How Do I Design A Garden With A Combination Of Native Wildflowers And Ornamental Grasses?
California is blessed with a wide variety of native wildflowers that can add beauty and color to your garden. Planting these native wildflowers in your garden can also help support local ecosystems by providing habitats for pollinators and other native wildlife. In this guide, we will go through the step-by-step process of planting California native wildflowers.
Step 1: Choose the Right Location
The first step to planting California native wildflowers is to choose the right location. These plants thrive in sunny, well-draining soils, so make sure to select a spot in your garden that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day.
If you're unsure about the quality of your soil, you can get it tested by a local agricultural extension office or purchase a soil testing kit from a gardening center. Basic soils should be fine for most California natives if they are not amended excessively. Most soils in California are low in nutrients from having too much water. You will, in most cases, not need to consider applying nitrogen, but a balanced fertilizer mix before planting of small amounts of bone meal added to planting holes or spread over the top of the soil can jump-start your soil for better plant growth. You have a lot of choices, and our website has further Web pages to help answer your questions about fertilizing resident plants or small plants. We strongly discourage the use of pesticides or herbicides as they disrupt the balance of our fragile ecosystems and kill native pollinators and other wildlife.
Step 2: Prepare Your Soil
Before planting your California native wildflowers, you'll need to prepare your soil. Start by removing any weeds or grasses from the area where you'll be planting. You can use a hoe or a garden fork to loosen the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches. After that, you'll need to add some organic matter to the soil to improve its nutrient content and water-holding capacity. Organic matter can include compost, well-composted manure, or green waste.
After the soil has been loosened, you can add amendments if necessary. California soils are typically mineral-rich and low in organic matter, so non-natives from similarly nutrient-poor countries and regions or many super-reliant on added nitrogen and amendments, but California natives and many western residents, in general, are happy with minimal or no amendments. These plants tend to evolve to live in what they are given in their habitat.
Step 3: Choose Your California Native Wildflowers
The next step is to choose your California native wildflowers based on your climate zone. For example, if you live in a coastal area, you may want to consider planting coastal California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), tidy tips (Layia platyglossa), or seaside daisies (Erigeron glaucus). If you live in a desert area, you may want to consider planting desert marigolds (Baileya multiradiata), desert mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), or sand verbena (Abronia villosa).
At Las Pilitas, we offer a wide variety of California native wildflowers, and our website is a great resource to help you decide which ones are right for your garden.
You can plant wildflower mixes. A well-organized wildflower seed mix offers the grower (you) a broad base from which to expand since after the mix starts to develop it can suggest areas that could use additional species And since the mixes are local, that implies that the additional species will also be local to your area, always a good thing.
Step 4: Plant Your California Native Wildflowers
When planting your California native wildflowers, make sure to follow the instructions on the seed packet or plant label. Typically, you'll want to scatter the seeds or transplant your plants at a depth of about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch into the prepared soil. Most wildflower seeds need light to germinate, so it's essential to ensure good seed-to-soil contact, but do not bury the seeds too deep. The general rule for the seeding rate for most wildflowers is 1-ounce per square foot, with a range of 8 ounces per 1000 square feet for large, dense, showy plantings to 1 ounce per 500 square feet for scattered plants.
After planting, tamp down the soil gently to ensure good seed-to-soil contact and then water deeply, but not too frequently. Whenever possible, water early in the morning to minimize the risk of fungal infections and root rot. After the wildflowers sprout, water once a week deeply or as often as needed to keep the soil moist. To avoid overwatering and wasting water, check the soil moisture before watering by poking your finger into the soil. If the soil is dry to a depth of about 2 inches, it's time to water.
Step 5: Maintain Your California Native Wildflowers
Once your California native wildflowers have established themselves, they'll require little maintenance. They tend to be drought-tolerant and self-seeding. Many of them will thrive with natural rainfall and usually do not need additional irrigation (once they establish). However, some newer species and hybrids are less drought-tolerant and may need additional water during hot, dry summers.
You can deadhead the spent flowers to encourage more blooms, or let the plants dry and scatter the seeds for next year's wildflower display.
Conclusion
Planting California native wildflowers is an easy and rewarding way to add color and beauty to your garden while helping to support local ecosystems and wildlife. This guide provides an overview of the step-by-step process of planting California native wildflowers. With a little bit of effort and care, you can enjoy a stunning wildflower display in your garden that will last for years to come.
