Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gardening

Create a wildflower garden bursting with color and native plants! Here’s your guide

Plant these flowers for a lovely wildflower garden

Cayla Leonard
By

The word wildflower probably brings to mind images of lush meadows and fields dotted with bright colors, but did you know you can bring a piece of that to your own garden? Wildflower gardens are easy to grow and great for the environment. You can even grow some wildflowers in pots or containers, so you can grow them no matter what kind of space you’re living in.

If you’re looking for a place to start learning about wildflowers, you’re in the right spot! We’ll tell you everything you need to know to get started on your very own wildflower garden.

Beautiful light purple asters

What is a wildflower garden?

Wildflower gardens are, as the name suggests, gardens planted exclusively (or mostly) with wildflowers. These kinds of flowers grow in the wild and aren’t cultivated by humans. This means the flower variety can (or could previously) be found in the wild, and that people didn’t create the flowers intentionally through cross-pollination or other means. Instead, the flowers evolved naturally on their own.

Related
A mix of colorful wildflowers

Planting your seeds

One of the benefits of wildflower gardens is how low maintenance they are. Wildflowers have evolved to live on their own, which means they don’t need much effort on your part to plant them.

Recommended Videos

Most wildflowers don’t need very much, or any, cover over their seeds in order to germinate. Instead, you can just scatter them over the surface of your garden. You can add a thin layer of soil over the top of them, but if you do, it should be less than a quarter inch. If you want a wildflower garden that doesn’t look quite so wild, you can carefully lay your seeds out instead of scattering them.

Wildflower seeds also tend to be small, which makes them more likely to blow or wash away. Water the ground before you scatter your seeds rather than after. This helps the seeds stick where they land, but it also means you won’t accidentally wash the seeds away when you water them.

Dainty white asters that resemble daisies

Asters

You can find asters in nearly every wildflower seed mix, and it’s easy to see why. These flowers come in many colors and are closely related to daisies. Although most asters are native to Europe, the New England aster is native to the U.S. and thrives in the mild to chilly weather of the Northeast. They prefer rich, moist soil and can be planted in either full sun or partial shade. If you want to grow them in a hotter climate, be sure to provide them with shade in the afternoon.

Orange and red blanket flowers

Blanket flowers

Blanket flowers are beautiful orange and red flowers that are native to the Great Plains states, but can be found to the north and east of them as well. If you live in a dry area with poor soil, then the blanket flower is a perfect wildflower for you. It thrives in hot, dry weather, prefers full sun, and will grow in soil that other plants dislike. So even if you’ve had difficulty getting other plants to grow in your garden, you’ll likely see success with a blanket flower!

Dark pink lupine flowers

Lupine flowers

Lupine, with its tall, colorful flower spikes, is another popular wildflower. It’s native to the Northwest, from Northern California up to Alaska. However, it can grow successfully across the U.S. If you want to grow lupine flowers, you should know that they prefer cool, moist climates. Full sun gives you the brightest flowers, but they can grow in partial shade as well. If you want to grow lupine flowers farther south, be sure to give them some shade and water them more frequently to help them cope with the heat.

A couple orange poppies

Poppies

Poppy flowers are incredibly easy to grow and beautiful to see. As a result, they’re included in almost every wildflower mix. They thrive in full sun and moist soil, and removing dead flowers encourages them to bloom even more vigorously. The main issue with poppy flowers is actually that they grow too easily and will spread across your garden or yard if given the chance! Most poppy varieties are native to Europe and are considered invasive in the U.S. due to how quickly they spread, but the California poppy is native to the American Southwest.

A field of black-eyed Susans

Black-eyed Susans

Black-eyed Susans are relatives of asters, and they require similar care. They prefer full sun and moist soil, but they can tolerate some drought. Black-eyed Susans are native to the eastern and central regions of the U.S., but are easy to grow even in the Southwest. Some varieties can grow tall and benefit from a support stake, but short varieties will grow just fine on their own.

