By Cynthia Barsun, Guest Author
Fall is a great time to plant wildflower seeds for spring. Wildflowers not only attract butterflies and other wildlife to your garden, but they also add beautiful color to your landscape.
Planting in the fall gives the seeds a chance to acclimate, which helps them germinate faster in the spring. Wildflowers are generally started from seed mixes found at local nurseries or online. Choose a mix of perennials, biennials and annuals to get a wider range of blooming times and colors.
Before you start planting wildflowers, choose a sunny spot for your wildflower garden and reduce any unwanted vegetation or grass in the area. If you have clay or compacted soil, add some compost to help water move more freely through the soil.
Next:
- Rake or till the first few inches of soil.
- Mix seeds with fine sand (one part seed to six parts sand).
- Broadcast the mixture after the first light frost, but before the first freeze.
- Walk over the seeds to pack them down.
- Water them thoroughly.
Wildflowers normally do well without fertilizer. Once your garden comes up and is established, all you need to do is water and control the weeds.
Cynthia Barsun, former SAWS conservation consultant
