How to start a wildflower garden 💐 Advice from a landscape designer

Learn how to start a wildflower garden, from scratch, even if you are new to gardening!
This video focuses on a simple method for creating a low maintenance, aesthetically pleasing, perennial wildflower garden bed that focuses on using native plants that support pollinators (and other living things).
This video is inspired by a phone conversation I had with a friend, who called and asked how to create a wildflower garden in her front yard. She needed simple, actionable advice, and answers to questions like:
-What should I plant? How to find the best native plants for wildflower gardens?
-When should I grow annual wildflowers, or perennials?
-Should I start from seeds, or buy wildflower?
-Where do I shop for native plants or seeds?
-How do I make it look nice and neat for the landlord and neighbors while still supporting wildlife?
-How should I prepare the soil and plant and mulch a new pollinator garden?
-How often do I water native plants?
I thought this would make a great video! I hope it helps you!
Here are some ways you can get involved and learn more:
🪴 FREE MINI COURSE: How to choose the perfect plant (and put it in the right place): www.gardenprojectacademy.com/...
I HAVE EXCITING NEWS!
🪴 Design-Your-Own Landscape Layout ONLINE COURSE
...is now OPEN for enrollment!
For do-it-yourselfers who want to create their own landscape design, but just need a little extra guidance.I’ll walk you through the design process, step by step, so you can create a practical, hand-drawn "layout plan"(a landscape design plan that shows the layout of the finished design).
Learn more and sign up, here!
www.gardenprojectacademy.com/...
🪴 Follow my newsletter, here, for free gardening resources and updates on new courses: www.gardenprojectacademy.com/...
Learn the basics of mulching in my previous video, here:
• Critical mulching tips...
Here is my video that addresses about different mulch materials options:
• What is the best mulch...
And if you’re new here, hello! 🌱 My name is Eve Hanlin, I’m a certified horticulturist and landscape designer from the Pacific Northwest corner of the USA. I've offered in-person landscape design services for years and now I am taking landscape design online by offering digital courses and resources for do-it-yourselfers. This is my new business: Garden Project Academy.
You can also follow me on social media:
Instagram: / gardenprojectacademy
Facebook: / gardenprojectacademy
Pinterest: / gardenprojectacademy
Tag me in your projects @gardenprojectacademy. I would love to see what you’re working on!
Remember that everything in my videos are for informational purposes only: It is entirely up to you to decide what is best for you, and your landscape.

[@gardenprojectacademy]

I HAVE EXCITING NEWS! 🪴Design-Your-Own Landscape Layout ONLINE COURSE 🪴is now OPEN for enrollment! For do-it-yourselfers who want to create their own landscape design, but just need a little extra guidance. I’ll walk you through the design process, step by step, so you can create a practical, hand-drawn "layout plan" (a landscape design plan that shows the layout of the finished design). Learn more and sign up, here! www.gardenprojectacademy.com/diy-landscape-design-online-course/

[@Kelli.Hicks.5]

I wish I had watched this before I bought those wildflower seed mixes, and just scattered them into the designated space. 🤷‍♀️ BUT, as you said, you live and learn. Things are going well, though. Things have sprouted and are growing. So I'll see what happens, and reassess next season. I'm new to the gardening world, and didn't want the stress of an "official" bed. I figured that if I could keep this little wildflower patch alive, I'd then branch out into the front yard. 😆🤞

[@catholicfederalist4348]

I did the same thing. The 1st season too many shasta daisies and a few cosmos, which grew on their sides. This second season I have Rocky Mountain Penstemons and Sweet Williams dispersed among the daisies. New England Asters and Coneflowers are also expected. I anticipate making a few changes in the 3rd year.

[@ThatDataLady]

How’d it go?

[@lizlucey3812]

This is literally the perfect native plant garden video I’ve been needing. I’m starting my lasagna garden this summer, so that I’ll be ready to plant some native perennials next spring. I’m excited!

[@kristywhited8857]

I had an area in mind that I wanted to plant with wildflowers. It's in a spot where I don't care how it looks to my neighbors, so I was thinking about just planting among the weeds and not clearing the area. I live in Wild & Wonderful WV, so weeds are just a part of life here. The wooded area behind my property (and half of my lawn) is home to weeds. The foundation plantings around my home are more maintained, mulched, and weed free but this "wildflower area" I had my eye on is currently in my "no mow zone." I just wanted to add some colorful (and helpful) plants to this weedy area. From the 6 pages of native plants my search found, I swear I recognized half of them and they're already growing here. They are plants I would call weeds, but the list says they are native plants. Eye of the beholder, I guess. LOL! So maybe nature has it under control here and doesn't really need my help. ;-)

[@CindDJo]

Eve, I just love all the information that you share. Even your voice and the way you speak gives me confidence that you are someone I want to listen to and be inspired by. You confirm all the things that I am already doing including searching for native plant resources. I also live the PNW (Vancouver, WA) and I've found some great resources that also have inexpensive options.

