Go Wild Over Low-Maintenance Flowers
5/18/2006If you love the look of flowers but hate the thought of planting them year after year, wild flowers are the answer for you.
The bright colors and heartiness of perennial wild flowers make them a welcome addition to any yard. Wild flowers are not only beautiful but economical too. Once you plant these low-maintenance flowers, they'll continue to dazzle for years.
Getting wild flowers started in your yard is not difficult. First, determine where your planting site will be. Be sure to choose an area that offers good soil, sunlight and water. With those three elements, wild flowers will thrive.
Next, prepare the soil by clearing it of grass and weeds. That way your wild flowers will not have to compete for nutrients, water or sunlight.
Finally, shake a wildflower mix over the planting area and water. Choose a jug or shaker of wild flower seeds, fertilizer and mulch that will cover 50 square feet. Mix the spread over your planting area and you are done.
Be especially diligent about watering those first few weeks, as seedlings need to stay moist. The seeds will begin to germinate in as few as 10 days.
Most flower types are carefully selected based on the fact they will grow in almost any zone and soil type.
Maintaining a wild flower garden is as easy as creating it. Once your wildflowers are blooming, continue to water and add push-in fertilizer spikes to them. The spikes contain a slow-release pre-measured formula that delivers the proper amount of nutrients to the plant's roots, where they need it most.
To use the spikes, insert them just below the soil surface and water plants as necessary. Once the spikes are in, your flowers will stay fortified and protected.
Spring is the perfect time to get a wild flower garden going. Why not plant one this year? An easy-to-create, easy-to-maintain wildflower garden will make a great addition to flowerbeds, fields, hillsides and fence rows. You'll love these low-maintenance flowers, and you'll get to enjoy them again and again.