How do I start a Wild Flower Garden?

I want to be able to cut fresh flowers this summer, I just bought a house and was wondering what i would have to do to grow them, do i need a shady area or high sunlight? I am a gardening Novice that would love to make this my hobby.

How do I start a Wild Flower Garden?
Wild flowers grow in different areas of shade or sun depending on where they originated in the wild. Many wildflowers have specific needs regarding soil, light and moisture. In some cases, the conditions can be changed to create more favorable growing conditions, but in the long run, it is always easier to select wildflowers that are suited for the existing location. Planting flowers that are native to your area makes growing them easier, too.


http://www.enviro-explorers.com/wildflow...


http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1...


Coneflowers, Black-eyed-Susans, Liatris, etc like a lot of sun.





The best plants for the more heavily shaded areas to partially shaded are those found in the woods in their native habitat, such as Violets, Bluebells, Lilies of the Valley, %26amp; Wild Ginger.


http://www.mastergardenproducts.com/gard...


http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/asarum.h...





Here's how to plant a meadow of wildflowers:


http://www.life.ca/nl/43/flowers.html





I've just bought a wildflower seed combination pack called "North American Wildflowers" of native plants. It includes wildflower seed, fertilizer, %26amp; mulch in one package for less than $2. It says to "plant in the spring %26amp; to water daily until plants are established (4-6 weeks). Mow plants to 4" in the fall after the flowers have bloomed." The annuals will bloom the first year, but some perennials will not bloom until the second year.





I've also bought a pkg of 6 Lilly-of-the Valley (Convallaria) pips %26amp; a pkg of 12 Liatris bulbs ( tuberous corms). These I've planted in pots indoors now, but the Liatris will go in my sunniest spot outdoors, when I get a chance, %26amp; the Convallaria is eventually going under my trees.





You can plant some wildflower seeds soon %26amp; surprise yourself with what will grow from a small pack of seeds. Also, if you purchase %26amp; plant one blooming plant of several different varieties of wildflowers you'll find you'll have all the seeds you need in the fall. Many wildflower seeds are planted outdoors in the fall or spring. Some are planted indoors 6-8 weeks before the last spring frost date. The back of the seed packs will give you this information.





Besides planting by bulbs %26amp; corms, Liatris, %26amp; many other bulbous wildflowers, can also be grown through seeds you've purchased (or collected once they have matured, in late summer to early fall), and sown into flats that can be left outdoors throughout winter and will germinate once the temperature and soil begins warming in the spring. These plants can also be allowed to self sow in open areas of the garden for a pleasant surprise later in the growing season once they begin blooming. The tuberous corms of older plants can also be dug up and divided in late winter while the plant is dormant.





Here's a list of some wildflowers %26amp; their moisture/sun/shade requirements:


http://www.wildflowerinformation.org/Lig...


http://www.wildflowerinformation.org/Moi...





Video of wildflowers I thought you'd enjoy:


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...





Good luck!!! I hope this helps.
Reply:WOW...Thanks to the person who voted on this to release it from it's tie.


Two months seems a long time to wait for the voting outcome, so having someone take the time to vote on this is truely appreciated.





Thank you so much!!!! Report It

Reply:Till up some dirt in a mostly sunny area - plant wildflower seeds. Water every evening (Not during the day when the sun can evaporate the water) - let grow. Have fun cutting!!!!!
Reply:Find out what kind of wild flowers are indigenous to your area, and plant them, they will grow the best. clean the area you desire to plant, broad cast the seeds selected and cover with a thin layer of top soil, garden soil or, potting soil. 1/4 to 1/2 inch should be fine.
Reply:theres a thing you can buy.... its like two pounds of random wild flower seeds... for 4 bucks.... i used a rake to rake my soil around.... and spread them around...... i even had too many so i randomly threw some (without tilling soil) in the city parks and such.
Reply:Gardening stores sell wild flower seeds. The instructions for planting are on the bag. They can be planted about any where! Some people even plant them in the lawn in patches. They look great. If every one just had grass it would not be a very pretty place!!!We even plant some bright flowers in our garden, it adds a bit of color to it!!You can also plant wild flowers in hanging pots to add color. We use trelesus for cucumbers, and have morning glories growing with them!! The more variation you have the better your garden will look. People will comment on it too...I wish i could start now..Got to get rid of 2 ft of snow first!!!