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Native Pollinators: A Guide to Planting Wildflowers



A friend of mine recently said she doesn’t like flowers. I admit it broke my heart a bit. I once heard a quote by the Japanese scholar Kakuzō Okakura that always stuck with me. “In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.” It got me thinking about how we celebrate life’s significant moments and the small ones in between with the beauty of flowers. Birthdays, graduations, and weddings are decorated with flowers. Sympathy bouquets are sent in honor of loved ones lost. Flowers become an apology after an argument with a partner; they are given to little girls who have danced their hearts out at a little recital, and they add color and grace to a simple green yard.


Thus, I am planting wildflowers for the first time this year for little pops of beauty in my yard and wanted to pass along the process since it’s the perfect time of year to plant these lovely little pollinators.


Chose a Mix

I went to my local nursery to pick out a mix, but they have plenty on Amazon or other gardening sites. While you can call your local university extension office for advice on what mix is best to plant for your climate, I merely used the little climate zone guide located on the back of the packaging. It’s an easy, no-brainer way to get the climate and zone information for what’s best for your area.


When and Where to Plant

Spring is the best time to plant, usually in March or April. The seeds are less likely to be eaten by animals, dry out, or blow away when the temperatures are more relaxed and moisture is more abundant.  Pick an area that gets full sun (8 hours a day). Clear the ground of any existing vegetation. It’s recommended that you add compost, but I didn’t have any, so I got an organic fertilizer. I read the best time to do this is in the fall, but it's better late than never.


How to plant

You will need about 1 pound of seed for every half acre you plant. The woman at the nursery told me it’s best to mix the seed with sand as the sand's heft helps distribute the seeds evenly. Luckily, I had a bag of sand left over from my son’s old sandbox. Mix about eight parts sand with 1 part seed. Grab a handful and make a long toss into the area you are covering. I separated the seed/sand mix in half. For the first half, I threw the seed from north to south. For the second half, I threw the seed from east to west. This ensures a complete distribution, and you avoid any neat lines of flowers.


Compress the seeds into the soil by pressing on them or walking on them. I did it barefoot, so the seeds didn’t stick to my shoes but feel free to do whatever is most comfortable for you.


Finish by giving them a good soak with a gentle setting on the hose nozzle. I’m told I should water once a week and will start to notice some initial sprouts after a few weeks. I’ll post a week-by-week update on how the garden is coming along on my social feeds, so please follow me if you’re interested in seeing how they bloom!


 

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