Cloudy skies with a few showers this afternoon. High 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

“Fall is the perfect time to plant wildflowers in most of the country,” this week’s Growings On notes. “Cool, wet days allow the seed of perennial flowers to germinate, while annual flower seed can lie dormant until spring. Starting a new wildflower patch or renovating an old one will benefit from autumn attention.”

“Fall is the perfect time to plant wildflowers in most of the country,” this week’s Growings On notes. “Cool, wet days allow the seed of perennial flowers to germinate, while annual flower seed can lie dormant until spring. Starting a new wildflower patch or renovating an old one will benefit from autumn attention.”

Displays of floral color in the spring are welcome following the widespread browns and even grays of winter. Fall floral displays may not be as conspicuous, but careful husbandry of proper plants can lend pleasing hues as the growing season ends.

Floral color functions primarily to attract pollinators, facilitating fertile seed production. Many plants synchronize flowering and seed distribution so that germination of perennial seeds occurs before freezing temperatures. Annual seeds may be scattered to accomplish seed-soil contact and cold temperature conditioning in preparation for spring germination.

Such strategies may limit the vulnerability of seed rain to predation by animals consuming or collecting seed for winter food.

Many fall-blooming wildflowers follow this pattern and encouraging their growth and display in subsequent years may benefit by recognizing and following this natural sequence.

Fall is the perfect time to plant wildflowers in most of the country.

Cool, wet days allow the seed of perennial flowers to germinate, while annual flower seed can lie dormant until spring.

Starting a new wildflower patch or renovating an old one will benefit from autumn attention.

The first step in growing a new wildflower patch is to select the right varieties for your region.

Many companies offer general North American mixes and specific regional mixes. Regional mixes feature annual, biennial and perennial flowers that are known to grow well in a particular area.

In a recent National Gardening Association newsletter, consultant Charlie Narduzzi offered several suggestions for wildflowers that might be cultivated successfully to encourage floral color in the fall:

• Indian Blanket: This annual produces red, daisy-like flowers with yellow edging. It blooms in early summer.

• Black Eyed Susan: This classic, perennial wildflower features bright yellow flower petals with a black center. It flowers from midsummer until fall.

• Shirley Poppy: This annual produces papery flowers in shades of pink, red and white. It flowers from spring until mid-summer and often self sows.

• Purple Coneflower: This native American perennial produces purple-petaled flowers with a prickly orange center (cone). It flowers from midsummer until frost. It naturalizes and spreads easily.

• Lupine: This perennial produces tall flower spikes that bloom in early summer in colors such as red, blue, pink and white. They naturalize easily.

Cosmos are the annual wildflowers you may have seen planted alongside the exit ramps on Interstate 75. Cosmos may grow three to five feet high and a truly “wildflower look.” Cosmos are open, sprawling plants that also make good cut flowers.

Narduzzi continued with planting and maintenance guidelines.

“Most wildflowers grow best in full sun, so select an area that gets at least six hours of direct sun a day. Wildflowers may be planted almost anywhere: along a driveway, in a meadow, in a garden, along a road or on banks.

“Mow the wildflower area close to the ground. If it’s an abandoned field, brush hog the area first before mowing more closely with a lawn mower, if possible. Try to avoid tilling the wildflower area deeply, which brings dormant weed seeds to the soil surface to germinate and compete with your wildflowers for water and nutrients in spring. Instead, kill the existing vegetation by hand-pulling tough perennial weeds and using a flame weeder or organic herbicide to kill all the other weeds. Using a flamer and herbicide helps create spaces for wildflower seeds to get started.

“After treating the vegetation, shallowly scratch or lightly till the soil surface and sow your wildflower seeds. Scatter them over the area as evenly as possible, first walking in one direction and then in the perpendicular direction. Press the seed into the soil with your footsteps.

“Keep the wildflower patch well watered this fall if the weather is dry. In spring the patch should start growing. It’s inevitable that some weeds will appear in your new planting. At first, it will be difficult to distinguish them from the wildflowers, but pull any grasses and be highly suspicious of any plant that’s growing much faster than everything else.

“By spring the first flowers will appear. During the first year, many wildflower patches are dominated by annuals such as baby’s breath, sunflowers and cosmos. These showy colors will give way to perennials such as Black Eyed Susans and Coneflowers in subsequent years.”

“Keep in mind that many wildflowers are very prolific seed producers and can spread rapidly,” Paul Pugliese, agriculture and natural resources agent for the University of Georgia Extension office in Bartow County, has written. “Depending on perspective, one person’s wildflower is another person’s weed. Be prepared to contain them in a small area to keep friends and neighbors happy.”

Roger Gates is the agricultural and natural resources agent for University of Georgia Extension, Whitfield County. Contact him at roger.gates@uga.edu.

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