Bringing your garden to life with native flowers.
When it comes to lovely landscaping, few things have more appeal than a bright and beautiful low-maintenance garden. The added bonus, if not primary motivation, is supporting nature’s MVPs: pollinators. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are fun to watch and essential to the ecosystem.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, “Native blooms in gardens and fields make for a pollinator’s all-you-can-eat buffet! Whether you only have space for a small patio garden or have a pasture that can be overseeded with native wildflowers, adding flowering plants to your landscape can give Oklahoma’s pollinator community a boost. A sunny location, a mix of perennial and annual native plants and a plant selection catering to both adults and larvae are key elements for pollinator garden success.”
In Oklahoma City, we have the privilege of being in the path of the Monarch butterfly fall migration, which lasts from late September to early October as the orange, black and white butterflies stop along the way in various parks and gardens. Their route runs along Interstate 35, which is sometimes jokingly called “the monarch highway.”
Many local nurseries sell pre-packaged wildflower lists that will return year after year to bring a splash of sparkle to your outdoor space.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Plan for planting – Find out how much seed you will need for your selected area and plant at the right time of year for the OKC climate.
- Prep soil – Till the ground, remove excess debris and rocks, mix in some fresh fertilizer.
- Sprinkle the seeds – Gently coat the ground with the seed mix, but do not bury.
- Water – Keep soil moist with regular sprinkling of water or rain, not soaking wet, until seedlings are about 4-6 inches tall.
- Watch and enjoy – Sprouts will start in late spring or early summer and last until the leaves turn in the fall. Certain varieties of plants will have their largest blooms in the late summer or early fall.
Common Oklahoma Wildflowers:
- Bluebonnet
- Indian Paintbrush
- Canola
- Sunflower
- Lemon Mint
- Cornflower
- Evening primrose
- Red Poppy
- Indian Blanket
- Coreopsis