Now you’re ready to start planning and planting your very own wildflower garden! Choose your plants, scatter your seeds, and watch the flowers grow and bloom. You’ll be amazed at the results, and at how little work it takes to achieve them. Your local pollinators will be thrilled, and if you let the flowers self-seed, you won’t need to replant your garden for quite a while.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Cayla Leonard
Cayla Leonard
Contributor
Cayla Leonard is a writer from North Carolina who is passionate about plants.  She enjoys reading and writing fiction and…
Ornamental grasses add texture and color to your garden – how to grow these 6 different varieties
Caring for these ornamental grasses in your yard or garden
Pink muhly grass

Although there are countless varieties of grass, so many of them look the same. It can be difficult to find grass that really stands out in your garden. That’s where ornamental grasses come in. Ornamental grasses like pink muhly grass, purple fountain grass, and switchgrass can add color and texture to your garden borders just like flowers would. Wondering which ornamental grass to choose for your garden? Here are a few of our favorites!
What makes a grass ornamental?
You may think that all grass is ornamental. After all, we grow lawns because they look nice, not because we use them for food. You wouldn’t be entirely wrong in thinking that. Ornamental grass is still grass; it’s just grass that looks different. However, ornamental grass includes grass-like plants such as sedge, as well as true grass varieties.

Ornamental grasses come in a range of appearances besides the short, green look of classic lawn grasses. Often, ornamental grasses are tall, with some growing to 15 feet tall or more. Many are colorful and patterned, and they may have an interesting flower or seed head. Since there are so many varieties, there are ornamental grasses that will fit almost any garden or yard. Many gardeners use ornamental grasses as borders, but some varieties can make great additions to container gardens or flower gardens.

Read more
Blazing stars will fill your summer garden with color: A liatris care guide
Growing and caring for liatris
Tall purple liatris (blazing star) with butterflies

There are many wonderful plants you can add to your summer flower garden for stunning color, from tall and bright sunflowers to short and sweet zinnia. If you’re planning your garden now, you should definitely consider adding liatris, also called blazing star, to the mix! This tall, drought-tolerant, native perennial has stunning purple flowers. It’ll even attract butterflies. Here’s everything you need to know about planting and caring for liatris.
Planting liatris
You can plant liatris bulbs in the spring or fall, but you can transplant mature plants during any season. Choose a location with full sun and well-draining soil to plant your liatris in. Blazing stars can tolerate some light shade, but they won’t thrive unless they get at least 6 hours of sun each day. Spacing is important when planting liatris, as they can grow to 2 feet high and 1.5 feet wide. Plant your liatris bulbs 12 to 15 inches apart so they have plenty of space to grow.

In addition to having well-draining soil, it should also be average or poor. Many plants prefer soil that's rich with organic matter, but liatris has an unusual quirk! The flower stalks will sometimes bend or flop over if the soil is too rich.

Read more
The delicate lenten rose has some unusual and delightful varieties – here are our favorites
5 lenten rose varieties to grow in your garden
White hellebore flowers

Lenten roses, also known as hellebore, are beautiful, delicate-looking flowers that come in many colors and patterns. As shade-loving flowers, they’re particularly useful for brightening up darker sections of your garden. Whether you want a classic solid purple variety or a more intricate spotted one, there’s a perfect lenten rose for any garden. Looking for a new lenten rose variety to add to your home or garden? Try one of these five!

Fire and Ice
Fire and Ice is a stunning white and pink variety from the Winter Jewels series. Each petal is predominantly white, but the edges are a vibrant shade of pink. It has double-petaled flowers, meaning there are two layers of petals, giving the blooms a fuller appearance. Fire and Ice grows to around a foot and a half tall and is an early-blooming lenten rose. While hellebore are generally among the earliest blooming spring flowers, Fire and Ice often blooms during winter.

Read more