by Shaila Palamand, PWL Member
Wildflowers aren’t just beautiful – they’re also beneficial for the environment. They provide food for pollinators, shelter and nesting material for birds and small mammals, and a natural method of maintaining soil health and preventing erosion. Better yet, once wildflowers are established, they’re practically self-maintaining – like a gift that keeps on giving! If you’re in east Texas, you’re in an ideal environment for growing them. Here are ten tips to get your wildflower garden started:
1) Location: Find a good spot for your wildflower patch. Keep in mind that many wildflower varieties do best in full sun (6+ hours of sunlight per day). Some can manage with less sun exposure, but too much shade can sometimes lead to “leggy” plants and fewer blooms. Level ground is ideal, but if you must plant on a slope, note that rain or irrigation might cause the seeds to shift and clump a bit more.
2) Seeds: Choose the right seeds for your area – that is, not just for Texas in general, but for your specific region as well as the location of your garden. In east Texas, good choices for sunny spots include Indian Blanket, Black-eyed Susan and Drummond Phlox. Picks for partly shady areas include Blue Mistflower, Cardinal Flower, and Purple Coneflower. For multiple seasons of color, plant a mixture of wildflowers that bloom at different times. (You can buy a packaged mix of seeds or create your own mix for a little more control over the results.)
3) Timing: Planting before the first frost allows wildflower seeds to experience the cold stratification they need to germinate in the spring. Aim to finish your plantings by the end of November.
4) Quantity: The amount of wildflower seeds needed will depend on your garden size and desired density of blooms. As a rule of thumb, Xerces Society recommends 20-40 seeds per square foot, or 1/4-1/3 lb. for each 1,000 square feet.
5) Soil: Make sure your soil is well drained and not compacted. Aside from that, wildflowers aren’t very picky!
6) Prep: Remove invasive weeds or non-native grasses from the area, as much as possible and practical. Clear enough so that the seeds get good soil contact, which is critical for germination.
7) Planting: Scatter the seeds. There’s no need to be very precise with the spacing, but to make them easier to distribute evenly, you can mix them with sand first. Once they are on the ground, tamp the seeds into the soil. You can use a roller, or simply walk on top of them. Afterwards, lightly water the area. Do not bury the seeds, and do not fertilize them!
8) Watering: To help the seeds germinate, keep the soil moist for the first few weeks after sowing. Fall rain might take care of this for you, but if not, monitor the moisture level and continue to water lightly. Once mature, most Texas wildflowers are drought tolerant, but nurturing the seeds in the early weeks after planting will help the plants get established.
9) Maintenance: Remove any undesirable plants that emerge in your wildflower patch but be careful not to disturb the seeds you’ve planted.
10) Patience! Remember that your wildflower blooms will come at different times; in fact, some popular Texas wildflowers like Bluebonnets may not bloom at all in their first year. But their beauty certainly makes them worth the wait!
Further reading:
https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/how-to-plant-wildflowers-texas/
https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2021/09/02/time-to-plant-your-wildflowers/
https://www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-conservation-seed-mixes