Planting Wildflowers:
Help For A Weedy Meadow

by Victor
(Forest)

I have a meadow that only grows weeds. I have tried all kinds of various flower seeds - nothing grows in the hard clay.

What type of perennial meadow flowers will grow quickly in clay concrete?

Answer from our professional landscaper:
The biggest key to wildflowers is to properly cultivate the ground before planting seeds.
The area needs to be tilled lightly to create a bed for the seeds to germinate. The blend of seed chosen is dependent on your area. It is best to have all native species in the blend, they will have the best results. Again this is just like a vegetable garden, it needs to be prepared well to have great results. The following is a list of wildflowers that are native to the southeast United States:

Plains Coreopsis, often called Calliopsis in the South, plus annual red phlox, Indian blanket and black-eyed Susan, Butterfly Weed, Purple Coneflower, Red Standing Cypress, Blazing Star, Wild Lupine, and even Scarlet Sage and Spiderwort.

Chas Hendricksen
Ask The Landscaper