Fall Wildflower Meadow Maintenance: Adding Seed

By Mike "The Seed Man" Lizotte

Now that fall is here, it’s time to start thinking about adding some seed to your wildflower meadow! Maybe you’ve got an area where the grasses and weeds have crept in? Or maybe you'd like to replenish some annual color that may or may not be back next year?

Here are helpful tips for adding seed to your established wildflower meadow or garden:

1. Whenever we’re sowing or adding seed, we always want to make sure we’re getting good seed-to-soil contact. 
2. If you plan to add seed, start by mowing your meadow, or the area where you'd like to plant.
3. Next, take a rake (or similar tool) and gently rake away the cuttings from your mowing to expose the soil below. Scratch the soil to loosen, and you’re ready to sow your seed.

What varieties of wildflowers are the best for fall sowing?

If you’re looking to fill in small areas within an already established meadow, it's never a bad idea to go with your favorite wildflowers!

Some of the most popular Annual Wildflowers include:

• Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria), 
• Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), 
• Calendula (Calendula officianalis), 
• Indian Blanket (Gaillardia puchella) and 
• Red Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
• Zinnia
• Sunflowers

Popular Perennial Wildflower include:

• Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), 
• Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis), 
• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
• Shasta Daisy (Chrysanthemum maximum)

For sowing or filling in larger areas I would recommend a Wildflower Seed Mix! A well blended wildflower mix containing a variety of both annuals and perennials will be a balanced, economical option. You’ll get the benefits of the quick annual color the first growing season, and perennials for the second and successive seasons. All our regional mixtures contain at least 25 different species designed for continuous blooms all season long, for years to come.

So as the temperatures begin to cool and Autumn is upon us, I hope we’ve inspired you to think of the fall season as another opportunity to sow some wildflower seed!

Happy Gardening!
The Seed Man