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Steps to a Successful Arkansas Wild Flower Planting

Arkansas grows over 600 varieties of wild flowers. These grace the state with their natural beauty and elegance. And so, people in Arkansas also enjoy planting some of these and make a wild flower garden themselves.

If you are also into Arkansas wild flowers, then you can also start creating your own wild flower garden. Wild flower planting may be difficult for some. But for those who are familiar with wild flowers and planting, this could be an easy undertaking. So, before you proceed, make sure that you know exactly where to start and how to go with the process in order to achieve a satisfying result.

First, you need to analyze your site and select the right wild flowers to plant in it. When analyzing the site, you have to determine its soil type, drainage, moisture, slope, and amount of sunlight. If you don't know how to do this, you can search online for a cooperative that offers this kind of testing service. It is important to know this information because your seeds growth depends mainly on this. After analyzing the site, you can now choose the right species of wild flowers to plant on your site. It is recommended that you pick wild flowers which is either native or can be found in Arkansas.

Some of the Arkansas wild flowers that you can choose are goldenrod, pale purple coneflower, larkspur, Mexican hut, Arkansas beard tongue, rough blazing star, and tickseed. If you don't know which of these flowers are annuals and perennials, you should ask from the store before buying because annuals are said to bloom first than perennials.

Second, you need to determine the amount of Arkansas wild flower seed that you will need before you prepare the seedbed and sow the seed into it. The recommended amount is that for a 1 acre area to be covered, you need around 10 lbs of seed, and if it is 1000 square feet, you need only 5 ounces of seed. The amount actually varies depending on the area to be covered. If you are unsure of this, you can ask a friend to help you or do a little research online.

Once you have determined the amount of seed, you can now prepare the seedbed. Preparation includes raking, thatching, or burning so that at least half of the soil surface will show. Remove all the unnecessary plants and scarify the soil surface. Once done, sow the seed through the use of a hand-cranked whirlwind seeder if you have. But if you do not, you can do it by hand. After sowing, you can incorporate the seeds by raking the soil very lightly. Take note that you should not cover the seed deeper than its diameter.

Now that you have already planted the seed, you can start managing your new garden, and the first thing to do is to water it. This is actually not that necessary, but this will help to speed up germination and establishment. Weeding is another part, so you must be able to tell which is a weed and which is a wild flower.

These are the steps that you have to remember when you make your Arkansas wild flower garden. With these in mind, your planting project will sure be a success.