Growing Wildflowers – Which Flowers are Right for You

Growing wildflowers in a carefree area; field, meadow, or a large area in your yard will provide you with an eye-catching garden throughout the summer season.  Wildflowers are not difficult to grow provided you plant flowers that are native to your area.  

Which Wildflower is Right for You?

There are a variety of wildflowers available the best way to choose the type that is right for your area is to know your growing zone. 

Wildflowers are flowers that grow naturally in your area and thus they are tolerant of your environment. This means if your summers are dry then the natural wildflowers in your area are accustomed to these weather conditions and are drought tolerant. 

 

These flowers come in different heights; some are low growing and these can be planted in a border garden or in a raised garden bed.  Most wildflowers are tall, with stems up to three feet.  These tall beautiful flowers are eye appealing growing in masses in a large garden; prairie, cottage or a cutting garden.

There are perennial wildflowers that will return yearly and there are annual wildflowers that will grow for one season and then die back.  They will not return the following summer and you will need to replant.

Choose a wildflower seed that will accommodate your garden needs, buy seeds in packets for small gardens and seeds in bulk to cover large areas of ground. Also, choose the flowers that will grow in your sun exposure.  Some flowers are formulated to grow in shady conditions and others are meant to grow in sun. 

Planting

Test your soil before planting as wildflowers grow best in moderate humus dirt that is well-drained.   If your soil is poor, then amend it with organic compost, manure or topsoil. For clay based soil then amend this soil with sand and with organic compost.  

Follow the directions as to when to plant. Some flowers are planted in the fall and others in the spring.  Water wildflowers seeds every day.  Seedlings need plenty of water until the roots are established. Best time to water is in the morning.  

Notes:

Fertilize with water applications I like to use miracle grow bloom booster.  A light application of fertilizer when seedlings are about a foot tall is helpful.  Also, apply a thin layer of mulch to aid in retaining moisture and to deter weed growth. 

Water newly planted wildflower seeds and seedlings lightly and frequently during germination, then water as needed in the morning.  Generally, I water daily with a soaking hose so the water gets to the roots.

If you enjoy watching wildlife; butterflies, hummingbirds then grow a garden of wildflowers.

 

Growing Tips for Plants that Repel Mosquitoes

Grow a natural mosquito repellent plants in containers and prevent bites.  The citronella mosquito plant is a genetically engineered geranium hybrid. The entire plant repels mosquitoes with its citronella lemony scent.  

 

amazon Citronella Mosquito Plant 

Buy the plant from your local nursery of find it online at amazon.com.    I purchased my plants from amazon and planted a few geraniums in containers and one in the ground by my back garden.

The foliage of the plant is eye appealing and the scent of the leaves is that of a lemon.  I recommend that you grow a few plants in containers and set them close to your outdoor living space. 

Growing tips:

Choose a plant container that has drainage holes.  Fill the containers with miracle grow to 8 inches set the plant in the pot and then fill the rest of the container with soil.  Water after you plant and set in a sunny to part sun area.  It is best to keep the soil evenly moist but not wet.  Wet roots will cause the plant to die.

Tips

The mosquito plant will put out many leaves and these leaves emit the oil and the fragrance that repels the mosquitoes.  This is a natural method for repelling mosquitoes.

Another way to prevent repel mosquito’s is to break off a leaf, give it a good shake so the oil is realized and then rub the leaves onto your exposed skin. 

If you are like me and are mosquito magnet, then I would recommend that you plant more than one  plant. Put a few plants in containers close to your patio, deck and along your garden path.  

This geranium will repel mosquitoes up to 25 feet.  

Grow the citronella mosquito plant outdoors during the summer season.  You will need to bring it indoors before there is a fall frost.  You can put it in your greenhouse or bring the plant inside your home and set it next to a southern exposed window.  The lemon scent will add a lovely fragrance to your home. 

View this YouTube video to learn about other flowers that repel mosquitoes.

Garden tips for Growing Shasta Daisy

Shasta daisies, Chrysanthemum maximum, are white petal perennial flowers with a golden center that looks wonderful when grown in a border garden.  You can also grow them in a prairie or in your cutting garden.  

Grow Shasta daisy from seed or from a plant. When the daisy is full-grown it will form a bushy clump where the stems grow up to three feet tall before producing flowers in the summer from July to September. 

Growing tips:
For healthy flowers with many blooms grow the Shasta daisy in full sun. However, if your summers are extremely hot with temperatures in the upper 90’s then the Shasta daisy would welcome part shade in the heat of the day.  

Plant the flower seeds or nursery-grown daisies in moderately fertile well-drained soil.  If your soil is poor, then amend it with miracle-grow potting soil.  You can plant daisy seeds indoors 12 weeks before the last frost in spring or sow seeds outdoors when the soil warms to 70 degrees. 

For growing daisies in masses, turn over the soil with a tiller and plant seeds in rows; plant seeds  1/16 of an inch deep. Space the seeds sixteen inches apart.

Another way to grow Shasta daisies is to plant them with eye-catching colorful flowers; coneflowers, zinnias and black-eyed Susan and red bee balm are a few of my favorites.  All of these flowers can be cut for beautiful bouquets or floral arrangements.

Caring for Shasta Daisies
Water the newly planted seeds so that the soil is evenly moist but not wet.  Do not allow the soil to dry out as it will cause seedling stress. Seed germination occurs in approximately 21 to 30 days.

Apply organic mulch around the flowers to help to retain moisture. 

Keep the soil evenly moist but not wet throughout the growing season.  The best way to achieve this is to water the flowers with a slow drip irrigation system in the morning.  If your summer temperature is hot; high 90s, then water in the morning and then again in the late afternoon.

Fertilize monthly with miracle grow formulated for flowers.  I use a bloom booster that is made to attach to the end of your hose. The fertilizer that is applied with water will get to the roots where the nutrients are needed.  My Shasta daisies produce large beautiful blooms that are long-lasting.

Deadhead the spent flowers to extend the bloom season.

Prune daisies in the fall to get ready for winter. :

Tips
Shasta daisies are a useful evergreen ground cover.  The plant's foliage is attractive even in the winter.  So plant them where you can admire them from a window.

Grow in USDA zones 5 to 9.