In addition to growing flowers specifically for drying, one thing I do regularly throughout the season is forage around our property looking for interesting plants that might work in future wedding creations. Dried flower design is about more than just the flowers themselves — I’m always paying attention to textures, grasses, seed heads, branching stems, and anything else growing naturally that could add movement or interest to arrangements. Before harvesting something new though, I try to learn what it is, whether it dries well, and whether it makes sense environmentally to include it.
This week, I found myself looking more closely at a flower we have growing in a few large patches on the farm: Dame’s rocket.
You’ve probably seen it before even if you didn’t know the name. Around this time of year it creates large masses of pink and purple flowers along roadsides, woodland edges, and disturbed areas. At first glance, it looks very similar to phlox, which is what I originally assumed it was, but there’s one easy way to tell them apart — Dame’s rocket has four petals per flower, while phlox has five.
Since the colour and airy shape seemed promising, I started researching whether it could be useful as a dried flower.
Instead, I learned that Dame’s rocket is considered invasive in Ontario. That explained something I had already been noticing while walking those areas of the farm. Even though the patches look impressive in bloom, they didn’t seem especially active with pollinators compared with other flowering areas. I wasn’t seeing the same concentration of bumble bees and insect activity that I notice in places with different flowers. I guess they prefer native plants instead.
From a drying perspective, Dame’s rocket doesn’t seem like a particularly good choice anyway. Flowers that dry well tend to have papery petals or structures that hold their shape after moisture leaves the plant. Dame’s rocket has very fleshy petals and likely wouldn't dry very nicely. Since the goal with dried flowers is to create something long-lasting and beautiful, it doesn’t seem worth harvesting.
One thing I’ve been learning more about through these little foraging projects is that not everything growing naturally on the farm is actually native — and native doesn’t mean the same thing as naturalized.
Native plants originated here and evolved alongside local ecosystems. Naturalized plants were introduced from somewhere else but now grow successfully without human help and are considered established in the landscape. Some naturalized species can still provide value to pollinators and aren’t necessarily invasive.
A few examples surprised me. White clover, which is covered in bees all summer on the farm, is not native to Ontario and originally came from Europe. Dandelions are another example — so common that most of us assume they’ve always been here. Queen Anne’s lace and chicory are also introduced species that have become naturalized.
At the same time, there are many native plants that are excellent for supporting butterflies and bumble bees. Wild bergamot, swamp milkweed, asters, goldenrod, black-eyed Susan, and native willow species are all valuable food sources for pollinators at different times of year. Milkweed in particular is well known for supporting monarch butterflies.
I still love walking the property looking for inspiration, but this week was a good reminder that not every beautiful flower belongs in a dried bouquet. Sometimes the most useful discovery isn’t a new ingredient for arrangements — it’s learning more about what’s already growing here and making better decisions because of it.
