how to plant a wildflower garden

This guide on how to plant a wildflower garden can be helpful especially for beginners. Many people are under the illusion that planting wildflowers is super easy since the flowers do well on their own in the wild. However, as soon as they get an ugly patch of weeds in their yard, they realize it’s not as easy as they assumed.

How To Plant A Wildflower Garden from Seed?

Growing a wildflower garden is easier than growing other types of flower gardens. However, you need to be equipped with the right information to get the desired results. Anyone can grow a beautiful bed of flowers.

People choosing to grow wildflowers are often seeking for among other reasons to grow flowers for pollinators or get beautiful flowers with minimal efforts.

Growing beautiful wildflower beds doesn’t have to be all about luck. If you want consistent results then need to be armed with tried and tested information.

After growing your first gorgeous wildflower bed, you will be excited to replicate the results elsewhere as well as try different flower types.

Some of my favorite wildflowers to plant include lupine, daisies, and poppy (check this post on how to grow poppy flowers complete guide).

Best Wildflower Garden Location

One of the important things when learning how to plant a wildflower garden is selecting the location. Although there are wildflowers that can be grown in almost all locations, different types will do well in certain conditions.

Most of the types tend to do well in areas where they receive at least 6-8 hours of bright sunlight every day. Some people have found success when planting wildflowers in partial shade. If this is the only space you have you can try it out but if you have a brighter area always give it a shot first.

Soil

Wildflowers are not super specific when it comes to soil types. However, for best results, ensure the soil is well-draining. The soil should also be rich in nutrients that will support the growth of your flowers.

The flowers don’t do well in areas with clumped and hard-packed soil. This type of soil prevents the roots from growing and the plant getting established properly.

Some people also make the mistake of establishing wildflowers in consistently wet areas. The hope is that since they cannot do anything much with the place, they can establish flowers. In most cases, the flowers don’t do well because they don’t like to sit in water.

Weed Control Wildflowers

If you have a patch where you are struggling with weeds, you can establish wildflowers as a way of controlling the weeds. However, weeds and wildflowers are fierce competitors and whoever got the first start grows fast and suppresses the other.

They both require adequate sunlight to grow. When either matures faster than the other one, it covers it up and prevents it from getting enough light.

Use this information to benefit you. Get rid of weeds and in the process get beautiful flowers that you can enjoy as they grow in the garden or as cut flowers.

How To Make A Wildflower Bed?

The first thing is to ensure that your bed is free of any weeds.  The easiest way to do this is to remove all the vegetation from the location where you want to establish the flower seeds. The next step is to till or rake the soil in preparation for planting.

Raking or tiling the soil for just an inch or less is recommended when planting wildflower seeds. Raking or tiling deeper that one inch is not necessary for two reasons.

One, the wildflower seeds do well when planted less than an inch deep. Two, tilling deep will bring any dormant weed seeds closer to the surface where they can germinate easily. Before you get rid of any weeds, it’s advisable to spray them with a broad spectrum weed killer.

The weed killer will destroy the weeds not only by drying the leaves but the roots as well.

For best results, spray the weed killer at least 3 days before pulling them off. This will have given the weeds sufficient time to die off. If the area where you intend to establish your wildflower bed has too many weeds, you can work it and let it sit for about six days before working it a second time.

The weed seeds will germinate and when you work it the second time you will kill all the weeds. Sometimes, just a simple weed removal is enough especially if the area doesn’t have a lot of weeds.

When growing wildflowers, you don’t have to make too much effort like you would with other flower types. You can get away with doing the bare minimum.

For example, you don’t have to create raised flower beds. Leaving the area flat is good enough. You also don’t have to worry too much about other factors such as if the area has too much traffic. You can grow beautiful flowers next to the sidewalk.

It is also important to get your wildflower bed ready in time. If your wildflower bed is ready for planting at the right time, you will get your seeds established and growing in time. This will allow them to grow and beat the weeds.

how to plant a wildflower garden diy ideas

Best Time To Plant Wildflowers

When learning how to plant a wildflower garden you must plant in time. The best time to plant wildflower seeds depends on your zone. The best time for people who are located in zones 1- 6 is during spring. For people who are located in zones 7-11, the best time is often in the fall.

For best results and an increased rate of success, establish the seeds in warm soil. Most wildflower seeds do well when planted at between 68-70 degrees Fare height.

This is why people who live in colder regions should wait to plant in the spring. Planting the seeds when the temperatures are lower than 45 degrees will hinder their germination.

This is also a disadvantage because most of the weeds will germinate and dominate any flower seeds that manage to germinate. Selecting the best time to plant your seeds is an important decision and can make the difference between getting a beautiful wildflower bed and a weed patch.

Planting Wildflower Seeds

Wildflower seeds are often tiny. Planting them is different compared to planting other flower seeds. The best method for distributing them is using a handheld broadcast spreader.

I don’t have the machine, so I just use my hands and make sure that I mimic the same motion and technique. Because the seeds are tiny, mix them with dry sand, soil, or vermiculite to allow for easy dispersal. Mixing the seeds with another material helps disperse them evenly.

The best way to spread the seeds is by walking in straight lines from one side of the flower bed to the other end of the bed. Repeat the same process over and over until you have covered the whole area.

Following a specific pattern will help you get an even distribution. Mixing the seeds with a filler material will give you plenty of volumes to spread.

Don’t underestimate this step because if you mess things here you will end up with some patches that don’t have seeds. You will not know about missed areas until the seeds have germinated.

After planting the seeds, water them immediately. Keep the area moist to allow the seeds to germinate. after the flowers are established, water them regularly just like you would all other types of flowers.   

Buying Wildflower Seeds

When buying wildflower seeds, check the details and descriptions provided by the seller. Most sellers provide useful information such as the germination percentage, the types, and varieties of flowers you are buying.

The sellers also tell you the ideal temperature which will help you determine the best time to plant. many sellers also provide information on how many seeds are in the pack and how much of the seeds are needed to cover the specific area.

Different wildflower seeds have different germination periods that range from as low as 6 days to as high as 28 days. I have found great success with mixing different wildflower types.

Some sellers also sell mixed flower seeds or at least suggest different flowers that you can plant in the same area. I love mixing seeds because it produces wildflowers that look more natural.

Final Thoughts

Planting a wildflower garden is awesome. It can be done by anyone with some open space and is wondering what to do with it. There are so many types of seeds you can choose from and experiment with.

I hope you found this post on how to plant a wildflower garden helpful. If so, please share it and follow me on Pinterest. Also, join my Facebook group and share your awesome houseplant and flower pics.

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