Wildflower garden addition

Joe Dupre'

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I'm turning a 1000 square foot section of my yard into a wildflower meadow/ bonsai addition. During the winter, I cleared the ground and lightly tilled it. I bought a Southeast wildflower mix from American Meadows and planted it a couple of months ago. We're starting to get more 70 degree F nights and things are starting to bloom. The first ones to come up were the Partridge Peas.......yellow flowers. There are more shoots of different kinds coming up as well. I'm going to let it all sprout up and then figure out some kind of path material. I may just go the natural route and use a natural worn-down path.

I planted 9 purple flowered lantanas( free from the roadside) up against the fence as well as several lillies scrounged from my sister's flower bed. I'll just be planting whatever I can find for cheap or free. My hope is to make it as colorful and secluded as possible.

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Firstflush

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Going to be wonderful. Post up pics when the 3 foot echinaceas (cone flower) come up. Pollinator heaven!
Plan on letting them reseed in fall/winder for next year??
 

Joe Dupre'

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Going to be wonderful. Post up pics when the 3 foot echinaceas (cone flower) come up. Pollinator heaven!
Plan on letting them reseed in fall/winder for next year??
Looking forward to the cone flowers! I plan on letting it basically take care of itself from now on. Reseeding is definitely part of that. Whatever comes up as volunteers will stay if it looks good and doesn't unduly take over the area. I'll even let a thistle or two come up. Diversity of habitat is a cool thing.

What started this?? I'm basically a country boy at heart. I was really tired of a completely manicured lawn. I wanted some wildness in my environment. The plan is to have a little wild sanctuary to escape to.
 

Firstflush

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Need a bird bath right in the middle you fill up with a hose every 5 days. I couldn’t stand hearing a small electric pump going all the time. It should act like a trap crop for all the pests you don’t want on your trees. I love it. Will draw in pollinators and beneficials to help your veggie patch too if you have one.
 

Joe Dupre'

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Update: 9 of the 17 flower varieties in the mix have bloomed. 3 or 4 more have sprouted. Bees and butterflies have found the stash. I saw my first ever hummingbird moth a week ago. Very interesting creature. I have only a few experimental trees there now. I'll move more benches and trees in when it all gets more established.

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Joe Dupre'

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A thought: If your lawn is impeccably cut , your flower beds have surgically crisp edges and all the plants are strategically placed, this might not be a fit for you. LOL! You have to put up with a bit ( ok, a LOT) of chaos with this type of area.
 

Firstflush

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I like it. If the echinacea / cone flowers don’t come up, grab a sixer from the garden center. The original are purple and get 4-5 feet tall. The newer varieties aren’t as big or nice. If you let them set seed you’ll feed local birds all winter.
 

Joe Dupre'

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I think I've settled on my treatment of the footpath through the flower garden. I toyed with the idea of stepping stones, mulch and river rock. I decided to go simple and natural......just a slightly worn down "game trail". I simply picked a path and went along and EASED the flowers off to each side as I went. The path makes a right turn in front of the beam. It disappears around the corner which adds a bit of mystery. We have great drainage here, so I don't foresee any problems with mud. I think the path is in keeping with the overall natural feel of the garden.

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Ming dynasty

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I’m thinking about growing some flowers near my bonsai stands or near the vicinity. Is that a good idea? Will unwanted bugs, insect, birds mess with the bonsai?
 

Joe Dupre'

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I’m thinking about growing some flowers near my bonsai stands or near the vicinity. Is that a good idea? Will unwanted bugs, insect, birds mess with the bonsai?
All in all, I think it's a good idea. Normally, the good bugs tend to control the bad ones. I haven't seen any obvious increase in insect pests on my trees. Just remember, some wildflowers grow up to 3 feet high, so allow room for them to grow.
 
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