If you think that planting wildflowers is about as sensible as planting weeds, you could be in for a pleasant surprise.
Now, I will agree that at first it might seem strange to consider deliberately planting something that by its very definition is "wild" or uncultivated. However, I believe that the sight of an area of wildflowers as part of your landscape could convince you that there is nothing strange at all about the idea.
You can plant your wildflower garden in late winter/early spring in most zones, or choose to wait until fall. If you're planning to plant in spring, it will soon be necessary to start preparing the soil. Yes, this part of the process does involve a bit of work, but I promise you that the results will be worth the effort!
Job number one is to rid the area of weeds. This really is worth doing thoroughly or your delicate wildflowers will be choked out by the weeds by late spring or early summer. To start, mow the area close to the ground. If you live in a hot climate, you can then use a technique called "solarizing", in which you cover the ground with layers of plastic sheeting and allow the sun's heat to penetrate the plastic and "burn" the weed seeds. You then remove the plastic and turn the soil over with a cultivator. In cooler climates, it will be necessary to rotary-till the soil several times over a period of a few weeks.
Whichever method you use, you will need to allow sufficient time (up to 6 weeks) for any remaining weeds to slick their heads above the surface before you plant your wildflowers. There is an article posted at my website that gives a more comprehensive description of soil preparation for a wildflower garden. Go to www.landsteward.org and look for an article titled: "How To Establish A Wildflower Meadow".
Once the soil is a weed-free zone, you will need to spread about one or two inches of compost, moisten it slightly and fork or rotary-till it into the top six inches or so of soil. And yes, despite your best efforts, there might still be some weed seeds in there, so it wouldn't hurt to wait another week before you start sowing.
As for the seeds you select, it's worth investing in a premium blend considering all the time and effort you put into preparing the soil. Amazingly, you'll find that there are around one million seeds in a good quality bag intended to cover about 2,500 square feel for about $25.00 or less. If you go to my website, then click on "The Plant Man" you'll find this article, and you'll be able to click on more information about wildflower seeds.
The actual seeds are quite easy to plant. You can use a drill seeder for seeds that are sized around one-eighth of an inch or so. You can also simply rake them into the prepared soil. Here's a useful tip for planting very small (dust-like) seeds: Mix about 1 part seeds and 3 parts fine moistened sand, then broadcast the mixture using a hand-held or cyclone seeder. Another tip: Sow half the seeds in one direction, then turn 45 degrees and sow the rest of the seeds. This will give you a more uniform coverage. For best results, I suggest that you don't rake the soil over the very small seeds. Instead, use a roller to get some good, firm contact between the seeds and the soil.
Be sure to moisten the seed bed, then apply a couple of inches of water each week once the seeds germinate until they seem strong enough to survive without much help from you.
There is a very helpful article about sowing and caring for a wildflower garden prepared by Iowa State University that you can find by going to http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/ and searching for "wildflower". Again, there is a direct link from this column under "The Plant Man" at my website.
Many wildflowers have been given beautiful and evocative names! Some of my favorites: Bachelor Button, California Sunshine, Mexican Hat, Purple Prairie Coneflower, Baby Blue Eyes, Evening Primrose and Clasping Coneflower. And yes, I even like the name Tic Seed Coreopsis!
Yes, as you can see, there will be some initial work in preparing for your wildflower garden. But once it is established, it becomes fairly "low maintenance" and should provide many years of pleasure with just a little ongoing TLC.
The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.org often.
To Purchase Wildflower seed mixes.
