Fall Planting of Wildflowers
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There are many lovely bulbs, corm and ryzomes that you can
plant in the fall for a spring garden, but you may want to make room
for a wildflower patch too. Some of you may be fortunate enough to have
a large space to devote to wildflowers, but even a smaller bed can be
nice. You can mix flowers or choose some of the same variety and
easily sow the seed in late fall after temperatures fall to 45 degrees
or colder. This way the seeds won't germinate until spring.
The following work well: annual larkspur (Consolida ambigua), yarrows (Achillea millefolium /A. filipendulina), bachelor's buttons (Centaurea cyanus), tickseed (Coreopsis grandiflora), blanket flower (Gaillardia grandiflora), rabbit's ears (Lychnis coronaria), cleome, rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan), salvias, calendula, poppies, hollyhocks, blue flax, clarkia and prairie clovers. If you already have some of these flowers, you can allow them to reseed where they are or gather the seed if it's dry, or dry it on paper plates, and then spread it where you would like new plants next spring. Most of these plants need light to germinate and a loose, well-drained soil. Remove any large clumps of soil or rocks from the planting area before sowing. If the seeds are small you can mix them with sand or sawdust and then scatter this in the prepared area slowly and as evenly as you can. After sowing rake the area lightly to mix the seeds with the soil. If there isn't a good rain ahead then water the area well, which will help the seed settle. Most wildflowers don't require fertilizer, and you don't want to over- water the seeded area either. It should be as natural of a planting as you can make it. If you have a lawn/grass roller you can go over the area with this too before watering. |
Summer Harvest Tea
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