How to grow wildflowers - add colour to your garden all summer long...

[@jcrane45585]

So sweet to include the little girl. Charlotte seems like such a gentle mother

[@blahdeblaaah9445]

I learned how to pronounce Cosmos from your videos last year. Thank you for your work!

[@hannahkaiser5110]

I'm always excited to see a new video uploaded 😸

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@patriciakumar115]

Thank you, Alexandra, for providing the most valuable information about growing wildflowers. We live in Western Pennsylvania and are planning to take a relatively small part of our property and establish a wildflower garden. The timing of this video is perfect!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That sounds lovely, hope it goes well

[@MyFocusVaries]

This is a lovely trend. Thanks for the tips! Like your Kent mix, a local seed supplier, West Coast Seeds, sells a wildflower mix especially for our area. It's great that the availability and selection of native plants is increasing.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It is!

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

I would add, consider also, whether you want to water the plants over the summer. Don't go for borage family in a dry bed if you don't want to water weekly. Be aware that if you direct sow, slugs may eat all. If adding a wild flower seed mix, choose one without grasses. Be aware too that all seed needs a long wet period (months) for the seed to germinate and grow. Nothing will happen if they get dry. You need to pay attention and water if there no rain.

[@LouciferFlump]

Oh no, slugs!!! Do they like young wildflowers then…? They’re like a cult of vampires every night on my Hostas. I’ve a relentless problem with them!! 😝

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, I think that's why Charlotte was recommending planting wildflower seeds in trays, then planting out from 9cm pots when they're bigger and can withstand some nibbling. My direct sown wildflower seed didn't get nibbled, though, which I'm really surprised at because we definitely have lots of slugs and snails. In terms of the watering, I think you do have to water if the weather is very dry when the plants germinating or tiny, but after that, the native varieties should be able to deal with your weather unless it's unusual (our weather is always unusual at the moment)

[@wrongwayconway]

I planted borage this year in my side border along a fence amongst hostas and raspberry canes. Haven't had to water it at all. Zone 5b

[@soothirak]

So pretty when we are looking to the wildflowers field!!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, I have so enjoyed growing the wildflowers

[@pinkpoodle7100]

Adorable little girls who loves her mom❤️! Thank you, Alexandra, I love all your videos!!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@pamelaknudsen3318]

Alexandra do you have any information on changing lawn to clover instead?I live in a damp part of Norway and my grass is overrun with moss but clover seems to thrive.Are various types of moss that are more suitable for this? Thankyou Pam

[@bigtomatoplantslover6205]

Gorgeous flowers 💐 Like it My friend thank you for good sharing. Have a good relationship

[@coloradotulips]

I cannot believe that you made this video, just as I need it. Thank you!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You're so welcome!

[@hivicar]

Great country mom is brilliant gardener & conveyer!

[@LAWandCoach]

Another trip to Dreamland. I so enjoy your videos. This one especially. I have had such great luck with a wildflower mix I order from Nature Made for my area. I planted mine in a child's wagon the plastic Radio Flyer. I used old potting soil from potted plants the year before. Needless to say I over planted and had to remove some monstrous Cosmos that were talking over. Also another warning! Because I over planted in the wagon container in my hot, humid climate (heat index 112 F today) I am watering twice a day without fail unless we get a good soaking rain. Thanks for the smiles. See you soon.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That sounds beautiful and what a good idea to reuse old potting soil

[@gardentours]

Those wildflowers are so beautiful 🌸🌱🌼🌝👍

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I really loved doing this video, because the flowers were so pretty

[@DownButNotOutYet]

Good morning Alexander, such a pleasant video. Even though you acknowledge that you made mistakes in the raised beds, the flowers still look stunning. So pretty. Perhaps you could sow some other seeds to fill the space, we all live and learn! Just loved the inclusion of the little girl, such a sweet person and well behaved. It was a lovely video, I feel we need space to show off the gorgeous wild flowers, but then again, you proved the difference in the raised beds, depends what the gardener wishes to exhibit. Thank you for the lovely talk, and the good advice in planting the wild flower seeds, not as straight forward as we would like to think, but so rewarding. Many blessings, take care, and enjoy. Kind regards.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, yes, I thought Arriety was so patient and well behaved too. And I've loved finding out more about growing wildflowers

[@Kara_2505]

Hello Alexandra, new subscriber here. I have been binge watching your videos and thoroughly enjoyed them! I really like the diversity in your videos and appreciate the high level of practical applicability. I am interested in the more naturalistic gardens. I just got acquainted with Jo McKerr who transformed a former brownfield site in Somerset into a stunning ecological garden. Gardens Illustrated published an article about it a few weeks ago.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, I must look out for that!

[@shirin_shad]

Great video, I love how "controlled" wildflowers look in combination with regular gardens. Thank you so much for all the information and tips!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@skullrose8985]

Omg those wildflowers look beautiful, absolutely gorgeous.. I have got wild seed which I have done in a tub but now I want to grow it in my grass.. I get so excited watching things like this,roll on next year.. I noticed you put links in your description,is that for the different wild seed you showed us.. Thankyou so so much for sharing this information.. Have beautiful day & take care 🌺🏵️🍄🌱🌺🏵️🍄🌱

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@GDSavingThePast]

Great video Alexandra. It was interesting to hear you have a problem with bind weed over there, I have been fighting to no avail bindweed in my lawn and gardens for years here in Colorado

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Apparently it's a UK native. It just shows that people who say that if you only plant natives, you don't get invasives have never met bindweed!

