Garden season is here and what better way to welcome it than to learn how to create a wildflower cottage garden. Today Anna from the blog canfieldcreations.com, is sharing just how you can create your own beautiful cottage inspired wildflower garden.
Hello! My name is Anna from the blog canfieldcreations.com, here to bring you a bright & spring-y DIY Wildflower Garden tutorial.
It is Spring! I have been out in the garden nonstop lately working on all kinds of projects. The first one of the season was two new flower beds. It was quite the task, especially hauling all of the dirt needed. We did a circular flower garden using pavers from Menards, and put together a shaded rectangular hosta garden using cinderblocks. We used the extra dirt to fill in the edges around the new garage. In total, we hauled approx. 2 tons of dirt in my boyfriend’s truck and unloaded it together, shovelful by shovelful, all in one day. It was a next-level workout!
If you already have empty flower gardens – this will be the easiest task ever! Planting wildflowers is as easy as scattering the seeds around like organic confetti, then watering 2-3x every day until they sprout up! The seeds I chose to plant need full sun, as do most wildflowers, and the seedlings need to stay wet to stay alive so watering frequently will help them thrive. I also plan to fertilize these guys once they sprout up with some homemade fertilizer that my neighbour makes.
In my flower garden there was an existing peony bush that we built around, and I also added a few other types of flowers. Currently, there is a sunflower seed sprouting in the center, surrounded by three dahlia tubers. On the edge near the peonies, I also planted a hardy rose bush that I plan on propagating and multiplying once it is more mature. In addition to the wildflower seeds, I also planted some zinnia and snapdragon seeds. There is no rhyme or reason to my garden design! I wanted it to look wild and natural. My goal is to have a low maintenance, minimal effort, beautiful wildflower bed.
Important notes:
When planting wildflower seeds in the Spring, the best time to sow is in late April-early May when all danger of frost has passed.
You can also plant wildflowers in the Fall before the first frost.
Annual wildflowers – the type that I am using – have a good chance of coming back by means of reseeding.
There are perennial wildflowers as well – which means they will come back from the same root system without needing to reseed. Some examples are primrose, black-eyed susans, milkweed, and purple coneflower. These are all great choices!
There are all sorts of wildflower seed mixes out there! Explore all the different varieties and pick the one you like best.
How To Create A Wildflower Cottage Garden
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There are just a few simple steps to this tutorial, so let’s get right into it:
1. Gather supplies – rake, wildflower seeds, water, landscaping fabric, bricks, topsoil and compost. The right organic material will provide your wildflowers with the nutrients they need, so get some good compost!
2. Prep the planting area by laying the landscaping fabric out to the desired size and shape. This will provide chemical-free weed control for at least a couple of years. Cut it to size and place the bricks in the desired shape on top of the fabric to hold it down. This is a great way to make a garden without having to dig. Cover the rest of the fabric with topsoil, I’d recommend approx. three inches or so. Spread compost on top of the soil, this should be about an inch thick.
3. Gently rake the soil to even it out and prepare it for the seeds, then open the seed packets and get a handful of seeds. Toss the seeds over the surface of the soil. It is important that the seeds aren’t buried deeply because they won’t be able to sprout.
4. Once the seeds are spread all over the garden, walk over them to press them into the soil. they don’t need to be covered with soil! They actually need sunlight to sprout properly.
5. Water in the seeds thoroughly. Now just keep watering them a few times each day and wait for them to sprout! They should pop up in just a few weeks. It will take them about six weeks to bloom. They will need less water once they are more mature, but I still plan on watering them daily, especially on sunny days.
Wildflower Aftercare
Enjoy the flowers this summer and when they die off in the fall they will have little seed heads. Leave them over the winter and then cut them down in the spring. The birds will love to snack on the seeds. ~ How cute!! ~ Some of the seeds will fall down and germinate just like native wild flowers do. It is so convenient that they don’t need much maintenance.
Fun tip:
Try to find some wildflower mixes that produce edible flowers – they’d be a great addition to any homesteader’s pantry.
Watch The Garden Be Planted
I hope you enjoy adding some bright colours to your yard with some wild plants this spring and summer! I’d like to send some blessings to you and your beautiful gardens. Thank you for visiting and for more garden tips check out my blog: canfieldcreations.com
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