How to Design a Low-Maintenance Wildflower Garden

Planning and starting a wildflower garden requires more than simply scattering some seeds. Though they are known to be relatively low-maintenance, wildflower gardens do require some thoughtful planning and care to thrive. Wildflowers come in many different colors and types, but selecting species that are native to your area and USDA growing zone is the best way to ensure low-maintenance growth as you start your garden.

Wildflower gardens are considered a low-cost alternative to high-maintenance gardens that also benefit pollinators. Wildflower species are hardy and self-reproducing, and many even prefer poor soil and neglect, making them ideal for tough-to-maintain areas. Although they will grow wild on their own, they are not necessarily native plants.

Below, learn how to start and keep up a thriving wildflower garden:

Choose a Sunny Location

Most types of wildflowers need full sun, which is about six or more hours of direct sun a day. For reference, partial sun is four to six hours of direct sun per day, while full shade is less than four hours of direct sun per day.

If you're planning a wildflower garden in a spot that is shady, look for a shady woodland mix of wildflowers. Some wildflowers that tolerate some shade include, black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.),sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), sweet William (Dianthus barbatus), common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), and shasta daisies (Leucanthemum × superbum).

Remove Existing Weeds

Weeds are a successful wildflower garden's biggest threat. Of course, only you can determine what a weed or wildflower is, but for the sake of simplicity, you should start your garden with a clean palette and remove weeds and all existing vegetation. There are two proven methods of doing this—manual weed removal or solarization:

• Weed and remove sod by hand. If you are starting with a small area or if you are planting where healthy grass is growing, this may be your best option.
• Solarization is a good way to kill all vegetation, including most seeds. Mow the area to be planted as low as your lawnmower will allow. Water the area well, and cover securely with clear plastic sheeting, leaving it there to bake in the sun for six to eight weeks. This method relies on cooperation from the weather, and you will probably still want to remove the dead vegetation before reseeding.

Prepare the Soil

Soil preparation is key to ensuring your wildflower garden remains weed free and properly nourished. Here's what to do:

• Till the soil shallowly. Aim for a depth of about 3 inches once the existing vegetation is removed. You don't want to uncover and encourage more weeds.
• Enhance the soil. It is a smart idea to test your soil before planting to check its acidity and see if it is lacking any essential nutrients. You can then add fertilizer or compost to your soil to increase its health. (Note: Fertilizer offers a quick hit of nutrients, while compost releases them slowly over time.)
• Rake and level the soil. Leave the grooves left from raking to help hold the seeds and give them contact with the soil.

Choose the Right Plants

A bonus of a low-maintenance wildflower garden is the wildlife it attracts, including butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial insects. Here are some specific wildflowers for summer and spring to suit your needs:

To Attract Butterflies

• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
• Cleome (cleome hasslerana)
• Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
• Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
• Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea)

To Feed Hummingbirds

• Cleome (Cleome hasslerana)
• Garden Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris)
• Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
• Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)

To Lure Beneficial Insects

• Bishop's Weed (Ammi majus): Minute pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs, assassin bugs, and lacewings
• Globe Candytuft (Iberis umbellata): Syrphid flies
• White Dutch Clover (Trifolium repens): Parasitic wasps of aphids, scales, and whitefiles
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): Ladybugs
• Fennel and dill: Braconid and sand wasps, syrphid, and tachinid flies
• American vervain, blue vervain (Verbena hastata): Bees
• Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium): Bees
• Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium fistulosum): Bees
• Missouri ironweed (Vernonia missurica): Bees

For Low-Maintenance

• Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
• Blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata)
• Wild blue flax (Linum perenne var. lewisii)
• Candytuft (Iberis umbellata)
• Eastern red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
• Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
• Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani)
• Blazing star (Liatris spicata)
• Mexican hat (Ratibida columnifera)
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.)

Plant the Wildflower Seeds

• Purchase plants or individual plant seeds. While wildflower seed mixes are cheap and easy to find, your best success will come if you purchase either individual plant seeds or better still, plants.
• Prepare your space. If you prefer to go with a packaged seed mix, it will tell you how large an area it covers. In general, use 4 pounds of seed per acre or 4 ounces per 2,500 square feet.
• Mix sand with the seed mixture. Most wildflower seeds are very small. Mixing some sand in with the seed mixture will make it easier to spread evenly. Broadcast evenly throughout the area to be planted.
• Rake lightly. You raked the ground to get ready for seeding. Do it again after spreading the seed.
• Water the whole area. You need to keep the seeds moist until they are a few inches tall. Lightly mulching with straw, peat, or compost will help retain moisture and keep the birds from eating the meadow. It’s much like starting grass seed.
• Germination should occur in 10 to 21 days. Your first blooms should reward you five to six weeks later.

Caring for a Wildflower Garden

Once the plants are established they require very little care. But keep the following in mind:

Water the Garden

Watering during dry spells will keep things looking their best and won't spoil the plants, making them dependent on your care. During germination, wildflowers need lots of water to sprout into seedlings. Plan to water them two to four times per day in this stage, keeping the garden bed consistently moist during this three-to-four-week period.

Once the seedlings are established post-germination (and they stand at about six to eight inches tall), watering becomes less frequent. Their roots will now be long enough to absorb groundwater. If you live in a hot, arid climate, you might need to water once per day. Otherwise, semi-frequent rain might be enough to maintain your wildflowers. A good rule of thumb is the knuckle test: If you dip your knuckle into the soil and it feels dry, it is time to water.

Remove Weeds

Weeding should be minimal at first, but weeds will try and invade. As the wildflowers grow dense, minimal weeding will be required. You can do this by hand as not to disturb your plantings.

Add Turf Grasses

If you are planting a large area and are going for a meadow look, you should consider including some turf grasses in your mixture to fill in thin spots and discourage weeds. Hardy fescues are a good choice in Northern zones. In warmer climates, Kentucky 31 or tall fescue are preferred. Ryegrass and bluegrass tend to be too competitive with flowers and are not good choices. About 25 pounds of grass seed per acre would do.

Overseed

Can a wildflower garden become established and continue to self-sow, without becoming too invasive? Actually, a perennial garden won't bloom the first year and if you are hoping to enjoy the garden for years to come, an occasional overseeding will help to maintain the balance of plants. This can be done every couple of years or whenever you notice an imbalance, perhaps due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Mow in the Fall

Mowing is a major maintenance chore. In the late fall, after the annuals have gone to seed and the perennials are dormant, the whole area should be mowed down to a height of about four to six inches. If your area is too large to chop by hand, mow with your lawnmower's highest setting. Mowing ensures that seed heads drop, tidies up the appearance of the garden, and discourages the growth of any woody perennials that might take over.

Tips for Growing a Wildflower Garden

• Build your beds in the fall before you intend to plant. You won't have to fight all the annual weeds sprouting in the spring, and you won't get impatient and be tempted to skip steps in your preparation.
• The best time to plant wildflowers is in the spring, to give them a good long season to get established and set seed. If you are starting later and planting summer wildflowers, be sure you have at least eight to 10 weeks before frost if you want them to self-sow.
• "Frost seeding" is possible in zones 6 and up. After preparing the beds in the fall, you can broadcast the seeds as the ground begins to freeze or as the ground starts to thaw. The seeds will get adequate moisture from the snow and good contact with the soil through heaving (periods of thawing and refreezing).
• Consider building walkways in your meadow so that you can get out there and enjoy the view.