planting california wildflower seeds CA Indigenous (Native) Wildflower Mix

planting california wildflower seeds CA Indigenous (Native) Wildflower MixNOTE: Orders placed now are PREORDERS and will ship starting Oct 7. Follow the instructions below to start preparing your garden and soil before received your seeds. Our California Indigenous Wildflower Mix is a custom blend made for us by a local seed company. California Wildflowers are the easiest way to bring a variety of bright colors to your spring garden, while strongly supporting local wildlife and pollinators (many of which are endangered). We

NOTE: Orders placed now are PREORDERS and will ship starting Oct 7. Follow the instructions below to start preparing your garden and soil before received your seeds.

Our California Indigenous Wildflower Mix is a custom blend made for us by a local seed company.  California Wildflowers are the easiest way to bring a variety of bright colors to your spring garden, while strongly supporting local wildlife and pollinators (many of which are endangered).

We are offering our mix in packets of 1oz or bulk quantities of 1/4lb and up. Successful plantings of wildflowers require much more seed than most people think, so we only recommend packets for container planting or very small gardens. For average size gardens and up, we recommend at least 1/4lb.

We recommend an application rate of 1/4 lb per 500 sq ft.

Our CA Indigenous mix includes only plants that are indigenous to California and that will support indigenous wildlife species:

Achillea millefolium White yarrow (perennial)

Clarkia unguiculata Elegant clarkia (annual)

Collinsia heterophylla Chinese houses (annual)

Eschscholzia californica California poppy (tender perennial)

Gilia capitata Globe gilia (annual)

Gilia tricolor Bird’s eyes (annual)

Lasthenia californica Dwarf goldfields (annual)

Layia platyglossa Tidytips (annual)

Lupinus microcarpus densiflorus Golden lupine (perennial)

Lupinus succulentus Arroyo lupine (annual)

Mimulus aurantiacus aurantiacus Monkeyflower (perennial)

Nemophila maculata Five spot (annual)

Nemophila menziesii Baby blue eyes (annual)

Phacelia campanularia California blue bells (annual)

Sisyrinchium bellum Blue eyed grass (perennial)

How to seed this wildflower mix:

Prepare Your Soil

The plants in this mix are indigenous to CA, but that doesn't mean they will grow in unprepared soil.  If the area you will be planting has very compact soil with an existing weed population, you will likely get very poor germination without some preparation.

For compacted soils, begin by removing any existing invasive plants.  Loosen the soil surface with a digging fork or tiller and incorporate a 1 inch layer of compost. Water the soil thoroughly and allow water to soak in for one week.

If new "weed" seedling germinate, remove weeds before proceeding to wildfloewr planting.

Planting Time

Spread seeds a few days before there is a prediction for several days of rainy weather.  Wildflower seeds need consistent moisture and cooler temperatures to germinate. An ideal week would have 3 days of rainy weather with temperatures in the 50s and 60s.

Planting Technique

Pour your wildflower seed mix into a 5 gallon bucket or similar size container (that has no holes) with a lid. Add in soil from your garden so the ratio in the bucket is 20:1 soil:seeds.  Close the lid and shake the bucket thoroughly for 2 minutes.  This process will scratch the surface of seed coats, assisting with germination.

Hand broadcast your seeds over the area you want to plant.

Watering

In a prepared soil and a typical California rainy season, wildflowers should not need additional watering to germinate or grow. In the case of a dry season, hand water every days for 5-6 days to germinate, then about twice a week for establishment.