When is the Best Time to Plant Wildflowers?

We all love the beauty of a field of wildflowers and so do all the pollinators. But when is the best time to plant and how do you prepare your site for planting? The answer is, it depends on your location or climate. Spring, summer and fall are all good times to plant wildflowers but the absolute best time will depend on the winter temperatures and water availability. Watch our video on Planting Wildflowers for step-by-step methods for planting.
Planting Time in Mild-Winter Areas
If you live in an area with minimal or no winter frosts (parts of California, Florida, southern Texas or parts of the South West) you can plant wildflowers any time, however, the hottest time of the year is not recommended. It is best to take advantage of the rains and plant in the fall when the rain begins.Planting Time in Cold-Zones
If you live in snow zones or areas with bitter-cold winters, it is best to wait and plant in the spring or some even say you can plant in fall. The advantage of planting in the fall is you will see those blooms earlier than if spring planted. Fall Planting - Timing - best to wait until after a good hard frost. The seeds will not sprout until the spring when the soil has warmed up enough for germination.
I too live in an area filled with birds and my attempts at sowing seeds met with limited results. Now, I cover any bed(and almost anything I plant until it sprouts) with chicken wire and weigh down the ends with small-medium rocks. The chipmunks and squirrels are the biggest nuisance as they constantly dig in any fresh dirt they encounter. The wire works really well, though I once caught a chipmunk underneath. He’s able to dig through the wire a bit, but I figure he’s due his share. I first used chicken wire to bury bulbs and it worked liked a charm.
On Mt. Palomar San Diego, Ca. rain conditions vary greatly, year to year. Best success with wild flowers is to use a 3 prong cultivator to rake in the seeds. Long 5 foot handle." Any time of the year. Let Mother Nature germinate in her own time. Place seed in a container such as a salt shaker. Shake the seed out at a good pace within a 20 foot square, that rake in, re-rake over with the backside of a regular rake. Do another 20 foot square. Than, “See the lilies in the fields, they toil not.”
I live in an area full of birds of many kinds, so unless I apply a light covering to the seeds, they are gone almost immediately. After spreading the seeds, I cover with a thin application of a bagged organic mulch, then water. I have great success with this for several years.