Do commercial wildflower seed mixes tend to provide blooms all summer long?
Commercial wildflower seed mixes are really not the best way to go. If you really want a beautiful wildflower meadow, it would be to your advantage to lay out a plan and buy the seed separately. Not all the seeds in those mixes will be appropriate for your "environment". There are so many things to consider: soil, temperature and water to name a few. Before you go through all the trouble, read up on the subject. Also, I have read where people start small with their wildflower garden then expand as they get more comfortable and knowledgable on the subject.
I want to throw down flower seeds so that my entire lawn will be completely blanketed in flowers. Suggestions?
Get two mixes, one featuring a lot of members of the sunflower family (Asteraceae) to broadcast in the sunny parts of your lawn and another one with a lot of members of the rose family (Rosaceae) to broadcast in the shady parts. I'd broadcast the mixes in the late fall and expect to see some plants coming up the following spring, especially the roseaceae ones, with the asteraceae flowers following in late spring and through the summer. The trick to getting a "carpet of flowers" from broadcasting is to put out a lot of seed. Only a fraction of the seed will wind up planted in the right condititions to germinate each year. If you get native plants, especially perennials, though you can expect some of the seeds that don't come up next year to come up in subsequent years since native plants have a percentage of their seeds that can stay dormant for several years and still be viable. One thing you can do to increase the chance of flower seed coming up after you broadcast it, is to walk all over the lawn after you've sewn the seed, especially if you get (or make) some aerating soles for your shoes. The foot traffic will make some of the seed come in contact with the soil deep enough to germinate. Another thing you can do after broadcasting is to power rake the yard at a very shallow depth which will also plant some of the seed at the right depth. Disturbing the lawn each fall with power raking or even just regular raking with a stiff tined rake will disturb the soil and plant new groups of seed at the right depth. If you doubt this, just go out in "the wild" and look for places where there are a lot of flowers. Chances are, that area recieved some type of disturbance prior to the seeds' germinating. Some typical disturbances are fire, grazing (accompanied by all the hoof traffic) by wild and/or domestic animals, digging from burrowing animals, etc. I would recommend getting wildflower seed mixes from a source (where the seed's host plants were grown) located as close to your home as possible so that the plants will be adapted to your local climate.
We are starting a wildflower garden this year. What perennials are best to start out with?
Visit a local garden center but not a place like Home Depot, Lowe's or Walmart. Their associates don't usually know squat. See what plants they have. Most garden centers bring in plants that are going to grow well in the area you are in. They don't want to see their customers buying plants and end up being disappointed and wasting their money. And yes, it's true you won't get the full impact out of your plants the first year. They are busy establishing root systems and the "top" won't grow as big as it will in later years. There are a few exceptions to that but most 1st season plants are that way. They will be much prettier the 2nd year. Cone flowers grow quickly and usually provide you with flowers the first year. Butterflies and bees love them. And if you leave the flower heads on the plants and allow them to dry, the gold finches love the dried seeds. And your cone flowers will spread also. Butterfly bushes take a season or two to get going well but they provide some height and the hummingbirds, butterflies and bees love them also. Sedums do well in hot dry locations. Asters are another plant that does well in most locations, provides you with late summer and early fall color. They come in a variety of colors and sizes. The dwarf ones are the easiest to handle. "Ground covers" are another plant that we don't pay nearly enough attention to. Bugle weed and dead nettle are two that not only help cover the ground to act as living mulch but also offer a bloom show in the spring and pretty leaves the rest of the year. Start slowly, buy good plants, take proper care of them and make sure to water during the first couple months. It takes time to develop good root systems and until the plants do, you need to supply some extra water to them. After that, most are pretty self sufficient.
Here’s a list :Ranunculus or Persian Buttercup :2) Double Impatiens :3) Lisianthus or Eustoma : They’re originally blue or purple, but modern hybrids are pink too.4) Gardenia : Just like a white rose, but it belongs to the coffee family.Hope that helped!Edit : Just for fun, here’s a flower that is a rose, but doesn’t look like one (to me, at least)Campanella Rose
What is the name of a tall yellow daisy like flower?
