46. THE SECRET LIFE OF FLOWERS

I will never forget the day, in botany class at the University of Hawaii, when I realized that flowers were about one thing only—sex. I smiled to myself as the professor explained it all, and I thought, “Why, you little hussies!” After class, I walked through the campus and looked at every alluring flower with a new perspective.

The pollination ecologist Stephen Buchmann described it perfectly when he wrote, “flowers are literally living scented billboards that are advertising for sexual favors, whether those are from bees, flies, beetles, butterflies or us.”

Flowers are simply asking to be pollinated in a most fabulous way. How clever. They dress up in all colors and shapes and release their perfume to attract the bees, butterflies, moths, and more. These flying pollinators, in turn, go for the sweet nectar within the flower and are then covered in pollen. They fly to the next flower, inadvertently spreading pollen as they go, which eventually leads to fruit and seeds.

Flowers, in fact, have developed sophisticated ways to attract pollinators beyond color, scent, and form. Recently, scientists have discovered that beach evening primrose (Oenothera drummondii) flowers can “hear” approaching bees and quickly make their nectar sweeter in response to the sound. Within three minutes of exposure to recordings of bees buzzing, sugar concentration in the plants increased from between 12 and 17 percent to 20 percent! The scientists theorize that bowl-shaped blossoms (such as those of beach evening primrose) act as a floral “satellite dish” that are eminently suitable for receiving and amplifying sound waves.

Flowers’ colorful and fragrant “come hither” efforts are key to our survival. We depend on the secret life of flowers and their pollinators. Let’s keep them all healthy and not do any harm to them.

Bees have less-than-perfect eyesight, so they see flowers only when they get reasonably close. This may be why scent is so useful to bees. Roses emit a marvelous fragrance to attract these bees.

The silvery, lacy foliage of dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima) makes a bright companion to purple summer snapdragon (Angelonia) and ‘Titan Icy Pink’ annual vinca. Dusty miller is fairly drought tolerant and is easy to grow. It is often grown as an annual but is hardy in zones 7–10. These three plants make a tough, heat-loving, deer-resistant flower combo.

‘Silver Brocade’ wormwood (Artemisia stelleriana ‘Silver Brocade’) has bright silvery white, deeply divided scalloped leaves. I planted this low, mounded plant next to the dainty lavender-blue flowers of the tender perennial laurentia (Isotoma axillaris). The pink-and-white blooms of ‘Floral Lace’ Violet Picotee dianthus (Dianthus chinensis × barbatus) add to the soft colors. Clip back ‘Silver Brocade’ hard in midsummer, when the stems begin to grow upright, in order to maintain a ground cover–like effect.

Got shade? Try the silvery ‘Jack Frost’ Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’), or one of the other similar cultivars. The frosty, heart-shaped leaves with elaborate green veins don’t mind half-sun conditions. This perennial grows to 12 inches tall and is topped in spring by clusters of small blue flowers, similar in look to forget-me-nots. Shown here with purple pansies. A stunning combination in a May and June garden. Zones 3–7.

‘Fragrant Delight’ heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens ‘Fragrant Delight’), an easy-to-grow annual flower, is known for its intoxicating cherry-pie scent. The purple flowers and foliage with a silvery cast make a compelling silver-and-purple mix. Shown here with fuzzy foxtail fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myersii’) in the background.