A recent trend in gardening is the use of natural wildflowers in landscaping.
Long considered weeds and nuisances, wildflowers are now a popular alternative to more formal landscape plantings.
A popular misconception is that all that is needed for a wildflower garden is seeds tossed on the ground. Nothing, not even wild flowers, is that easy.
Wildflower seeds are available at many commercial nurseries in cans or pre-seeded carpets.
The key to a successful wildflower garden is in the preparation. It is best to prepare your beds in the late fall. First, remove sod and any weeds from the area and till the soil to a depth of about three inches. Dispose the dead vegetation and rake the beds. Plant your seeds early in the spring.
Wildflowers will be okay if there is a frost before they germinate. The most important thing is to make sure there are no undesirable weeds to choke their roots.
Water the area thoroughly after seeding and any time the soil appears dry until germination starts. Continue watering as needed.
Once established, wildflowers require little maintenance. They will self seed and annuals will grow back in the spring. In the fall after the blooms have died, cut them back to four to six inches.
A lawn mower may be used on its highest setting but don’t remove the seed heads from the beds. If there are bare spots, you can over seed.
Do some research to determine which wildflowers are native to your area and plant accordingly. Everyone can enjoy a lovely, environmentally friendly garden.
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