WILDFLOWER MEADOWS: Planning, Prep Work and Patience

You have dreams of a field of color mixed with gently waving grasses.   It's a great dream to have and is attainable, with some planning, prep work and patience.

If you are gardening in zone 8a in west central Arkansas, you will probably be dealing with clay soil. Because this is Arkansas, you will likely also have Bermuda grass. If you are starting with a plot that has been untended for a time, you will also have at least one variety of invasive weeds to deal with, so this is where the planning, prep and patience come in.

Step One:

If you want to have the best results, plan for 1-2 years to start seeing "The Meadow". Start by walking the space in the growing season to identify plants that need to go.  My space at The Learning Fields is blessed with wild blackberries and passionflower vine which have to go. Remove invasives before they spread and set seeds for another year.  In my case, one removal will not be enough and will require watching for seeds to sprout and be removed.

Step Two: 

Walk your space and be on the lookout for holes, which will be easier to identify and fill before the meadow planting starts.

 Step Three: 

Decide if you will have a path in your space. If you want to get up close to the flowers and plants, you will need a path.  A meadow path doesn't have to be elaborate, and even having a mowed path of grass to walk on is enough.  Identify whether the path will be straight or meandering. I prefer meandering with no perfect curves or corners and wide enough for at least one person to walk and mow comfortably. Lay it out with survey flags, twine or even a garden hose until you get the shape you want.  After deciding the shape, you can leave the flags in place or use marking paint.  Edging is another more permanent option.

 Step Four: 

Soil preparation needs to be considered before you start planting. One option is to till the entire space to open up the soil. The drawback to this is that you are bringing dormant and unsprouted seeds of all kinds to the surface of the soil.  They might be wildflowers, but they might well be unwanted weeds, blackberries or thistle.  A less invasive approach is to spread a thin layer of compost over the area.  If this isn't an option for you, use a rake to open up the soil and break the surface, but hopefully not expose seeds.  

Step Five: 

Finally, we come to planting.  You can decide if you want to rely on sowing seeds, placing young plants in specific areas, or both.  If you are using a purchased seed mix, read the label carefully to make sure it doesn't include some of the plants you have spent time removing from your space. Make sure the mix is prepared for your zone and climate. If you are working with perennial seeds (plants that come back every year), they will be slower to sprout and get started. The payback is that once established, perennials will be there year to year and usually spread over a specific area.  Annual seed mixes will grow this year and will also produce seeds that scatter and plant themselves for next year.

If you can sow the seeds during late fall to mid to late winter, nature will usually help with the planting.  Wildflowers' natural cycle is to grow, make seeds, then scatter seeds. Seeds are brought into contact with the soil by the rain and snow of winter.  The colder temperatures give the cold stratification that is needed by some varieties. By spreading the seeds at the proper time, you are following the growing cycle they would have had if they had grown in the space the previous year.

Step Six:  

Patience. Be prepared to wait.  When the temperatures start warming in the spring, the soil temperature will remain cool. When the soil reaches the correct temperature, the seeds begin to grow. Spring showers usually handle the watering  of the seeds and young plants.  Just when you start to think nothing will grow, or when you have been busy and not looking every day, you will see a spot of color appear.  Throughout the first year, areas of color will come and go. Individual wildflowers don't bloom all season.  Your meadow will bloom in waves.  Pay attention to areas that are sparse in growth and blooms.  Those will be your areas to focus on for the coming year.

In coming years, add more seeds.  If you have established plants in other areas of your yard, divide them and plant starts in the meadow.  Once the perennial seeds are growing and are established plants, they can be divided and planted in empty spaces.

 Step Seven: 

 Many people think that a wildflower meadow is nothing but wildflowers.  Some people do want only flowers and there is nothing wrong with that choice. Dimension and motion can be added to the space by adding native grasses.  Many of the landscape designers that I have studied recommend that 60-80% of a meadow be planted with native grasses.  The native grasses tend to grow taller and denser, creating an environment that Bermuda grass does not like.  The natives cast shade on Bermuda, and we all know Bermuda doesn't like the shade.

Native grasses come in all shapes, sizes and colors.  In this area, Blue Stem, Switch grass, amsonia and Muhly grass are some of the natives.  They don't inhibit the growth of the wildflowers, and they are used to cohabitating with one another. Consider swaths of grasses to add motion, height and color. Plant wildflowers in the pockets of space around the grasses, and they will emerge around and through the grasses.  This will give you a fuller, more active space and the grasses will last through fall and into winter.  Simply cut back the grasses in mid to late winter to be ready for another growing year.

Everything that I have listed above has come from several years of reading and some trial and error.  What I love most about Wildflower meadows is that each one is different and unique.  We each have slightly different soils and sun exposure. Our plot sizes vary.  What we decide to plant will be different. Use strictly seeds, seeds and plants, or include grasses. It isn’t failure if this year's version of the meadow doesn't meet what you envisioned.  There is always another growing year to improve and add to it.