i wondered too, so i looked it up in "missouri wildflowers"seems they sre Chicory. or " cichorium intybus"dont know if this is what they use for a coffee substitute , or not

yep their chickory.. have then blooming near me on the road side too..
bettyjg

ceresone, yes, it's the same plant. The root of the chicory is roasted and ground.

Darlene

I think that must be it. Thank You! I looked up a picture to post. Kinda pretty for a weed. : )

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1119182}}

You might see something called "ironweed". It has blue blossoms the size of a dime or smaller and can tolerate harsh conditions like ironweed. If you need any-let me know, it's a wildflower that is like a bush and has great blue color.

Hi all,

Look out for asters about now, too. They are blue, have many more (and finer) ray petals than chicory and often have many more flowers overall, giving the plant a bushy appearance. Wild asters are most often white but there are blue varieties as well. I have one blooming in the ditch now.

Chicory close their flowers in bright sunlight. The roots can be dug, roasted and used with, or as coffee. New Orleans is famous for their coffee & chicory blends.

We finally got rain! How sweet it is!

(PS Would this be Christie the soap lady?)

All the best,
Jill

Not me Jill - I buy my soap at Wal-Mart. How do people have time to make their own soap?! lol
The website below shows chicory and New England asters. Is that the same aster you have blooming now? I like this website. It catagorizes wildflowers by color. I'm still seeing little blue flowers along the roadside. They've been blooming since early summer or maybe late spring. I can't remember for sure. They are sometimes very low to the ground but I suspect it's because they've been mowed.

Hi Christie,

I know what you mean about soap! lol Lots of time! I wanted to try it this spring but... all the best plans, etc., etc.... smile

I can't see the link you provided- perhaps you could repost it? Without seeing what you are seeing its hard to say, but other blue flowers that grow in the ditches include wild morning glories (shut during bright sunny days) and asiatic dayflowers.

Hope you are getting this rain!

All the best, Jill

I just forgot to put it on there. duh
sorry

Here is a link that might be useful: blue wildflowers

Yes,chicory..but,as the same as making soap,I'll just look...lol...not going to be making any coffee either.

Hey Christie - nice web site! Thanks for posting it. My old (and I mean OLD) computer fairly chugs along like a snail, so some days I have more patience to browse than others... smile. I will bookmark that one though!!

What?! No soap, no coffee... jees, wish I had more time, I'd do both!! heehee :-)

Hope everyone in Oz is staying warm tonight! Winter's a commin'.

All the best, Jill
livinginoz

Chicory blooms all summer long. It is considered an exotic invasive. Asters mostly bloom in late summer through autumn.

You might also be seeing Cornflowers which seems to be the common name when they are growing in the ditches and fields. I love them. Almost a lavenderblue, or a missouriblue to me heheheh. I know I see them all over the state and think what a lovely little flower to have growing wild all over the state. I grow them in my garden, too, but I use more colors there. Cornflower or Centaurea cyanus is listed in any list of Missouri wildflowers but they don't usually add their other name of Bachelor Buttons. If I knew how, I would add a picture. Maybe someone else with some expertise can help with that.

I have them blooming in my yard and ditch. Pretty ugly when not blooming. They are chicory. I also have some asters in the back in the woods. Got to move them so I can enjoy them. But the chicory is very pretty when it blooms. We sure have some pretty weeds if you look close.

There's wild ageratum and viper buglose blooming in ditches around here right now. I have one lonely chicory plant in the yard but it hasn't bloomed in a couple of years....maybe 'cause I keep mowing it down...ya think?...LOL

PP

Peggy - Try working some limestone, motor oil and asphalt into the soil. They seem to like that. lol The ones I see along the side of the road do get mowed occasionally I think. That seems to be the most common place for them to grow though so maybe they like the conditions in the gravelly shoulder.

Aaaaahhhh....a little S&M with the plant kingdom....LOL

PP