I'd like to know more about growing wildflowers and other native plants.
Native plants have a common trait – they try their best to live. Most are more tolerant of soil, sunlight, water, and pH variations than is generally known. Many of the North Florida natives will endure a freeze. Cold hardiness is unpredictable by species; some will grow well in Illinois, Ohio and New York – others won’t grow in North Georgia! One Florida native, the Ashe Magnolia, grows from Illinois to Connecticut! Some species that only occur naturally in wet places do better on slightly moist, deep well-drained soils. And some respond to good nutrition by growing so fast they can’t stand upright. It is safe to state that any native species you plant in the dormant state and give extra care for a full year, you can expect to live thereafter with a minimum of care. Pythium (root rot), over-watering and over-fertilizing are a native plant’s greatest enemies.
When do I plant wildflowers?
Fall is the best time to plant wildflowers - after the heat of the summer is past there is usually a wet season. That is the best time to sow the seeds. The next best time is any other time of the year! At the Salter Tree and Herb Farm we try to immulate nature - and Mother Nature sows seeds all year long - so why shouldn't we? Wildflowers don't like our rules - 'cause - well, they are WILD!! Now, if you are looking to get very early, spring blooming flowers, you must plant your seeds in the fall. They will begin sprouting as soon as they get enough moisture, and most of those early bloomers are frost hardy too. So, for Coreopsis basalis, Coreopsis lanceolata and Phlox drummondii, the fall planting is best to assure many strong blossoms. And with the annuals - you won't get another year of flowers unless the plants have plenty of time to grow, bloom, and set seeds. These early bloomers are killed off when the summer heat arrives. With perennials, it is not so important when you plant, since the first year is usually spent getting the plant established and old enough to bloom. You might have to wait 18 months to see your perennial wildflowers first bloom - but if you sow their seeds in the fall, and they are the frost hardy type, you might see a blooming plant in 6-9 months. Just remember, wildflower seeds belong in the ground - not in an envelope in the desk drawer where you will forget about them. So, if you have seeds - plant them!
How do I create a naturalized meadow?
A meadow is not a static arrangement of plants, meaning it is in a state of constant change. Within 3-5 years, a meadow will sprout with many tree and shrub seeds and off it goes to become emerging woods. So, if you want a meadow-look, first of all you must stop mowing. Let the dog fennel, goldenrod, horse weed, iron weed and the multiple, tall, leggy "weeds" grow along with the understory of other highly desirable wildflowers. This will work for about 3 years - and then, if you want to continue with the open meadow look, you will need to bush hog down the woody plants after the growing season is over and all the seeds have dropped to the ground. At the farm, I bush hog down the woody growth every third year. And during the growing season, if there is a need to "clean up" an area along the drive, or for aestheic reasons, I will mow with the blade lifted as high as it will go. That way the crown of the plant is not damaged. In some cases, a high-cut will actually spur the wildflowers to bloom again! A meadow is not just a grassy area free of trees. If we can learn anything from wildflowers we will by noting the wide diversity within plant communities. We hardly know anything about their symbiotic relationships - how they interrelate and help sustain each other. But we have developed lists of good and bad plants and single them out for irradication - not knowing, or caring about the repercussions in the plant communities. Try growing a meadow....or allowing a meadow to grow - consider all the plants as having value and try to determine what that value is - to the plants!
What is the Salter Tree and Herb Farm?
Salter Tree and Herb Farm is a Wildflower seed producer.
