Foolproof Wildflower Gardening...in 6 Easy Steps
What you may not know about wildflower gardening, but should…
Spring has barely arrived and I’m already thinking about summer. I am, admittedly, impatient. I want blossoms, and I want them now!
So, while I’m waiting for summer, I plant wildflower seeds. With seeds, I can watch them germinate, pop from the surface, and stretch toward the sun. It’s a hopeful strategy and, when done right, it works.
During the past year, I’ve accumulated a lot of wildflower seeds. Native poppies and columbine dominate, along with packets of aster, coreopsis, gaillardia, and the non-native but none-the-less pollinator-pleasing nigella and lavender. Selecting native plants helps ensure pollinators and other beneficial insects will have food and habitat. It also reduces the chance of accidentally introducing invasive species that may outcompete pollinators’ local food sources.
Now that spring is here, it’s time to add these wildflower seeds to our flower gardens.
Step-by-Step Wildflower Gardening
Starting wildflowers from seed isn’t like growing veggies. Both like sunny, well-drained locations but, beyond that, there are some surprising differences.
Little-known tips from horticulturists at Oregon State University:
· Water the area for about a month to make the weeds sprout.
· Pull weeds by hand, till shallowly, or use a non-selective herbicide. Deep tilling just brings more weed seeds to the surface!
· Loosen the top two to four inches of soil.
· Adding compost provides nutrients and improves soil texture, water retention, AND drainage!
· Use a hand seed spreader to uniformly broadcast commercial wildflower mixes.
· DON’T cover wildflower seeds. Unlike veggies, they need light to germinate.
A cautionary tale: Simply broadcasting seeds onto scrapped soil doesn’t work well, and scattering seeds in grassy areas hasn’t worked at all. We’ve tried both methods in various locations. The only thing that grew were daisies, and I suspect they were already there!
My Quick & Easy Wildflower Garden
I hate weeding, and I’m not willing to tear up my yard again for another garden area (at least, not yet). So this year, I’m trying something different.
This year, my wildflower garden will be in window boxes.
My theory is that if I add rich soil and compost, I can minimize weeds. By planting in window boxes, I can position them in high traffic areas without fear the flowers will be trampled or (like last year) mowed before they can flower. And, the window boxes are fairly small and lightweight, so I can move them to better, safer, locations if needed.
It’s foolproof. Right?
If my approach works – and I think it will – I can track what bloomed and when, and adjust my strategy for next year. Maybe then I’ll even plant them in an actual garden!
Happy Gardening!
Thanks reading Where the Asphalt Ends! I write about gardening and country life — they’re intertwined, after all — and try to include tips that anyone can use, wherever they live.
If you like this, please subscribe. It’s free.