Natural Awakenings Magazine

Article published October 2006
Wildflowers, anyone?

Local massage therapist, Joanna Booth, has branched out and now produces Florida native wildflower seeds on her farm in Madison, Florida. At Salter Tree and Herb Farm she grows varieties of phlox, blanket flower, coreopsis, black-eyed susans and other flowers. The locally grown seeds are available at Tallahassee Nursery, Crystal Connection, Goodwood, The Museum Shop and Gramling's or through the farm's web site at www.saltertreeandherbfarm.com.

Joanna's father, the late Charles Salter, first opened the nursery in the early '70s and was a pioneer in the beginnings of the native plant industry in Florida. While her father was a tree and shrub grower, Joanna has reopened the nursery and added medicinal and culinary herbs. In 2004 she became interested in wildflower seed production. "My dilemma developed when all my weeds became wildflowers!" laughed Joanna. "So, I adopted the Florida Friendly approach allowing for native plants and wildlife to coexist with the nursery." Specific crops are grown for seed harvest amid nature's diversity. Wildflowers attract butterflies and other insects, which attract birds and other small animals. Some days, the wildflower fields are a riot of color and activity. "I've worked in yard and vegetable gardens, had a bedding plant business, and watched Dad's native nursery for most of my life." said Joanna. "Now, I feel young again working with the wildflowers. I go to work in the fields with a big smile on my face and don't really mind the Florida heat much anymore. Producing seed from Florida's wildflowers makes me feel like I'm doing something that matters."