern	Osmunda regalis
Knotweed	Persicaria bistorta
Big Butterbur	Petasites hybridus
Little Bevernel	Pimpinella saxifrage
Rough Plantain	Plantago media
Ordinary Solomon’s Seal	Polygonatum multiflorum
Common Oak Fern	Polypodium vulgare
Felt Ganzerik	Potentilla argentea
Slim Primrose	Primula elatior
Golden Primrose	Primula veris
Ordinary Brunel, Bijenkorfje	Prunella vulgaris
wild man’s herb	Pulsatilla vulgaris
Immaculate Lungwort	Pulmonaria obscura
hedgehog buttercup	Ranunculus flammula
Wild Reseda	Reseda lutea
Sorrel	Rumex acetosa
rue	Ruta graveolens
field sage	salvia pratensis
Clary Sage, Clary Sage	salvia sclarea
sage	Salvia verticillata
pimpernel	Sanguisorba minor
soapwort	Saponaria officinalis
pigeon herb
Blue Skullcap	Scutellaria galericulata
Variegated Crownwort	Securigera miscellaneous
white stonecrop
Tripmadam, spiced	Sedum refelxum
Saw blade	Serratula tinctoria
Besanjelier	Silene Baccifera
Fork Silene	Silene dichotoma
day cuckoo flower	Silene dioica
Real cuckoo flower	Silene flos-cuculi
Night Silene	Silene Nutans
bladder silene	Silene vulgaris
Real Goldenrod	Solidago virgaurea
concrete	Stachys officinalis
Blue Button	Succisa pratensis
tansy	Tanacetum vulgare
Real Gamer	Teucrium chamaedrys
False Sage	Teucrium scorodonia
Small Diamond	Thalictrum minus
Coltsfoot	Tussilago farfara
Valerian	Valeriana officinalis
Torch, stalk candle	Verbascum densiflorum
Black Torch	Verbascum nigrum
royal candle	Verbascum thapsus
Iron-hard	verbena officinalis
Speedwell, Broad Speedwell	Veronica austriaca teucrium
Speedwell	Veronica longifolia
Male prize	Veronica officinalis
Lesser Periwinkle	Vinca minor
dog violet	Viola canina
March Violet	Viola odorata

MORE AND MORE DEMAND FOR WILD AND NATIVE PLANTS!

Because more and more gardeners, designers and gardeners are discovering the added value of the original perennial varieties, growers are growing more and more of those varieties and offering them for sale. This concerns the smell, the colour, the vigor, but also their effect on the beneficial insects. With more wild and (in) heme (se) plants, a better ecosystem is created where diseases and pests have less chance. There are hundreds of varieties, here’s a suggestion from the Lageijzer assortment.