Plant Wildflowers for Natural Beauty in Your Garden

Weeds and wildflowers are natural enemies because they both compete for sunlight. The first to catch the rays is the winner in this competition. If you are planning to plant wildflowers as part of your landscaping plan, make sure to give them a head start. Once the weeds begin to grow, the flowers may struggle too much for the precious rays.

The first step is to create an environment conducive to growing and this means proper preparation of the wildflowers’ bed. As in any flowerbed, it is extremely important to keep it as free of weeds as possible. This can be accomplished by thoroughly tilling and raking the soil to remove all the weeds in the area you intend to plant the wildflowers. One thing to remember: only rake a depth of one inch or less. Treat the soil with an anti-weed agent like Roundup to kill the roots of the existing weeds. Some horticulture experts recommend repeating this process after letting the soil sit for a few days to insure that you have gotten rid of all of the weed's roots and seeds in the bed.

Creating a Favorable Environment for Wildflowers

You must also keep in mind when you want to plant your wildflowers and take this into consideration when you are preparing the flower bed. You may find that waiting to complete the process again may interrupt the ideal time to plant the wildflowers. If you miss the targeted time, the wildflowers may not have time to grow and the weeds may conquer anyway.   Wildflowers love warm soil, so it is best for those of us who live in regions that have the full range of temperatures associated with the four seasons to plant the seeds later in the spring rather than in the beginning. A good frost can interrupt the growing process.

Once wildflowers have established themselves, they are very hardy. They are natural survivors and if you give them an adequate head start, they will flourish. However, you have to be patient. They tend to flounder the first year, but they thrive during the second season. Good things come to those who wait, and the beauty is that they come up year after year.