   Creating a Wildflower Meadow - September 15, 1999 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County Wildflower meadows can be an interesting addition to your landscape and are always full of surprises. They are create habitat for butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, quail, and other wildlife. Each year, the seasonal color changes, the textures vary, and plant species ebb and flow. Given the informal appearance of a meadow, one would think that creating one would be easy. Not true. Meadows are especially difficult to establish in areas that have been neglected and weedy. Tossing out your seeds from that "meadow in a can" will often result in a planting of tumbleweeds and amaranth. In this column there are some pointers that will help ensure your meadow's success. The first chore is to reduce the weed population in your meadow area. This is done by tilling the soil and watering often to germinate annual weed seeds. Repeated tilling should kill the juvenile weed plants thereby reducing competition with the slower growing wildflowers. By watering and observing, you will also learn to recognize juvenile weeds. Hint: the weeds always grow twice as fast as the wildflowers. If you have bermudagrass, bindweed, Johnson grass, or other perennial weeds present in the area, the surest course of action is to apply a non-selective, systemic herbicide. Glyphosate is a common, reliable herbicide that will control most perennial weeds when the directions are followed. Two or more applications may be necessary to eradicate the tenacious ones. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions when using these products. If herbicides are not your cup of tea (so to speak) then you may be destined to fight a long battle with perennials. Dedication at the pre-planting stage will definitely cut down on the need for weeding during the establishment of your meadow. The seed bed can be amended with compost or other organic matter to improve water holding capacity and aeration. Rake it smooth and broadcast seed. Be sure not to apply too much seed. Follow the recommendations that came with the seed. When in doubt, seed conservatively. If the seed bed is on a slope, a thin covering of light mulch will hold the seed in place. A heavy mulch application will prevent germination (that's why we mulch areas heavily). During the first two months, moisture is very critical. Timing the seeding with a moist season is the best way to get seeds in synch with their environment. After two months, the seedlings will have developed deep roots. Planting some containerized perennial plants will speed the development and add dimension to the meadow effect. Wildflowers, like grasses, are either adapted to grow in the warm season or cool season. Cool season plants germinate in winter or early spring and die out when it gets hot. Warm season plants rely on warm soil temperatures to germinate and thrive in hot weather. In Arizona, many of these are adapted to monsoon rains. The best wildflower mixes should have warm and cool season species as well as annuals and perennials. Beware of inexpensive wildflower seed mixes. They may not be well adapted to our local climate and elevation. Native grasses are also a pleasant addition to a wildflower meadow. What follows are some plant lists to get you started. The plants listed should do well in the Verde Valley, but are merely a starting point. I'm sure there are many other adapted plants. Some cool season wildflowers are: Penstemon (many species), California or Mexican Poppy (Eschscholtzia sp.), Blue Flax (Linum lewisii), Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata), Blue Dick (Dichelostemma puchellum), Lupine (Lupinus sp.), Clarkia (Clarkia sp.), Columbine (Aquilegia sp.), and Phlox (Phlox sp.). Most of these can be planted now and need some cool, moist exposure to the soil to germinate. This is called stratification. Some warm season wildflowers are: Four-O-Clock (Mirabilis sp.), Yellow Evening Primrose (Oenethera hookerii), Blanketflower (Gaillardia sp.), Paperflower (Psilostrophe bakerii), Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Rocky Mountain Bee Plant (Cleome serrulata), Verbena (Verbena sp.), Globemallow (Sphaeralcea sp.), and many others. Two attractive grasses are Indian Ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides) and Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis). These are best seeded in June before monsoon rains. I'll give you a few parting thoughts: plan on weeding your meadow for at least the first year or two; pull the weeds before they go to seed; give the meadow some water during the dry spell of May-June and August-September-October (after the monsoon and while temperatures allow plant growth); and by all means, enjoy your meadow by observing it during the different seasons. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has publications and information on soil amendments and herbicides. If you have other gardening questions, call the Master Gardener line in the Cottonwood office at 646-9113 or E-mail us at mgardener@kachina.net and be sure to include your address and phone number. |