How to Create a Wildflower Garden

A wildflower garden will provide endless hours of joy and beauty during the summer months. Planting wildflowers is also good for the environment and for wildlife. Wildflowers feed the birds and provide safe cover for animals like rabbits and chipmunks. Perennial wildflowers will come back year after year and provide an easy way to have a beautiful garden of flowers.

Things You'll Need

• Land to plant a wildflower garden Wildflower seeds Gardening tools, such as a shovel and rake Sturdy, waterproof gardening shoes Gardening gloves Border to put around the garden area

Instructions

1. Purchase wildflower seeds at a gardening store. Pick seeds for flowers that are perennials. Buy enough seeds to cover the area of land you wish to use.

2. Ask friends and family if they have saved any wildflower seeds from their gardens. Many people collect seeds in the fall and then distribute them to friends and family. Seeds that come from flowers grown in the local area will typically be strong seeds that will again produce flowers the next year.

3. Prepare the soil by loosening it with a rake or shovel. You may wish to prepare the soil with some compost to ensure it is rich soil that will help flowers grow well. Wait until all danger of frost has passed to plant the seeds.

4. Loosen the soil again on the day you will plant flower seeds. Then dig a small hole, and drop in one or two seeds for wildflowers. Continue this process throughout the area. You may also wish to sprinkle some seeds about the land and then use the rake to mix them into the soil.

5. Water the seeds frequently. Keep the area lightly moist until seedlings appear. Put a protective border around the area where you have planted seeds to ensure that pets and children do not trample the seedlings when they appear.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a variety of colorful perennial wildflowers, such as purple cone flower, columbine, lemon mint, wild blue iris, evening primrose, California poppy, purple clover, shasta daisy and black-eyed susan. Keep the wildflower seeds well-watered.

Resources

• How to Obtain Facts and Tips About Wildflowers.
• Types of Wildflowers and How to Plant and Nurture Them.