After a winter thaw/flood quite a while ago, the 25' or so of lawn and shrubs bordering the creek that runs through our lot was destroyed, and we were left with almost 10,000 sq feet of exposed, aluvial clay. When the weather was wet, the water didn't drain off -- puddles stood for days. On dry spells, the clay turned to hardpack, scoured by the wind, the air filled with dust. Nothing would grow on it or in it -- and our financial resources were such that we couldn't throw money at it. The next spring, we stuck hundreds of willow sticks into the mud,took rakes and scratched the surface in as many spots as possible. We strew vetch and clover seed, together with annual rye and crossed our fingers. And blessed be -- some of it sprouted. Little skimpy plants, most of which bloomed in June and died during the August drought, leaving little tussocks of dead flora. But the following spring, the field was graced with much more vetch, much more clover, daisies, brown-eyed susans, black raspberry bushes and these clumps of long grass that the birds must have brought. Every year since then, the "meadow" has improved, and is providing more and more diversity in the wild flowers and grasses that have made this new meadow home. And meadow it shall remain, bordered on the stream edge by a thick willow "hedge" (providing several nesting sites for birds this spring). A wide swathe of Jerusalem artichoke, day lilies, tansy, bee balm and other so-called invasives hide the straggly old fence that keeps the deer out of the veggies. We don't manage or mow our new meadow. We continue spreading the weeding debris from the veggie garden to compost and add character to the soil -- which is certainly does -- including a neat patch of goosefoot and some garden cress, which add variety to our table. Our veggie garden, by the way, is box beds on top of several inches of gravel on top of that hard pack. I know I have drifted away from the subject, but the meadow and the swathe were planted pretty much into that clay, with only some sand and composted manure to loosen the soil around the artichokes and daylilies when they were originally planted.

Woodstea, perhaps they have an affinity for each other? Thank you to everyone who answered. I also found an art poster online that features the same combination. Here is a link that might be useful: wild carrot and chicory

luckygal, chicory is a wild flower here. It grows along the roadsides and in the fields, anywhere where it is hot and dry. I tend it, but the county mows it down. This year they are late to mow and it is up and down my road in both directions, along with Queen Anne's lace. This patch around the mail and paper boxes has been here for years. I have to keep it trimmed back so that it doesn't block the entrances to the boxes! or I'll get a note from the Rural carriers. :) I have it in the orchard here and there, but when I first moved here the entire orchard (still with Uncle's heirloom apple trees) was a sea of blue chicory. I'll never forget it. It spreads by seed and root, the roots being very deep so it's hard to pull up or transplant. I've read that the ground up root was a substitute for coffee during the Civil War and people developed a taste for it so it continues to be used as such in many areas.

We have the blue and the occasional white up and down our roads. There is a clump of blue that grows in front of my mailbox and has been there for decades? Well, I know it's been there a very long time. I enjoy it very much, keep it trimmed back so the mail truck doesn't get tangled in it but at the same time let it be itself. I think it prefers not to be fussed with. I also tried transplanting a white one but it wouldn't grow. I cut the plants back to the ground in the Fall. When I first moved into my home, the orchard was a "sea" of blue chicory. I'll never forget it. The orchard hadn't been mowed in a long while so Queen Anne's Lace was rampant too. Now that the area has been some what tamed, I only have a sprinkling of chicory down there and virtually no QA Lace.