Wildflowers: Perfect for Fall Planting!

Gardeners, do you have the late summer blahs? Possibly your fading flowers are starting to depress you. Just when your fingers are itching to plant something, winter is coming! Cheer up! Wildflowers present a colorful and fun opportunity for planting in autumn.

After all, Nature itself does a great deal of its own planting in the fall, when the blooming flowers are shedding their seeds onto the earth.

If you plant in the fall, your flowers will start blooming early in the spring and you'll be the envy of all your neighbors who waited to plant until after winter!

What to Get:
Red poppies and cornflowers are two wildflower favorites for fall planting, as they are tough plants no matter what the weather. Otherwise, a mix of perennials is usually a prudent choice.

A colorful perennial mix can differ according to your location, but often contains such beauties as asters, coneflowers, foxglove, cosmos, poppies, and delphiniums. You may want to check with your nursery or seed company if you are seeking specifications as to height, color, and other details.

You will probably want to measure the footage of your planting area in order to get the right amount of seed. Please see the supporting links provided with this article for additional wildflower details for your region.

Where and When:
If there is an early fall frost in your area, then of course you will have to wait until after the frost. Plant before the heaviest rain season begins. You will want to plant when the weather is not too breezy to avoid scattering.

Try to choose a sunny spot for your wildflowers. It will be best if they are planted in the most natural appearing location you can find. If there is a wooded area on your property, all the better. You can plant them as a border between your lawn and other areas of the property, if such a space is available.

Prepare the Soil:
Before planting the wildflower seeds, you'll need to clear the ground of other growth. If you're using a large area, you might want to use a rototiller, otherwise, probably simply digging and turning with a shovel will do. You want to dig into fairly shallow ground so you don't bring up old weed seed to the surface of the soil. The goal is just to get rid of the old grasses or plants that were there previously.

Wildflowers are generally hearty, since they grow naturally in many kinds of environments. Therefore, most soils do not require a great deal of preparation. However, if your location contains a lot of clay, you may want to fertilize with a low-nitrogen fertilizer and/or work in some sand.

Never use high nitrogen fertilizer in your wildflower garden, because it will encourage growth in the grasses. It's okay if some grass starts to regrow in your garden, but you don't want high grass growth hiding your beautiful new flowers!

How to Plant:
Wildflowers are planted rather casually. Light sand -- not beach sand -- can be a great assistance when you're spreading your wildflower seed.

You will begin with your soil loose and bare of other plant growth after turning.

Separate your seeds into two groups. Put one half of the seeds into a clean bucket or coffee can. Then measure about ten parts of sand to one part of seed. The sand's light color will contrast with your soil so that you can see where you are putting the seed. Sow this half of your seeds as evenly as possible across your soil by hand. Then you can mix the second half of your sand with the rest of the seed and spread it. You may of course use a mechnical seeder if you have a large area to cover with your mixture. Because the first half of your seed was spread evenly, you will not need to be as careful with the second half. Even when they are spread somewhat randomly, you won't need to worry about bare spots.

After Your Seeds Are Planted:
There are some wildflower seeds which will need light to reach them to promote their growth. Therefore, you don't want to completely cover your seeds with soil after they're sown. If your garden is small, you can just walk over the area entirely to compress the seeds. In a large site, most gardeners use a lawn roller.

While your seedlings grow, they will need light moisture only, for 4-6 weeks. Misting or light sprinkling works fine. Birds will get some of the seeds, but don't overly concern yourself with them. You will be fighting a losing battle and if you've planted enough seeds, birds aren't going to get enough of them to devastate your garden.

Wildflower gardens are not high maintenance once the plants are established. Check your garden for weeds -- you can tell them from the flower plants because they tend to grow exceptionally fast and in clumplike areas. If you have planted a large wildflower garden, and wish to keep it year-to-year, you will want to mow it once a year in late fall. Then it will grow back looking fresh and new the next spring.

A garden of wildflowers is one of the most lush and beautiful, as well as one of the easiest to maintain. So why not plant your beautiful fall garden and cure your gardener's depression this autumn?