Two thoughts, Jerusalem artichoke......the tubers are edible. http://www.holoweb.com/cannon/jerusale.h... The other is Maximillian sunflower http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wilds...
Help me pick flowers for next year.?
Getting started: Buy a few bags of compost from a nursery. Sprinkle Osmocote time-released-fertilizer for flowers over your gardening soil, now spread the compost over the fertilizer and water well. Leave it until next spring/summer. Send for free gardening catalogs so you can get use to flower names and how they look. Here are a few that you can send for: http://www.waysidegardens.com http://www.dutchbulbs.com http://www.jacksonandperkins.com (Roses) http://www.parkseed.com http://www.burpee.com Other catalogs: http://www.leevalley.com http://www.gardeners.com http://www.GardensAlive.com http://www.deerbusters.com (all types of animal control) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't forget about containers. Lots of fun. Container/pots/window boxes needs: All need holes in the bottem for water drainage, Potting soil that comes in bags (Micacle-Gro is very good), time-release fertilizer for flowers (not for green plants). Water crystals to be mixed into the soil for holding water, Bedding plants or full grown plants. Here is an excellent link to check out for color combinations and plants that look good together: http://www.fernlea.com/awesomeaccents/recipes.html
How can I take wildflowers from the road, and put them in a flower bed?
Dan, Stop and think for a moment about your actions. Is it illegal? Yes!! Private property calls it invasion and theft. Public Property brings Criminal Charges against you! First a real Wildflower Bed needs development and plannning. Set aside an area you wish to have as such a garden in your yard. Make the proper provisions, such as the soil, irrigation availability, and a border to keep the plants in place. Wildflowers are really weeds that will take over if not contained my friend! With the planning, backfill with any dirt you can and some compost or manure your set to go. Again, confine the area with either a stone or timber wall no less than three foot tall and make it a full surround. After planning and executing that project examine your real purpose. Do I want a true wildflower garden or a garden I can be proud of and tend? I believe the later to be more true. Set the garden to be receptive to any planting this fall. Spend the time between then and spring to put a plan on paper. Make a gradious plan with a Specimen Tree surrounded by rare plants. Then get real and plan a garden that reflects your obvious goal of color through the season. There are so many plants and so many zones in this country that plants can grow in. Write me back for the zone you are in. I am at gjgjobs@yahoo.com and welcome such a challenge. I, after reading your post, would suggest making a raised bed using whatever is available to you. The plants I would use would be a Center Plant of Yucca, a background of Gereniums and a front of Midlandier Roses. All are cheap and available at any Nursery. Beats the hell out of trying to save monies and the bed will continue for years! Good Luck. I am at gjgjobs@yahoo.com
Weed with small yellow flowers?
Hello fellow weed picker, The first weed that comes to mind is of course the Dandelion. Its stems grow taller than the grass, and it has yellow flowers. This plant was brought over from Europe and was used as salad greens. It is high in Vitamin-C, however, don't eat it now, since the today's suburban gardens and lawns have been oversprayed with poisons. The German name for Dandelion is "Loewenzahn" or lion's tooth because of its jagged leaves. Perhaps this will help identify the plant. If this is not the weed in question, here is something else I found for you. Burclover "Medicago polymorpha" Pea family; summer annual. Seed leaves oblong; first true leaf rounded with single leaflet; later leaves with characteristic clover-like shape and usually have reddish-tinged midveins. Small, bright-yellow flowers form in clusters at the end. ** If you need to see pictures, go to the internet and write the individual weed's name and asking for a photo in the search box, and you shall see. Hope this helped.
Can you tell me what this flower is called? does it bloom all year round?
Yup, it is a Zinnia which is an annual. However, is some climates that do not freeze and have average to warm temperatures year round it is possible to have multiple blooms.