Managing Your Wildflowers

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Wildflowers are an ever-changing display of nature’s most beautiful flowers participating in the inevitable cycle of the seasons.

During the first year, the annuals in the mixture offer a spectacular display of colors, along with green growth of the biennials and perennials. Many of the annuals will reseed and bloom the second year, if allowed to form seed heads before mowing or trimming.

SEEDING:

• Prepare soil by removing all existing vegetation. A sod cutter works well to remove existing lawn.
• Rototill soil to a depth of 3″ or scratch up the surface with a hard-rake.
• Eliminate weed seeds from the top 1″ of soil by watering during the growing season and removing seedlings. Do not till again before seeding.
• Spread your seeds at roughly 1 ounce per 250 square feet (1 pound per 4000 square feet)
• Keep newly seeded area consistently moist for 4 to 6 weeks. About a 1/2 inch of water per week thereafter may be needed during the growing season to insure maximum bloom time.
• Eliminate weeds monthly or when they appear by hand pulling or string trimming.

Follow these management techniques for a rewarding wildflower planting:

SPRING: Evaluate the planting. Check to see if plants are reestablishing. If not, overseed bare areas. If you favor the vibrant, longlasting color of the annuals, overseeding in early spring will insure that they come back to flower that season. Heavy infestations of grass or broadleaf weeds may require eliminating vegetation, and as many weed seeds as possible, before reseeding. If the soil is sandy or simply not very fertile, an application of fertilizer at this time will help form strong plants.

FALL: Mow or string trim the entire area down to a height of 6″ to 8″ after flowering has finished. Remove clippings of overly aggressive species, if desired, to minimize their reseeding. Leave the remaining clippings on the ground until mid February to allow them to drop their seeds, then remove them to allow for spring growth.

To maintain vibrant, colorful wildflowers, regular maintenance is essential. Watering to help seedlings develop a good root system, weeding out invasive and unwanted plants, and yearly mowing are all highly reccomended.

When the work is done, sit back and enjoy your flowers!