A gardener inspired Redditors after sharing gorgeous photos of their experiment with flowers that can be challenging to grow.
Located in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, the gardener has spent the past three years growing Castillejas, also known as paintbrushes.
"Touted as 'difficult' to grow, I've had some great success starting them in pots and using a variety of host plants," wrote the Redditor who shared the post.
Last fall, the gardener added five more species of Castilleja to their winter sowing. They also decided to sow a Castilleja species in almost every pot of native plant seeds.
According to the gardener, the Canadian Rockies are home to numerous species and variants of paintbrushes. However, they have had success growing red paintbrushes.
Redditors were stunned after seeing the vibrant blooms budding.
"Wow that's incredible," wrote one user. "Thanks for sharing."
"BC is pretty magical, and the alpine is a botanist's heaven," responded the gardener.
Growing native plants in your yard is an incredibly rewarding experience. Once your plants start to bloom, your lawn will not only be more colorful but will also be filled with more wildlife.
🗣️ Which of these benefits is your biggest motivation in gardening?
🔘 Getting outside more 🌱
🔘 Growing healthy food 🥕
🔘 Making my yard beautiful 🏡
🔘 I don't garden 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Native plants attract key pollinators, such as butterflies and bees, which are essential in protecting our food supply.
You'll also save time and money on lawn maintenance after switching to a native-plant lawn. Compared to grass lawns, native plants use less water, pesticides, and fertilizers. Since they've adapted to their environment over time, they're also more drought-resistant.
Redditors continued to discuss the gardener's success and were eager to learn more.
"So cool," commented another Redditor. " I wonder if it's more dependent on habitat or host plant."
"Castilleja seem quite adaptable and can handle a wide breadth of habitats with totally different host species," replied the gardener. "Definitely a fun citizen science project!"
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