Wildflowers
What is the attraction of wildflowers? I have recently gotten it in my head that I want to plant some wildflower meadows on my property. I can’t really say what the genesis of the idea was other than I have always had an infatuation with wildflowers. I must not be the only one since when I went online I found many places to buy wildflower seeds. The site I chose had varieties that were regional mixes that represented the most indigenous and colorful flowers that come from various regions. They had broken up the U.S. along some horticultural lines into six regions and then offered several varieties within each region, the primary differentiator being the color blend represented. This was less about picking specific plants and flowers and more about selecting a color scheme you wanted for your meadow that would work within the region where you live. Obviously I chose the Far Western Region that is specifically intended for the coastal areas of Southern California. The color palette I chose was the broadest array of colors they had. The mix represented a blend of both annuals and perennials. I presume that means that either the annuals naturally seed themselves for subsequent seasons or the color palette changes over time to favor the perennials. I have no idea how that will work and the fact that neither the website nor the various You-Tube clips I have watched spend a lot of time talking about wildflower meadow management over extended periods of time. Maybe wildflowers are intended to be a bit less regimented and free form or else they are truly an impulse purchase that comes and goes over one’s life or something.
The process of planting a wildflower meadow is incredibly simple it seems. First you remove the vegetation that exists on the ground where you want to plant. That is relatively easy to accomplish out here since the dryness of the ground makes for spotty vegetation growth at all. In fact, during the summer months, those areas not being watered basically reduce to dust and whatever weeds do sprout get weed-whacked by the gardeners. We have cleared our 2.5 acres of brush as prescribed by the Chubb Insurance Company and have left 200 feet cleared around our house. That pretty much means that whatever isn’t part of the cactus and succulent garden and is therefore not irrigated has been cut down to the dirt and rock. Because of all the natural boulders here on this hilltop, the look of the bare chaparral looks more natural than such a drastic trimming would seem elsewhere in the country. However, it is now early spring here, the perfect ice to plant wildflowers, but also the perfect time for the propagation and growth of weeds. So, one starts by tilling the weeds and raking the ground for planting by loosening the soil just a bit. Again, this is all pretty easy where I want to plant, so no issues. The process then involves broadcasting the seed by hand or hand-cranked spreader. It seems to be a contradiction to do this any way except by hand such that the spread is somewhat natural and not too even. My older sister Kathy advises me to use the spreader, but I am less inclined to do so. I’m sure the seed mix is not uniform anyway and God only knows which seeds produce which colors, so there is natural randomness to the whole process anyway.
After broadcasting the seed on the surface you can either leave them to sink in by themselves or you can walk around on them to sink them under your feet, again, somewhat naturally and not necessarily in some even rolled manner. Then you water them regularly until the germinate. And voila, you have a wildflower meadow. Or so the instructions and instructional videos suggest. I have a feeling that in this climate, the key will be that whole water regularly thing, so I plan to be quite diligent in that regard.
When I went to buy the seed I needed to decide how much I would need and that meant thinking about where I wanted these wildflower meadows. I want to pick areas that I can use my irrigation system to water because there seems to be little sense in planting wildflowers just to see them shrivel from lack of water. The second thought is to pick places that are more wide open than not and perhaps more visible to be enjoyed by us. My initial thought was that sowing a swath of the back hillside down toward the Bison Boulder would be a good spot based on both the soil, the access to irrigation and visibility. The other place is on the north side of the house where I have some largely underutilized irrigation on the slope that falls away from the gravel path to the north. This seems to generally be an underutilized space on the property and it does have the potential to feel like a meadow that falls away from the house. I bought three bags that are each supposed to cover 2,000 square feet. The first two spots I discussed seem to be about the right size, I think the third might be an area in the lower garden, just above the games area that seems flat and underutilized. It has some soaking tube so hopefully I can manipulate the watering to give the area enough water to make it a plentiful meadow of sorts.
The one thing that vexes me a little is that I seem to be gradually turning parts of my property away from the xeriscape naturally dry landscape that is more in keeping with the he high chaparral that this are defaults to by nature. I’ve decided that California wildflower planting is less invasive than not and that I am not so much changing the landscape as trying out new ideas to mix it up a bit. I know that when I see a xeriscaped property it can look barren or it can look lush. In general the. The front of our property looks more lush than sparse and there is a an irrigation system in place with twenty-one zones for some reason (I have only added one zone), so I am generally concluding that it is natural enough to try to grow wildflowers.
Mostly I am amusing myself by doing this. There is still a big part of me that is from upstate New York and perhaps even the forests of Maine. It is not as though I am trying to recreate an unnatural setting out here, I am just trying to add a small dash of color to an otherwise earth-toned landscape. I am reminded that in the spring, one of the things Kim and I enjoy doing is taking a ride out to Borego Springs to see the bloom that comes with the spring rains. It is colorful and reminds us that thee is plenty of life in the desert, it just waits for its moment to show itself. Well, maybe my wildflowers will be just such a moment for me to show myself and my thirst for a dash of color on my otherwise spartan hillside.