How to Plant an Annual Wildflower Meadow

A properly constructed annual wildflower meadow is beautiful and requires less maintenance than lawns and gardens.  The approach to establishing an annual meadow is totally different to a perennial one. Flowering starts in summer and continues into autumn before everything is cut back, and the area left fallow for the winter. Then, in spring, the seed is sown over the bare soil, and flowering starts all over again.

Site Selection
Choose a site with full sun, or at least six hours a day.  It should have good air movement.  This helps keep diseases down, and the movement in wind will make sturdier plants with stronger stems.  Most wildflowers adapt to different soil types. 

The site should have few existing weeds or grasses.  An already cultivated site such as a field or garden plot is ideal.  Rototilling an area of lawn can also work.  An overgrown garden bed, or old field full of aggressive weeds and grasses is not recommended.  A meadow site next to such an area is also difficult, due to weed seeds blowing in.  A site next to a formal landscape, or in such a neighborhood, may also be a hard sell.  In such formal areas, meadows may need to be out of public sight, or with an informal transition area between.

Site Preparation
Start preparing the ground within a year of sowing.  Since wildflowers are usually less competitive than weeds, prepare the soil by removing all existing growth. Unless the site has been cultivated already, with few to no weeds, there are several methods you may use.  This is the most important step for a successful meadow.  Better soil preparation means more flowers!

You may smother vegetation with black plastic for a whole growing season.  You may also smother with thick layers of leaves, grass clippings, or newspapers covered with these.  Another method is to plant a summer buckwheat crop, cut and tilled in before going to seed, followed by fall planting of winter wheat, cut, and tilled in late winter.  You may need to repeat this a second season.  Or you may repeat deep soil tillage every three weeks for a full growing season.  If the site is currently a lawn with no weeds, remove the sod using a sod-cutter that can be rented from equipment rental firms.  Some gardeners use a systemic herbicide to remove existing vegetation but avoid those that are residual (last in the soil).

Species Selection
The key is to have a diversity of species that will thrive in your region and provide continuous color from spring to fall.  Soil type is not as important as whether the site is dry or moist. In addition, it is important to select plants which are not invasive.

If all this seems too complex, buy a good quality annual seed mix tailored to your region from a reputable supplier. 

Identify the Correct Planting Time for Your Area
In cool climates, plant just after hard frosts.  Avoid sowing in mid to late summer when there may be drought which would cause seeds to dry out before germinating. 

Determine How much Seed is Required
One of the secrets to success is planting intensively. Planting wildflowers closely together reduces weed competition.  The amount of seed required depends on the size of the meadow and the density of planting desired.  For a higher visibility meadow where a dense planting is preferred, 1 lb. of seeds/1000 square feet is recommended.  Be sure to follow the correct coverage rate, as wildflowers do not like crowded conditions.

Scatter Wildflower Seeds
Dump seed in pail and mix with fine sawdust or silver sand.  This will allow you to see where you have scattered the seeds to assure good coverage.  Scatter by hand or use a seed broadcaster at the lightest setting.

Compress Seeds Into Soil
Walk directly on top of the planting area or use a seed roller to gentle press seeds into soil.  Do not bury or cover wildflower seeds with soil since they need sun.  Alternatively, firm the ground and rake in lightly as you would sow a lawn. Water thoroughly.

Post-planting management

1.      Water.  Keep the spring-sown meadow watered as you would a newly seeded lawn -- often for a month or two. Throughout the growing season, if things dry out for long periods, bloom will be reduced, and with real drought, bloom can shut down. Most wildflowers will not die, they will simply "wait for the water" and not bloom. So, if it is very dry, water when you can, even when your meadow is up and blooming.

2.      Weed.  When seedlings are coming up or still small, many people wonder how to tell the flower plant seedlings from the young weeds growing with them.  If the suspicious plant is evenly distributed over your meadow area, it is probably one of your wildflowers. If it is just here and there, or in a clump or two, it is probably an intruder-from weed seed that was in your soil when you planted.  Later in the season, when you notice some tall, healthy weeds or grasses among your wildflowers, try not to let them bloom and seed.  Either pull the plants or cut the tops before the seed ripens. This way, those seeds will not rain down into your flowers and be back next year in bigger numbers.

3.      Dead heading.  If you cut annual flowers, it forces more bloom:  since an annual lives only one year, it is "purpose in life" is to create seed. If you remove flowers before they ripen into seed pods, the plant simply buds out and makes more flowers, trying to produce some seed.  This really works with some of the wild annuals. Of course, if you have a whole acre blooming, there is not much hand work you can do! But many meadow gardeners do preen a small area, or an area that is near the house, etc. 

4.      Fall maintenance.  If you have weeds, pull the weeds before they go to seed when the soil is moist. Work carefully to avoid disturbing the soil more than necessary.  Once you have pulled bothersome weeds, mow the meadow to about 4 to 6 inches – usually about two weeks after the wildflowers wilt and turn brown.  A fall mowing keeps the garden tidy and promotes reseeding of the desired plants.  Be sure not to mow until the plants have gone to seed; otherwise, you will remove seedpods and have sparse wildflower growth in spring.  Remove stalks and excessive plant material after mowing if they are thick.  A thick layer can block air, moisture, and light from reaching new seedlings in the spring.  If the plant material is thick, rake lightly or mow twice to create smaller clippings that decompose rapidly.

5.      Reseed in spring.  In cold climates, you may need to reseed in spring if long lasting color from annuals is desired. Some annual wildflowers reseed more easily than other.  You will want to reseed in areas that were sparsely planted the previous year.  

REPEAT STEPS 1-5 EACH YEAR