Sow the wildflower seed.
- Seed should be scattered thickly and evenly;
- Use a hand-held spreader; or alternatively spread by hand;
- Walk back and forth over the area in a grid pattern to make sure all sections are covered.
Tamp or roll the surface to make sure that seed has made contact with compost or soil.
Mulch lightly using straw (not hay!), or alternatively spread a thin layer of compost or sandy soil over the seed. This covering prevents washing from rain or damage from birds.
Water lightly - not more than fifteen minutes at a time- and often- several times a day. This prevents the germinating wildflower seed from drying out.
First year maintenance will be light. You'll have a chance to marvel at the beauty of all those blooming annual plants and there should be enough for plenty of bouquets of cut flowers. The main chore during the second year and beyond is to keep undesirables out of the wildflowers. This can be done by:
- Careful use of a glyphosate contact herbicide; or
- Hand pulling and composting.
There are two options having to do with mowing and/or cutting at the end of the growing season.
- The first option, somewhat messy, is to leave dried flower heads standing through the winter so birds and other wildlife can enjoy the seeds.
- The second option, somewhat neater, is to wait until a heavy or killing frost or until the plants have dispersed most of their seed. Use a heavy-duty lawnmower or string trimmer to cut all plants at their bases and let them lay in place over winter to ensure seed dispersal.
There needs to be an opportunity for all plants, each autumn, to develop and naturally disperse their seeds over a long period of time. This action ensures reseeding and new growth for future years. However, even with this precaution, rejuvenating is necessary after a period of years.
Typically, perennials will dominate a three-year planting. However, beginning about that time there is a tendency for ox-eye daisies and golden rod to take over the area. Rototilling or scratching small furrows in the meadow soil and then sowing a mixture of fresh seed easily accomplishes a renovation and keeps the patch from becoming a monoculture of one dominant plant. Watering lightly and often is, of course, necessary for proper germination of the newly sown seed.
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