A meadow of wildflowers would be a pleasant sight in any backyard garden. In nature a meadow of wildflowers is renewed every year. The seeds that are produced every fall will all be sprouting in the spring. Now is the time to plant those wildflower seeds in an area of your garden.

In the Rockies, Midwest, and Northeast, the hard winter sections of the country, calls for a dormant planting of wildflower seeds. This means that after a killing frost you plant your seeds the same way as if you were planting in the spring. Do this before the ground freezes and this planted seed will be in bloom around two weeks earlier than the same ones planted in spring.

Planting in the frost free areas that get hot summers, such as South Florida, deep Southern Texas and much of Southern California and the Southwest, you can probably plant just about all winter long. Some California wildflower experts say planting wildflower seeds can begin in October and continue all the way into January but it is always best to have the seeds planted before the rainy season begins.

For planting wildflower seeds in the South follow the same method as for hard winter sections you just will not have to wait as long for blooms. Even if your ground feezes or it does not your seeds will sprout and grow as your spring season starts.

You want to loosely hoe the soil in the area where you intend to plant your wildflower seeds and remove the weeds and grass. The meadow of wildflowers area should be sunny to partly shady. The wildflower seed mixes you want to purchase should be native to your area. You can then spread the seed over your prepared garden or meadow and rake it gently. You also want to follow the directions on the wildflower seed packets, and water the seed well.

Spending a lot of time fertilizing and watering is not needed for a wildflower garden because the seeds you should have chosen are native to the area in which you live. All that means is they already like living in that area and they do not expect any more rain than you already get in a season. Giving your field of wildflowers extra water and fertilizer will not hurt it will just keep them blooming for a longer period of time. You will want to continue the watering morning and night to make sure it does not dry out. Make sure your sprinkler gives off a fine shower so the seed will not move around during sprouting. Once the wildflower seed start to sprout and get to be about 4 inches tall you do not need to water them unless the soil becomes dry or the seedlings start to wilt. These are the few gardening tips you want to follow most everything else comes natural to those native wildflowers.

You really do not need to worry about the weeds. Wildflowers are so hardy they can deal with nature's enemies and sometimes some of the weeds will bring a bit of fulness to your meadow of wildflowers. If you do not like the site of the weed by all means do a little weeding, it will not hurt your wildflowers.

Besides planting wildflower seeds you may want to think about planting some other native plants to your meadow or field. Shrubs, ferns, berry plants, and other native plants will compliment your garden wildflower meadow. Native ferns that are planted in the shade of some trees will do very well. Native wildflowers and plants are basically endless all you need to do is a little research for your geographic area.

After you have enjoyed your meadow of wildflowers and the flowers have all gone to seed the biggest chore you need to do is mow it down to between 4 and 6 inches. This will make the meadow look clean and you can rest assured that the seeds have been distributed and are ready for the following year. This will also keep away any woody weeds from invading your field. A wildflower garden is a very simple garden to plant and maintain plus you can also enjoy watching the butterflies gently prancing across the meadow.