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Call of the Wild (Flowers)02-26-09 | News

Call of the Wild (Flowers)

Wildflower mixes can include 10 to 20 plant species, a mix of annuals and perennials for season-long flowers. There are specialty wildflower mixes to attract beneficial insects and butterflies, and even a blend deer find unappealing.

Some gardens may have the biggest, brightest, newest flowers and be quite pretty, but where is the buzz of brother bee, the fluttering of butterfly wings, the hovering hummingbird?

To make these creatures welcome, gardeners need to go a little wild themselves, setting aside their visions of gardens groomed and sprayed into submission.

Wildflowers and their dependents?EUR??,,????'?????<

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In nature, wildflowers mark the seasons with bursts of color. Spring bluebells and columbines might give way to yarrows and rues, which in turn leave the season?EUR??,,????'?????<

The wildflower patch is typically an exuberant and ever-changing continuous carpet of blossoms. The look is more relaxed than formal garden beds, and wildflowers can inhabit terrains difficult to maintain?EUR??,,????'?????<

While the aim is a casual, unstudied appearance, wildflower gardens require some planning. The keys are choosing a seed mix created for your region, taking into account the hardiness zone, elevation and typical soil, sun and moisture conditions.

Wild-flower-seed.com, for instance, offers a wide variety of blends for nine areas of the country, from the rainy northeast to the dry southwest.

Advice for site preparation of the wildflower garden:

Choose a sunny, well-drained area that gets six to eight hours of direct sunlight.

Remove any sod and till to a depth of just 1 or 2 inches. Deeper tilling will only bring additional weed seeds to the surface.

Weed control is crucial to get wildflowers off to a good start. Encourage weed growth with regular watering and remove weeds before sowing wildflowers.

Sow seeds according to directions. The maximum amount recommended will produce a dense patch, the minimum a more scattered look.

For easier sowing, mix seed with dry sand, which is more visible against the soil. Blend the sand and the seeds at a two (sand) to one (seed) ratio.

A lawn roller or compressing the soil with the feet will encourage germination.

No fertilizer is necessary, but the seedbed should be kept moist for about four weeks until seeds sprout. Then watering can taper off unless conditions are unusually dry.

Once established, a wildflower garden requires little routine maintenance. A once-a-year mowing to 4 to 6 inches in late fall will keep tree seedlings from intruding and spread the season?EUR??,,????'?????<