[@kaitlinjohnson2915]

I super love your videos and wish they had existed when I first bought my house and started trying to garden/landscape it. It would have saved me a bunch of “lessons.” One tip I’ve heard to help make wildflower plantings appear neater or at least more intentional is to leave areas of mowed lawn/turf. Especially in an urban front yard. Maybe you mow around the edges or have mowed paths going through it. I suppose it doesn’t have to be lawn, it could be stepping stones or a wood plank path or something. But I think just a touch of traditional lawn goes a long way in making wilder spaces look less like “I just stopped mowing and weeding.”

[@mssherbird]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Wildflower gardens is what I'm building on every year.

[@debiwaleski1797]

Thanks for this wonderful primer on starting a wildflower garden!

[@caraar3]

I am an avid gardener, getting ready to remove a front lawn. Love your ideas and tips, very practical and inspiring! I always look out my window as you suggested to think about what I am planting in front of it. We are in California and looking to remove the lawn and replace it with a drought friendly landscape.

[@christopheryakes3601]

I really needed this video, at this time! Thank you so much. I have milkweed and black eyed Susan’s and some other native(ish) plants that I started in my basement and I’m hoping to start my (small, starter) bed in my front yard when the weather cools a bit here in southern New England! Thanks again. I’m so glad I found your channel!

[@eleonorabartoli2225]

Your information is really great! I wish I knew it four years ago, I learned the hard way, especially about starting small and the importance of mulch! Thank you for sharing your skills! And for caring about the earth!

[@caseylarae9109]

Thank you so much for sharing all the information on your channel! I'm slowly re-landscaping my yard, trying to move away from the monoculture of the very basic lawn that was already here when we moved in. We have an overall plan for shapes and locations of plants, but here in the Pacific Northwest there are just so many options for flowers, shrubs, natives and non-natives, perennials and annuals...it's really helpful to learn how to narrow it down, assess what will fit and where. Have started filling in the little awkward spaces I couldn't figure out before, with the help of your advice on this channel. Thanks again!!

[@PratikHome]

Found your channel. Loving it. Thank you for taking time to make these videos for us.

[@12symmo]

Just try everything, woo! My sort of advice.

[@jennifermartens-uf1cw]

This is so helpful! Thank you so much!

[@sarahmarie812]

Hi friend! 😉 Love the video! Very helpful.

[@Narnendil]

Great video!

[@quanicajackson]

As you stated you live and learn... I accidentally started a wildflower bed by buying the seeds thunking it was something else. Then did the research after just throwing them in one flower bed 😮. I'm hoping it looks nice but I'll figure it out as I go😢😂😂

[@solarroofing8072]

Definitely smother for 6 months is possible. I tried to till twice a month apart to kill all vegetation in tje spring and the bermuda grass just came back and smothered out my wild flower seeds in a month

[@simonsuh227]

Hi Eve, been enjoying all your content. Thank you! I started a wildflower garden here in Texas this year with varieties of native perennials and annuals. Few of the early blooming annuals have been a pleasure to look at, but they are now super leggy and pretty much spent it seems. Do I need to get rid of these or is it better to leave as is to keep the area a little more wilder?

[@kelsie7109]

For annual wild flowers, visually contained space like a small fence is nice so people know its intentional 😂 also that first year you will really find out which are weeds when you let them grow because you don't know 😉

[@lizlucey3812]

That’s good advice! I’ve been thinking about what to do along my back fence.

[@barblucius7529]

Hey, thank you for your knowledge, I love your videos! I have been planting flowers for years, but I’m trying seeds this year. Do I mulch over my seeds? Or will that prevent them from germinating (along with the weeds)? Or when do I mulch? Thanks!

[@melissamybubbles6139]

I'm seeing certain plants recommended for my area that aren't native specifically to my state, but to nearby states. They still can adapt well to my state's conditions, so they're still interesting to me. So, if you're new to gardening, you might look for plants native to nearby areas.

[@Southernsoul415]

Can we use straw as mulch ???

[@gummibearwright]

How do I keep weeds out of the flower bed. Is it safe to put weed killer down? We tilled the ground for other flowers and never planted them and now it’s over run with weeds. I even used preen and it did nothing

[@lesleythornton7425]

❤

[@SN1987A]

🙏

[@Vision-yo8qx]

Thank you for your video. I have planted wildflowers for a number of years and I love them. The biggest problem Is that they got strangled by morning glory! Any advice on how to get rid of morning glory without using products that are harmful to the environment?

