If you have a large area or yard that you want to bring color to, or have a garden patch that you want to fill but do not want to work at much, then planting wildflowers is the best way to go. Wildflowers, native species of plant to the area that you live, create a great low maintenance garden that requires much less effort and upkeep than a garden of plants that are not naturally found in the vicinity. Native plants, or wildflower, come in a large array of shapes, sizes, and colors, and are quite fun to work with. Planting your wildflower garden is much like planting a typical garden. The foundation of a good garden bed is always the soil. With a wildflower garden, most of the time, the native species that you will be planting will be accustomed to the soil available in the region and no additional work will need to be done aside from breaking up the earth and readying it for planting. However, if you do choose to import soil to the garden bed, it will be a great advantage to the plants you will be placing, because it will give them a head start and will be much easier for them to get established into. Remember, whatever soil you choose to use, that it must be able to drain well. Planting into a muddy or clay like soil will not be good for the roots, nor will soil that is too sandy or dry.
The benefits of planting a wildflower garden are enormous. Wildflowers and plants that are native to the area are best suited simply because they have had the time to adjust to the specific resources available to them. The plants that are typically found in an area have had many generations to adapt and mutate to suit their environments, and by planting them in your garden, you will be reducing the effort that you will need to spend on their up keep because they will be able to adjust on their own. Planting native species of wildflower is also a great benefit to the environment and ecosystem around your garden. By planting native species, you are giving new habitats to the animals and insects that are familiar to the plants, and are helping to ensure that the natural ecosystem is preserved by not introducing plants that would not be typically found or that could have a negative affect on the surrounding area. Many native species of plants have very impressive blooms, from trees to shrubs, and flowers to ground cover. Once your wildflower garden is established, you will find that the watering, weeding, and pruning becomes more and more manageable because the plants will learn to adapt to their available resources and space. Also, as you get more accustomed to the garden, try to include many varieties of plants that bloom at various stages of the year. By planning the wildflower garden in this way, you will be able to ensure that at any given time of the year, something in your garden is blooming, just like in a natural setting.
