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Jul 04, 2023

AIKEN MASTER GARDENERS: Plan now for spring wildflower and pollinator beds

Zinnia elegans is a perfect choice for a pollinator garden. I’m a sucker for seed packs with pretty pictures. Recent purchases of wildflower seeds are pressing me to find the right place for next

Zinnia elegans is a perfect choice for a pollinator garden.

I’m a sucker for seed packs with pretty pictures. Recent purchases of wildflower seeds are pressing me to find the right place for next spring’s blooms. According to Clemson’s Home and Garden Information Center, “Growing wildflowers in gardens and landscapes continues to rise in popularity. They add interest and beauty to any landscape in addition to attracting various forms of wildlife.” HGIC identifies a wildflower as “a flowering plant that grows in a natural uncultivated state or survives in a given area with little care.” That description sounds attractive to this gardener. The cold truth is that success with wildflowers — like with any plant — requires a bit more work. Successful spring wildflower and pollinator beds require finding the right place and site preparation.

Wildflower seeds are best sown in late fall, so it is time to select and prepare a potential flower bed. I’ve been burned twice, in the past, having unsuccessfully sown wildflowers. One bed was too dry, and another bed is overrun with chamberbitter which I continue to fight. I’ve applied post emergent herbicide (glyphosate) according to label directions, but chamberbitter requires additional applications. Glyphosate is safe for spray application in existing flower and shrub beds, when taking care to prevent drift to non-target plants. Glyphosate applications are much less apt to move through the soil, be absorbed by roots, or injure existing woody ornamental shrubs. However, once wildflower seeds are planted, if chamberbitter returns, perennial wildflowers will not survive additional applications of glyphosate.

Research tells me to look for a less weedy strip, sunny and near irrigation, that can be mowed after ephemeral wildflowers go to seed. The dry flowerbed can be amended. I can spread straw for decomposition. Adding layers of leaves will help to keep a bed of seedlings moist. In spring, I’ll lightly fertilize. Ideally, annuals and perennials in the newly purchased mixes will self-spread and reseed. Wildflowers are low maintenance, but future success cannot be left to chance.

Now, about that other bed full of chamberbitter: It’s still a perfect spot for a pollinator garden if I can manage weeds. Coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, bergamot and zinnias could fill that space. Zinnias are common in many wildflower and pollinator gardens, and a well-planned zinnia bed is an attractive option especially for neighborhoods with HOA covenants where a wildflower bed would be too weedy. Now is also a good time to select seed mixes for next year’s zinnias.

Common zinnia is an erect, flowering annual in the Asteraceae (aster) family with Mexican origins. The zinnia is named in honor of Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botanist. Zinnias are basically wildflowers that are hybridized. Wild zinnia produces single flower heads about two inches in length, with purple petals surrounding black and yellow central discs. Due to popularity, zinnia has been bred into hundreds of different cultivars. Zinnias are often grown for cut flowers and excel in pollinator gardens.

Zinnia elegans are naturally tall plants with big blooms. Flowers are actually multiple tiny composite flowers. Z. elegans California Giant dependably reaches 4feet with a riot of colorful flowers five to six inches across. Other cultivated varieties originate from the narrow-leafed zinnia, Z. angustifolia. Single white, yellow and orange flowers are an inch or two across on petite plants. A third variety, Z. haageana, Mexican zinnia, is disease resistant and features single or double-petaled red, yellow or orange blooms. A cultivar, Jazzy Mix, is excellent for containers. A hybrid cross of Z. elegans and Z. angustifolia known as Z. marylandica features cultivars in the popular Profusion and Zahara series.

Look for more seed packs with different mixes of zinnia: Single, semi-double, fully double, cactus, globe and dahlia flower forms. Single-petaled varieties leave the flower’s center visible to attract pollinators since pollen is easily accessible to butterflies, hummingbirds, and insects. Semi-doubles have a visible central disc as well as two or more rows of petals. Doubles have several rows of petals but no visible center. Cactus types have narrow semi-double or double-quilled petals in a wide variety of colors up to five inches across. Their impressive size and uniquely shaped petals twist and curl towards their undersides as stunning cut flowers. Globe types are named for their spherical flower heads. A round, mounded growth habit also makes them fantastic in containers. Dahlia zinnias are semi-double to double, rounded flowers with wide, flat petals. These six-inch dramatic blooms typically grow on long stems.

In the right place, a wildflower meadow can be worth the effort, while zinnias are terrific for attracting pollinators like hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Without the absolute right conditions, wildflowers do not often persist, but we can plant zinnias every spring. Either way, some preparation is required now to realize dream beds of flowers next spring. A meadow garden does not have to be completely weed-free, but that extremely annoying chamberbitter needs aggressive control measures now.

Master Gardeners will be present at the Aiken County Farmer’s Market through October, and available to help with questions through phone calls and emails at the Extension Office at 1555 Richland Ave. E. or call 803-508-7739.

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I’m a sucker for seed packs with pretty pictures. Recent purchases of wildflower seeds are pressing me to find the right place for next spring’s blooms. According to Clemson’s Home and Garden Information Center, “Growing wildflowers in gardens and landscapes continues to rise in popularity. … Read moreAIKEN MASTER GARDENERS: Plan now for spring wildflower and pollinator beds

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