[@brooke7541]

Pull them up before they go to seed

[@jodytaggart684]

Check with your state or local native plant group for varieties that are native to your area.

[@joeyoliver579]

Goto Eden Brothers and do search for your state. They have wildflowers for that state...with no fillers.

[@nikkireigns]

Thanks for this! Looks like a great place to buy seeds 🤩

[@jsaysyay]

perfect timing, given that i, the reasonable person i am (not), just yesterday finished writing down all 1478 plants to my specific ecoregion. i can vouch for planting already grown plants, i have never had the most success with seeds, though that's because i'm not the most regulated person. (also last month found an amazing native only nursery and botanical garden here in MA)

[@christopheryakes3601]

Hey there, where is this store in Mass?

[@jsaysyay]

@@christopheryakes3601 framingham, Garden in The Woods. it's so good

[@LissaDIY]

I want to put wildflowers where our lawn is to steep to be mowed. I made the mistake of just scattering seeds there😂

[@samada33]

Did any of them grow?

[@katjones4840]

I thought u just tossed the seed into a corner of the yard…😮

[@carlaephotography7096]

I had a lot of rubbish stacked in my front yard for months, from remodel debris. Once it was all removed, I hand tilled up the yard with a shovel and got chunks of grass and weeds out with a rake…then spread the wild flower seed packets all over the area and watered. Still a lot of weeds coming up. I pull occasionally, but not a lot. The flowers are coming up! I am thinking at least will add some color and nutrients back to the barren yard.

[@dasandbox2555]

It’s okay to slow down just a little…enjoy your content but at warp speed I get overwhelmed and tune out

[@jeromefridmann6108]

Wow.....Yak...Yak what a torrent of words >>>>>>>

[@nathanbishop4897]

I know there are probably time restraints, etc. that require you to speak fast to get everything in but please slow down. Old people can’t hear that fast!

[@TommyMLe]

You can slow down the speed in your settings if she is talking too fast for you.

[@Rue4You2]

Feeling very targeted by this video as I am originally from the PNW and now live in Maryland.

[@redtick79]

They grow better under communism?

[@superelkillo]

They would have to eat the plants to survive😂

[@AmbiPanby]

Nothing grows better under capitalism, except for billionaires wealth.

[@callendar9010]

I was very excited about your videos until you mentioned how evil capitalism is. Why couldn't you leave politics out? Moving on...

[@flutterbydragonfly]

Same.

[@dallasswoveland4466]

You can't tolerate a differing opinion? She's not indoctrinating your children, she's teaching about planting flowers with a single mention of a single consequence of capitalism. As a supporter of capitalism, you can't recognize negative effects of capitalism and industrialism on nature? If we can't distinguish between gardeners shaking their fists at the destruction of nature and wokesters trying to convince kids to get gender surgeries, we are doomed. We gave up on our social contract on both sides, we need to get back to working together within reasonable boundaries instead of demonizing the other side and refusing to even listen to what they can teach us and where we have common ground.

[@jarbaird1066]

Oh my, just throwing in the colonizer and capitalism dig, just because. Pretty sure you wouldn't be making money on KZbin without that dirty capitalism. Do still appreciate the video, but wish it didn't have to be political.

[@user-hz7kv6js6l]

Oh my goodness. I just found your channel tonight and have listened to a few of your video's. You sound like you're racing to put out a fire. Slow down, not everyone listens as fast as you talk. You have a wealth of information to share but you are doing yourself and your channel a disservice by speed talking. I really wanted to listen to the entire video but the speed talking started to annoy me. I hope you take this constructive criticism and use it to your advantage to grow your channel because your expertise as a landscape designer is valuable.

[@jenniferreed4889]

You can adjust playback speed by clicking in the settings (picture of a cog/gear). 😊

[@skylady64ish93]

I found that she spoke quite well and was easy to understand. If you don’t , you can change the speed of you tube videos.

[@user-ge1jr3zr7k]

To much talking

[@get1rocstartim5]

I have found that buying seeds in cans at Lowe's Menards Home depo. ECT that they are usually full of unwanted weed seeds of unwanted flower seeds. To have a great outcome you should buy your seed in bulk and this way you can buy the seed of flowers you actually like. Wildflowerseeds out of TX is a great place to get seeds. I have had good luck every year for the past 15 + years with their seed. I have been a landscaper for 34 years. Trust me. Just trying to help.

[@eugene5508]

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐦 💥