1. Why should I plant a wildflower garden?
A garden of wildflowers offers benefits to both the gardener and the environment. Once established, properly chosen wildflowers require less maintenance than traditional landscape plantings which can mean less watering, fertilizing, pest control, and mowing. Some plants have deep root systems that prevent water runoff and soil erosion and enable them to withstand drought. Their growth also brings earthworms and beneficial soil microorganisms to enhance soil health. And colorful blossoms can be arranged into lovely, casual bouquets that brighten the home.
Flowers provide nectar and pollen sources for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, while ripened seeds are a food source for birds and wildlife. Current research suggests that native plants and flowers might be more attractive to native bees. Even a small area in a garden or landscape planted with wildflowers that bloom at varying times throughout the growing season helps attract and support pollinators.
2. What flowers should I plant so I get flowers for the whole season?
It is highly recommended to plant a wildflower mix from a reputable seed company. This is going to get you the most bang for your buck! When purchasing a wildflower mix, it’s important to know the exact species and the life cycles of the flowers in the mix. Any reputable seed company can help you in this process. When sowing seed, annual flowers are ones that flower and complete their lifecycle in the first/one season. When planting perennials from seed, they will not begin to flower until the second and successive seasons as they need to go through a dormancy period during the winter months once they’ve germinated. This is important to know so you can plan your meadow accordingly and set the proper expectations.
The most popular wildflower mixtures combine both annuals and perennials which will provide first-year color from the annuals (while also helping to suppress weeds and other unwanted growth) and perennials that will begin to flower in the second and successive seasons.
3. How can I keep my flowers blooming all season long?
One important consideration is water. If things dry out for long periods, blooms will be reduced, and with real drought, blooming can actually shut down. Most wildflowers won’t die, they’ll simply “wait for the water” and not bloom. So if it’s very dry, water when you can, even when your meadow is up and blooming.
As expert flower gardeners know, if you cut annual flowers, it forces more bloom. Here’s why. Since an annual lives only one year, it’s “purpose in life” is to create seed. If you remove flowers before they ripen into seed pods, the plant simply buds out and makes more flowers, trying to produce some seed.
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