Sow wildflowers the right way

Sunset, Fall-Winter, 1996

Gardeners who sow wildflower seeds in fall may envision a springtime scene of brightly colored blossoms billowing in the breeze, with butterflies and bees dancing from bloom to bloom. But sometimes when spring arrives, weeds - not wildflowers - steal the show.

"The most common mistake when planting wildflower seeds is not getting rid of the existing weed and native grass seeds that are in the soil and germinate along with the wildflowers," says Michael Landis, president of the Wildflower Seed Company in St. Helena, California. "These fast-growing weeds and grasses smother out the slower-growing wildflowers," he adds. For a more successful planting, Landis recommends the following techniques to eliminate the weeds and get the seeds off to a good start.

* First, choose a site in full sun. To get rid of existing weeds, hand-cultivate the soil to a depth of 3 to 4 inches and remove all weeds; this is the method with the least environmental impact. You can also spray weeds with a chemical herbicide, such as glyphosate, and then cultivate the soil after the weeds have died.

* The next step is crucial: Soak the soil thoroughly, then wait for the weed seeds to germinate. When they do, spray with glyphosate or lightly cultivate the soil to a depth of not more than 1 inch; deeper cultivation exposes more weed seeds that will germinate along with wildflower seeds.

* Before sowing the wildflower seeds, rake the soil to form shallow grooves. To ensure even distribution of the seeds, mix them with four times their volume of sand or vermiculite and broadcast by hand. Then rake the seeds lightly into the soil and tamp them for good soil contact.

* Wait for fall rains to germinate the seeds. If rains don't come, you'll need to water to keep the soil moist and continue watering through bloom time. When the plants have dried and dropped their seeds, cut the old stalks to 3 to 6 inches tall.

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