Growing Wildflowers
Wildflowers tend to prefer wide open spaces with at least 7 to 8 hours of sunshine each day. They thrive in soil rich in nutrients, and well drained. They don't like hard packed soil. However they are susceptible to root rough so If you have an area that tends to be wet, wildflowers are not the answer.
Wildflowers can be used for weed control, and with a great deal of success. But you have to give the wildflowers a running start, or the weeds will keep the area "Wildflower Free". Weeds and wildflowers are both sun worshipers, so who ever reaches the top first wins. Neither will grow well without adequate sunlight. If you use this to your advantage you can have a beautiful bed of wildflowers that requires little maintenance.
The secret is proper bed preparation. You must create a bed that is as weed free as possible. You can do this by removing all the vegetation from the area you intend to plant in, and then prepare the soil for planting by tilling or raking to a depth of just one inch or less. Do not disturb the soil any deeper than that, or you will just disturb dormant weed seeds that are just waiting to be brought back to the surface so they can grow. You should consider spraying the existing vegetation with Roudup before you remove it. This will kill all the roots that might still be in the soil.
Keep in mind that you need to spray the weeds or grass with Roundup at least three days before you disturb them. If you feel that the area you have chosen has significant amount of weed seed near the surface, you might consider letting the soil sit for about six days after you work it, then work it again. Do this over and over, but don't work the soil more than one inch deep. The longer you continue this process the more apt you are to get the bed as weed free as possible.
Most weed seeds germinate rather quickly, so when you bring them to the surface through your cultivation efforts, you are giving them a chance to germinate. But then when you work the soil again in six days, you will actually interrupt the germination process and the seed will be spent. The longer you continue the process, the fewer viable weed seeds you will have to contend with. Of course additional seeds are blowing in all the time, so it's unrealistic to think that you can create a planting bed that is free of weed seed.
The most important aspect of this process is to have your bed as ready as possible, at the ideal time for planting wildflower seeds. The secret of success is to plant the wildflower seeds at the ideal time so they take off growing immediately.
If you're in zones one through six, you should plant in the spring. If you're in zones seven through 11, you should probably plant in the fall. Wildflower seeds like warm soil. They will germinate best with a soil temperature of 68 to 70 degrees F. So if you live in a cooler region, you should wait until later in the spring to plant. Don't work the soil any deeper than one inch.
Now for planting the wildflower seeds.
The best way to plant your wildflower seeds is to distribute them with a small hand held broadcast spreader, or to apply them in a manor that mimics that technique. In order to get the best coverage you should thoroughly mix the seeds with dry sand, vermiculite, or potting soil to increase the volume before you spread them. It's a lot easier to evenly distribute five pounds of granular material over an area than it is 8 ounces.
As you spread the seeds walk in straight lines from one end of the bed to the other. Then do the same thing from the side of the bed in a criss cross pattern to the first set of footsteps you made. This will give you thorough and even distribution. This is why you should mix the seeds with some sort of filler material before you start, so you have plenty of volume to work with, and will be able to cover the area completely and evenly.
Mix seeds with different germination periods, the faster germinating seeds will come up very quick, and act as a nurse crop for the seeds that need more time, keeping the weeds and birds at bay until all the seeds can germinate.
Good luck with your wildflower garden!
