Meadow Of Wildflowers

Plant a Wildflower Meadow
Wildflower Meadow Fiction: To create a beautiful wildflower meadow, just buy one of those pretty shaker cans of wildflower seeds, spread them over your lawn, and stop mowing. Wildflower Meadow Fact: Although a wildflower meadow is easier to create than a flowerbed, you will need to prepare the soil by tilling thoroughly, and encourage your meadow by watering regularly. Here are some basics to help you establish your wildflower meadow:
Every wildflower mix should contain some meadow grasses. These grasses add texture and help stabilize the soil.
The label on your mix should list every species contained in the mix. Try to find a good mix for your region.
Try to rid the meadow of weeds before planting. Weeds are the most common reason for the failure of a wildflower meadow.
Solarization usually does a good job of ridding the soil of weeds.
Till and prepare the soil as you would for any seedbed, then apply the seeds at twice the rate recommended on the package. To facilitate even spreading, mix seeds with equal portions of clean river sand.
Keep the seedlings moist and weed diligently.
Cut to 6 inches high in late winter to prevent invasion by woody plants and to help disperse flower and grass seeds.
Sow annual seeds yearly, since they seldom reseed themselves as expected. After the second year the perennial seeds will begin to come into their own, and annual seeding may not be necessary.