Creating A More Comfortable Home

If you have a large lot and are looking for an inexpensive and easy way to make it beautiful, then you should consider planting wildflowers. Wildflowers are easy to grow and they add color and beauty to your property. By growing wildflowers, you can eliminate the need to mow in certain areas of your yard and you won't have fussy landscaping to maintain. Here are some tips for growing wildflowers.

Choose The Right Seed Mix

You can buy packets of wildflower seeds inexpensively. Just be sure to buy the seeds that match the environment you plan to cover. Flowers that need sun should be planted in a part of your yard that gets full sun for several hours daily. If your lot is shady during part of the day, then look for flowers that do well in partial sun. Also, consider if you want flowers that spread their own seeds when they die in the fall. This could save you from having to plant new seeds the following season. If you want the flowers to come back on their own, buy annual or perennial wildflower seed mixes.

Plant During The Best Season

You may want to plant wildflower seeds in the spring so the flowers can show off their beauty all summer. Just wait until the last frost has passed before you put in the seeds. Some flower seeds can be planted in the summer and fall, so you'll want to read the instructions on the packet for how planting times relate to your local area. Fall is when flowers naturally shed seeds and plant themselves, so you may want to begin your wildflower meadow in the fall. This could give you flowers much earlier in the spring but if your area has a late freeze, some of your flowers could be killed. Know your planting zone before you shop for seeds so you buy the best seeds for your climate at the time you're ready to plant them.

Prepare The Soil

If you want to put in a small wildflower meadow in a part of your yard that is overgrown with weeds and brush, then you may want to rent a tiller to turn over the surface of the soil. If there is currently grass growing where you plant the seeds, you might be able to strip it away. In either case, you'll want to remove all current growth and expose the soil so you can plant the flower seeds.

Spread The Wildflower Seeds

Wildflower seeds don't have to be planted in rows like vegetables or plants, although you can if you find it easier. You can also toss them around the soil with your hands so the seeds cover the area where you want flowers to grow. You may want to use a seed spreader if you have one so the seeds are distributed more uniformly, but it isn't necessary. Tamp down the seeds lightly as you sow them so they connect well with the soil and take root. Just be careful not to push the seeds too far into the dirt.

Water The Seeds And Seedlings

Once your wildflower seeds are planted, you'll want to water them well. Continue to water the seeds as they grow into established plants then you can probably rely on rain to water the flowers. Wildflowers usually don't need much pampering or treatment with fertilizer.

Wildflowers can add color to your yard and the best part is that they are practically maintenance free. It doesn't matter if grass sprouts up along with the flowers since wildflowers are typically mixed with grasses and weeds when they grow in fields.