[@LouciferFlump]

This was a veritable mine of information! I’ve tried numerous times to create a mini meadow…all I get is ox eye daisies….so then I just tried to achieve a small wildflower patch…nothing germinated at all! I was assuming it’s my heavy clay soil but now I’m thinking I’m not getting the seed depth right - I’m going too deep or too shallow, I suspect, and I’m not doing good enough prep. The carefree scattering with wild abandon approach definitely does *not* work! 🥴

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It certainly doesn't! Although the clay soil may not help. The companies mentioned here all have wildflowers mixes for clay soil, and I was impressed with the extra information than Kent Wildflower Seeds has on its website.

[@LouciferFlump]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden that’s great, I’ll check them out! Thanks ☺️

[@threeriversforge1997]

Great show! Good to see more folks taking on the task of helping their local ecosystem.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It is!

[@aiai-j7i]

7:15 My heart just melted....

[@hannahbest2274]

Such a great video thank you to all of you

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@NN-fz4pd]

Subscribed for your accent. Love it !!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! 😃

[@annmariemcintyre6989]

Looks beautiful

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@pamelacorsi]

Such great information! Thank you, Alexandra.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lisab.6818]

Beautiful blouse to wear with the Kent wildflowers! I want to see if I can find these to order. I want the exact flowers you have! Stunning colors ❤

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you. The wildflower mix I bought from Kent Wildflowers was this: kentwildflowerseeds.co.uk/shop/wildflower-border-naturalised-garden-planting-wildflower-mixure/ I think mine came out with more blue flowers than normal because the vipers bugloss usually flowers in the second year, but it came up early, plus the overseeding means a few of the plant varieties never came up.

[@Garricher5958]

Hi Alexandra. There is also the possibility that, either the annual/biennial flowers will self-seed, or you might consider harvesting the seed from them yourself to sow next year.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, I'm not a great seed harvester but I'm considering doing it this year. Also perhaps growing some annual wildflowers from seed over winter then planting them into the border in spring.

[@barbkenas5663]

Great video, great info!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@Natureneedsus]

Hey, great video thank you, my wildflower meadows were crushed by the rain, so they re stand back up? I was constantly trying to keep them up, how do I control this?

[@kevinjamesparr552]

I like this idea .I have a path to my bridge in woodland garden that always has problems with weeds.Ill weed it fully and plant seed of wild flowers bought here in greenmarket .So lots of work to prepare ground .Plant up and look lovely like yours

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, and I hope it all goes well!

[@c.a.parker5036]

Very helpful video! It answered all of my questions and was inspiring ❤ I never considered growing wild flowers in pots. We have small ground bees that love hedge mustard but my husband fears it will take over, so a set of pots may be a perfect compromise. Thank you!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good idea! I have hedge mustard and it's very pretty but it does self seed.

[@belwynne1386]

Excellent! There could be a whole vlog on maintaining a wildflower meadow once it is established. You will get nasty invasives, unequal distribution of species, and, frankly,lots of flopping over. All issues need to be addressed. I would love to hear what the experts say.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, I agree, there's certainly much more to be said on maintaining the wildflower meadow, but I felt that it didn't fit into this video. I think most 'middle-sized gardeners' will be growing the wildflowers in pots or borders, which are easier to keep under control. Having said that, Sarah and Dan's meadows are now in their third year and looking pretty good, but they are professionally managed.

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

That is a prickly sow thistle maybe (Sonchus?) -- I think it depends on the setting, if you want a more formal look, I'd pull them but if you're in a more natural setting it might be appropriate to leave some, maybe cull a few if there are too many. I'm not sure how beneficial that one is? I know Cirsium vulgare and knapweeds are supposed to be very good butterfly nectar sources but maybe Joel Ashton could tell you how sow thistle ranks for wildlife.

[@geraldinefields1730]

Thank you.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You're welcome!

[@janegardener1662]

The only wildflowers I've been successful at are California poppies. That's because I live in California!

[@LouciferFlump]

😂👍🏻

[@juliamcgrath3364]

Love the wire borders around your plant beds. Where did you get them please?

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I'm glad you like them. I bought them from Agrs: www.agrs.co.uk/

[@juliamcgrath3364]

Thank you so much.

[@karenbarnes5517]

Hi 👋

[@onycagayle4485]

❤

[@EdurtreG]

Soil has to be quite poor. Seeds only native and biological, bought per weight you can buy per choice: share with a friend or neighbour to share costs.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Although wildflowers do well in poor soil, and they're a good option for helping to heal soil, they do grow in ordinary garden soil too. My soil is good and the veg beds are enriched every year, but all three wildflower seed mixes have grown well in them. In terms of native - this applies differently in different countries. The UK, along with parts of Europe, Asia and Africa are connected by land and easily crossed seas, so we have a lot of flowers that came here over thousands of years and are called 'naturalised' as well as native. The RHS here did a study and found that native/naturalised plants give the most benefit to your local wildlife but that non-native plants also have a surprisingly valuable part to play (obvs choose carefully, you don't want to plant invasives.) Great idea re bulk buying and sharing with neighbours!

[@DeborahChapin]

I love the combination of wild in the border. That's exactly what I am doing then expanding the concept of hardy perennials into the wild 1/2. I use my cottage garden half as a testing garden and after 5 years I now have some perennials naturalizing in the wild sectors. I'm so excited because I love the prospect of seeing it expand. I think it is so cool how people are getting on board and incorporating native plants. 👍. I'll send you some pics via Instagram if you like since I can't attach it here.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, do. thank you that sounds lovely.