Flower aficionado Paul
Ames is no pansy: Gathering wildflower seeds under a Utah sun is
hot, back-breaking work. Besides, he dislikes the pansy. It and all
exotic flowers, he believes, are pampered intruders that drink too
much water and don’t belong in a desert
state.
For the past three years, Ames has been a
champion of native wildflowers. Combing meadows in the East Tintic
mountains, he harvests the seeds and bulbs of more than 40 species,
then sells them at the Pioneer Park farmers’ market in Salt Lake
City.
The native Utahn hopes to convince others
that gardening with endemic flowers, such as buckwheat and sego
lilies, saves water. Buckwheat, for example, requires no water all
summer, Ames says, and it produces continuous blooms that vary from
yellow to burgundy. And now is the time to get the seeds and bulbs
in the ground, he says.
Water-hogging exotics
aren’t Ames’ chief concern, though; it’s Utah’s enthusiasm for
off-road driving and development. Says the former Forest Service
employee, “I wish I could buy the land and preserve it, but I’m
just one guy.”
To purchase seeds, priced between
$1 and $6 per package, write to Paul Ames, P.O. Box 355, Eureka UT
84628, or call him at 435/433-6924. For more information on Utah’s
native plants, visit the Utah Native Plant Society at www.unps.org.
Copyright © 2001 HCN and Rachel
Jackson
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Utah’s flower child.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
