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Wildflower meadows are beneficial ecosystems providing beauty and ever- changing blooms.

Are you looking for color, variety and texture in your landscape? Adding wildflowers might be the solution as an eye-catching niche garden or an expansive pollinator meadow.

A wildflower meadow — a blend of wildflower varieties with native grasses such as Switchgrass, Side Oats Grama and Little Bluestem — benefits bees, insects and wildlife with food and habitat. It is not too difficult to create, but there are a few important steps.

A location with six or more hours of sun will provide the best results for the wildflower meadow.

Prepare the site. To foster quicker germination and reduce stress from competing plants, clear weedy plants and grasses. Removal can be accomplished by hand tools and/or herbicides. A power harrow is an excellent tool as it uses minimal tilling and mills the soil to a specified depth. Rototilling is not recommended because it stirs up weed seeds. (A square foot of soil may contain 900-3,000 weed seeds!)

Next, amend the soil, as needed. If the topsoil is depleted or has been disturbed (such as during construction), amend it with 1-2 cubic yards of premium top soil mixed with 5% compost per 1,000 square feet. This should be raked into the top 1 inch of the existing soil. Additional amendment is not necessary since wildflowers perform well in lean soil. However, slow-draining clay soil might be more challenging.

Select the seed based upon your location and preferences. Seed companies provide an array of individual species as well as special mixes including those for Native Wildflowers, Fall Wildflowers, High Plains Foothills Wildflowers, High Plains Foothills Meadows (contains more grasses), Southwest Wildflowers, Southwest Pollinator Wildflowers and Intermountain Native Wildflowers.

If developing a meadow this fall, sow the seeds after the first or second killing frost. The average ground temperature should be below 45 degrees; this ensures there is no chance for germination. The seed will remain dormant until the following spring and will germinate as the ground warms up.

Follow manufacturer recommendations for seeding density; do not sow too closely or the plants will not be able to grow properly. To facilitate dispersion, combine the seed mix with builder’s sand. Seeds might be hand sown or by using a broadcast seeding tool. A good method is to sow while walking in one direction and then repeating in a 90-degree direction from the first pass. Set the seeds by pressing them into the soil — do not bury them. They simply need good seed-to-soil contact.

Traversing the site with a manual hand roller a few times works well. If the winter is dry, water regularly to keep the soil moist, but not soaked. This is especially important in the spring during germination. Reduce watering after the seedlings are 4 to 6 inches tall.

Submit gardening questions to [email protected] or call 719-520-7684. The help desk is open 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at 17 N. Spruce St. Find us on Facebook at Colorado Master Gardeners – El Paso County.

Submit gardening questions to [email protected] or call 719-520-7684. The help desk is open 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at 17 N. Spruce St. Find us on Facebook at Colorado Master Gardeners – El Paso County.

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