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Wildflowers
Wildflowers
Information
Weeds and wildflowers are natural enemies because they both
compete for sunlight. The first to catch the rays is the winner in
this competition. If you are planning to plant wildflowers as part
of your landscaping plan, make sure to give them a head start. Once
the weeds begin to grow, the flowers may struggle too much for the
precious rays.
The first step is to create an environment conducive to growing
and this means proper preparation of the wildflowers’ bed. It is
extremely important to keep the bed as free of weeds as possible.
This can be accomplished by thoroughly tilling and raking the soil
to remove all of the plants in the area you intend to plant the
wildflowers. One thing to remember: only rake a depth of one inch
or less. Treat the soil with an anti-weed agent like Roundup to
kill the roots of the existing weeds.
Some recommend repeating this process after letting the soil sit
for a few days to insure that you have gotten rid of all of the
weed seeds in the bed. I am not one of those people. I am way too
impatient to rake, wait and rake again before planting my seeds.
This is not always the best approach, but I have not had too many
problems with weeds in the past. However, you may want to repeat
process a few time to keep the bed pure for your wild flowers.
Wildflowers
Information - Tips and Advice
Another thing to consider is when you want to plant your
wildflowers. You may find that waiting to complete the process
again may interrupt the ideal time to plant the wildflowers. If you
miss the targeted time, the wildflowers may not have time to grow
and the weeds may conquer anyway.
There’s good news for procrastinators like me. Wild flowers love warm soil, so it is best for
those of us who live in regions that have the full range of
temperatures associated with the four seasons to plant the seeds
later in the spring rather than in the beginning. A good frost can
interrupt the growing process.
I have found that wildflowers are very tough once they have
established themselves in the garden. They are natural survivors
and if you give them an adequate head start, they will flourish.
However, you have to be patient. They tend to flounder the first
year, but they thrive during the second season. Good things come to
those who wait, and the beauty is that they come up year after
year.
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