Wildflower Garden: How to Grow a Wildflower Garden

A wildflower garden contains plant species that self-propagate. Wildflowers are not the standard perennial or annual flowers cultivated and hybridized with human intervention. Many wildflowers are known in other contexts simply as weeds. Wildflowers are often native species, meaning they attract pollinators such as bees or hummingbirds. Wildflower gardens are relatively low-maintenance but require care and effort to flourish.

There are dozens of different wildflower species that make for excellent additions to gardens. Some common types include:

1. 1. Black-eyed Susan: Black-eyed Susans are bright yellow flowers with dark brown centers. These North American native wildflowers are members of the sunflower family and usually reach peak bloom in the late summer, giving both gardens and fields a pop of color with their yellowy-orange petals. Their long growing season allows them to stay in bloom for weeks, and they attract a wide variety of pollinators.
2. 2. Zinnia: There are three main types of zinnias: Single, semi-double, and double blooms. Single-flowered zinnias feature a single row of petals. Semi-double zinnias have thick rows of petals, but visible centers. Double-blooming zinnias feature thick petals that completely obscure their centers. Beyond the three main classifications, there are plenty of zinnia cultivars to choose from, depending on your location and how you intend to use them. Zinnia elegans and Zinnia bicolor, heat-loving cultivars originally from Mexico, are two of the most commonly planted.
3. 3. Aster: Closely related to chrysanthemums, aster flowers are great pollinators that are easy to care for and come in short and tall varieties. These perennial wildflowers are fall garden bloomers. They most commonly sprout into lilac or purple daisy-like flower heads with yellow centers, although aster plants are capable of producing white flowers, pink flowers, blue flowers, and other colors.
4. 4. Yarrow: Yarrow is a hardy wildflower that requires little care once planted. A member of the aster family, yarrow flowers feature a head of tiny, white-to-yellow (and sometimes pink) blooms. The foliage is a distinctive, almost fern-like arrangement of leaflets that divide into other leaflets. Yarrow will grow in poor soil and spread eagerly, so it’s good to keep a close watch if you decide to plant them.
5. 5. Echinacea: Members of this genus have purple flowers, so they’re often known as purple coneflowers. (The yellow-petaled Echinacea paradoxa was the only exception until the recent development of hybrids bred for different flower colors.) There are ten species of echinacea, the best known of which are the perennials Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea purpurea, and Echinacea tennesseensis, or the Tennessee coneflower.

A thriving wildflower garden requires preparation and luck. The wildflower gardener embraces nature’s unpredictability and ingenuity. Still, there are variables you can decide upon, and it can be helpful to think of a wildflower garden as a kind of collaboration between yourself and nature. Below are some guidelines for getting started and keeping it thriving:

1. 1. Do your research. Get to know the climatic conditions of your location to determine the last frost and the best time to germinate wildflower seeds. You will also need to know what kind of wildflowers can grow in your environment.
2. 2. Prepare the soil. Remove other weeds and grasses from your chosen bed area to give your wildflowers an advantage over other competing plants. After weeding, till the ground to help remove unwanted competitors. You can also rake the tilled soil to give the seeds good contact with the earth and a shallow bed to lie in; the compression will help speed up germination.
3. 3. Select your wildflowers. Many wildflower seed mixes are available, but the best way is to purchase individual varieties, either as seeds or young plants. If using seeds, spread them as evenly as you can. Germination will usually occur in ten to twenty-one days.
4. 4. Water the seeds. Water frequently and add some mulch to assist with moisture retention. In five or six weeks, you should see your first blossoms.
5. 5. Mow your garden. Once your wildflower garden is established, it won’t require much maintenance except for mowing. Gardeners typically mow once a year in late fall after the wildflowers have dropped their seeds. When the flowers grow back, mowing will help the new growth receive adequate sun exposure next year.

Part of the appeal of planting wildflowers is their wildness, but there are some steps you can take to control the look of your wildflower meadow or garden bed:

1. 1. Keep it sunny. Most wildflowers like a lot of sunshine, so choose a space where your flowers will have full sun exposure.
2. 2. Start in the springtime. Precisely when to sow your wildflower seeds depends on the last frost in your climate. If you’re in a warmer area, it can be a good idea to sow in early spring to give your flowers plenty of time to get established.
3. 3. Good drainage is key. Most wildflowers don’t thrive if their roots stay wet for very long. Pick a spot where rainwater doesn’t stand for more than one hour.
4. 4. Work with nature. Perennials may not bloom the first year, so being patient is important. It’s also good to know what native plants might attract beneficial insects. The added beauty of butterflies visiting your garden is another reason to plant wildflowers.

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