Wildflowers can bring brilliant blooms to your garden while attracting pollinators like bees, butterflies, and other wildlife. If you want a low-maintenance, colorful garden, growing wildflowers is a great idea. Although wildflowers are generally hardy, especially in their native growing zones, it’s important to take some steps to ensure your garden flourishes. Gardening experts offer tips on how to start a wildflower garden from seed to help you cultivate stunning local blooms in your outdoor space.
- Laura Janney, CEO of the Inspired Garden
- Lea Johnson, associate director of land stewardship and ecology at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
- Tammy Sons, founder and CEO of TN Nursery in Altamont, Tennessee
Plan Your Wildflower Planting
Before you get started, you’ll need to plan out your wildflower garden. Decide which wildflowers you want to plant, ideally ones native to your region. When mapping out your garden space, group flowers that thrive in similar conditions together.
“For the best results, choose wildflowers that are suited for your zone and conditions,” says Laura Janney, CEO of the Inspired Garden. “Also, plant flowers that have similar growing needs together. For example, you wouldn’t want to plant wildflowers that like more arid soil with plants that need more water.”
Where to Plant Wildflowers
Find an area where wildflowers can thrive in your garden with well-draining soil and ample sunlight. Choose a sunny spot because wildflowers need plenty of sunlight. “They love to bask in direct sunlight for at least six hours a day,” says Tammy Sons, founder and CEO of TN Nursery in Altamont, Tennessee.
Although large spaces can work well for growing wildflowers, keep in mind that small spaces and even containers can also work. “Most people like to plant big gardens filled with wildflowers, but you can also plant in smaller areas or sow seeds around your perennials in an established garden,” says Janney. “Just look at the seed packets and try to place shorter varieties towards the front and taller varieties in the back.” Try to plant them near flowers with similar conditions.
How Much Seed to Use
To determine how much seed you need to plant your wildflower garden, look at your seed packets for directions. Measure your garden space to calculate how much seed you need for your particular plants.
“Using too much seed will result in crowded seedlings that may not grow well, while too little seed will leave open spaces for weeds, so it’s important to check the recommended seeding rate for your seed mix,” says Lea Johnson, associate director of land stewardship and ecology at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. “The seeding rate is often expressed as the amount of seed per area like the number of square feet a pound of seed will cover.”
When to Plant Wildflowers
Many species of wildflowers do well when they’re planted in the spring when the weather is mild. Some wildflowers thrive when planted in the fall, however, so check your seed packet for the best planting time.
“Different kinds of wildflowers have different needs, so it’s important to follow the instructions that come with your seeds or look up information about the species you would like to plant,” Johnson explains. “Many wildflowers should be planted in late winter or early spring, but others need a period of stratification—time spent in cold, moist soil—before they will germinate.”
Prepare Your Site
Before you begin planting, clear your site of weeds, grass, and other plants. Dig out weed roots and remove grass to clear space for your new blooms. Then till the soil. Wildflowers often grow well in poor soil so read your seed packets for soil guidelines to assess if you need to add fertilizer or compost.
Planting Wildflower Seeds
Before planting your seeds, mix them with sand in a ratio of 8 parts sand to 1 part seed. “Always mix the seeds with sand so they’re evenly distributed,” Sons says.
For smaller gardens, walk over the area and sprinkle the seeds evenly. For larger wildflower gardens, you can use a seed spreader. Once your seeds are on the ground, use a piece of cardboard or board and walk over them to compress them into the ground.
“Seeds can be particular about how deeply they are planted,” Johnson says. “Take note of instructions for how to plant your seeds and tamp them gently to ensure they are in good contact with the soil.”
Watering Wildflowers
New wildflower seeds need consistent watering for about four to six weeks. Water your plants in the morning. If you have dry conditions, you may need to water them again at night.
“Their soil must be kept evenly moist, so I’d say water every other day or daily, if the watering is kept light and the soil isn’t being waterlogged,” Sons advises. “This needs to be kept up until the seedlings have established.” After that, you can reduce the watering to about once a week or as needed.
What to Expect
Ensure your wildflowers have the water and sunshine they need to flourish, but be patient—it can take quite a long time to have a full garden of blooms. “It may take two to three years for a meadow of wildflowers to fully establish,” Johnson says. “Part of the joy of growing wildflowers from seed is watching nature’s processes unfold.”
If you plant your wildflowers in the spring, you should start to see blooms by the end of the season. For fall planting, the seeds will be dormant over the winter and blossom in the spring. Perennials take longer to bloom, as they establish roots in the first year and start to bloom in the second year.
“Depending on your cultivar, you can have flowers blooming from late spring all the way to frost,” Janney says. “Most wildflowers bloom in late spring through frost.”
