How does your garden grow?

Spring is coming! It’s a good time to plan your spring plantings, even if it isn’t time to plant in your climate area.

Where can wildflowers go in a garden? Just about anywhere. Wildflowers can create a meadow, a boarder, or just fill in those bare spots in corners or edges where nothing else seems to grow. Pick wildflowers that are native to your area and you will find they need very little tending.

Once established, wildflowers will thrive with little care and they will return year after year. Choosing wildflowers and grasses will enhance your yards appearance as well as work the soil.

Soil preparation for wildflowers is limited. You may plant wildflowers in areas that you didn’t have a chance to prepare for anything else.

Know your seeds. Some seeds germinate best in warm wet conditions. Other seeds need cold treatment before planting. Ask the vendor that sells you the wildflower seeds which type of germination works best on their seeds.

Creating an artificial cold treatment is simple. Dampen a paper towel or peat moss. Sprinkle the seeds on the towel. Place the towel in a plastic zip lock bag. Store the bag in the refrigerator for a month or two. Plant the seeds in the spring ground, as the weather begins to warm. Some of the seeds may have sprouted during the cold treatment, plant them as well.

Turn the soil the day before you plant the seeds. Mix your seeds with sand. Sow your seeds by the handful. Lightly rake some soil over the seeds. Keep the area moist but not wet until the seeds have sprouted. Thereafter, all you need do is water as needed and sit back and enjoy your wildflower garden.