I have never planted wildflowers before but have been reading about how and when etc. I have a variety of seed packets and a spot that has a slight incline that would look lovely with wildflowers. This area has old tree roots that can not be dug up so this is why I thought wildflowers should work. It is about 10 sq ft and is very old hard soil but I have been raking and breaking it up with a tiller. Questions Should I first put some organic soil down and till it in? Should I put a soaker hose down around the perimeter? Which wildflower seeds are best annual/perineal or a combination? When should I start the seeds? It looks simple from videos but I don't want to be disappointed please help me?
nice idea 1. use only reputable "wildflower" mix seeds --- some become a real nuisance. I use only the West Coast seeds - from Ladner - I have no association whatsoever; i just like the product over many years. For the Interior, I like Pacific NW seeds fr Vernon ... does that brand still exist? (again, no association whatsoever) wildflower is a broad term - so be careful - 2. is this a shade area or sun area is it covered by trees or ... 3. California Poppies (Mission Bells) are a good beginner seed - they will grow again but aren't difficult to eradicate *pull out- should you decide orange color isn't your thing in a diff garden that was not watered in the summer that is commonly dry in Lower Mainland BC - I used to mix Calif poppies and bachelor buttons and some other flower seeds from Stokes (old time catalogue of seeds) - and just sprinkle them on the earth - cover with some sifted soil and normal springtime water fr the sky you ask "when should I start the seeds" - I suggest you direct-seed ... also - read the info from West Coast - on their website - Wildflowers & Regionality also - be sure to check with your City / Town to make sure certain plants are NOT on their invasive list. And - they might have naturescape suggestions too. it will be interesting to hear your updates! (edited to add link to West Coast Seeds - reasons for careful wildflower selections // suggest contacting local city / town gov't)
I bought West coast seeds. Hummingbird blend, Bee blend and perennial blend. From westcoastseeds.com I hope they didn't include invasive plant seed in it! Lordy. Good thing to check. Most of all I want to ensure how to make the soil okay after of years of neglect and tree root.
I have worked with all of these blends and didn't find them to be to invasive. It's the shade tolerant blend that they offered that seemed a bit on the invasive side to me. Last year I used each of these blends, seeding at the end of March. They did well but were NOT drought tolerant into even the earliest stages of summer and they really dislike any foot traffic. I used them in some isolated traffic islands as an alternative to grass so those two challenges really stood out.
I was reminded of the Veseys controversy from a couple years ago: P.E.I.'s Veseys Seeds featured on more than 10 million boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios. The City of Vancouver has been seedling wildflowers along the Arbutus Greenway in recent years. The OP might try contacting someone in the department responsible for doing that in order to get their experience on the matter.
To me, the concept of ‘wildflower seed mixes’ is a bit condescending on the part of seed companies targeting mostly novice gardeners who are captivated with the idea of an instant panorama of colour in their gardens. I can’t think of a better way to turn would-be gardeners off gardening when these mixes fail to deliver the beauty they promise. A neighbour here in my Garry Oak meadow area recently planted 3 acres with some sort of wildflower mix that caught her fancy in a seed catalogue. It failed dismally. Meanwhile, all around are gorgeous wild ferns, bulbs and perennials that are native here and will thrive here. It’s more work to plant them but far more rewarding. Though we might wish otherwise, there are no shortcuts in creating a lovely garden. It takes planning, research and effort– plus a willingness to accept what works and what doesn’t. In my opinion, wildflower seed mixes are a cynical marketing scheme that has a real potential to discourage new gardeners when they fail to deliver the spectacle they promise.
It's probably a challenging if not impossible task for a company to produce a seed mix that would be successful for a wide range of consumers since they are after all scattered throughout the country and/or continent, each having a different growing environment. They could create mixes to target smaller locales but that would likely be a money losing proposition.
That is very true and the reason generic wildflower mixes often disappoint. I found this statement on one website: Our Canadian Wildflower mixture contains a carefully selected mixture of 21 different annual and perennial wildflowers that are suitable for Canada’s climate. As if Canada has a uniform climate. At the same time, some companies are trying to supply seeds for specific needs. See: Wildflower Seeds . There may be hope but I'm still very skeptical that this is a good way to plant a garden.
I think the City of Vancouver should consider sharing its expertise in planting wildflowers as they appear to have done a good job of it on the Arbutus Greenway. If they were to sell to the local population the seed mixes which they have already developed, the City would be able to recoup some of the money spent on the seeding program. It also ties in nicely with the City's movement towards encouraging the introduction of plants that help support urban insect pollinators.
