Wildflower gardens are stunning in sight, but if you’re looking to spice things up, consider the following wildflower garden ideas to add an element of intrigue to your outdoor space. Whether you have a large lawn with acres of wildflowers or a small garden around a patio, these manageable garden ideas will put the “pop” in poppies.
What is a wildflower garden?
A traditional garden is typically an assortment of seasonal bulbs, trimmed flowering shrubs, and meticulously planned perennial borders. On the other side of things is the wildflower garden. With more rustic charm, wildflower gardens burst with colorful species that are self-replicating and require little care to maintain their beauty.
Given wildflowers’ abundance and color, they need less planning and are meant to be a picturesque cluster of petals, rather than a clearly defined space of plants. In order to start your unique wildflower garden design, you’ll need to know what it consists of.
Picture a garden–– in it is an abundance of colorful perennials, biennials, and annuals native to the region. But wildflower gardens can be more than just flowers. You might also consider planting other native plants and grasses. Wildflower gardens require less strict care, such as harsh chemical treatments, because the local environment is already an ideal growing condition.
7 stylish features for your wildflower garden
1. Cool- and warm-season flowers
Depending on where you live, you’ll want to consider species that thrive in your local environment. Cool-season flowers are exactly what they sound like–– species that thrive in colder climates while warm-season flowers will do better in a warmer setting.
Keep in mind there’s an ideal time to plant your wildflower seeds depending on the variety. You should plant your shade-loving, cool-season flowers anywhere from April to early October. If you’re planting warm-season flowers that need full sun and are drought-tolerant, start planting just after mid-May.
| Cool-Season Flowers | Warm-Season Flowers |
| Echinacea | Marigold |
| Columbine | Purple Coneflower |
| Purple Aster | Blazing Star |
| Red Windflower | Aster Flower |
| Black-eyed Susan | Mallow |
| Cowslip | Lemon Verbena |
2. Water features
Do you dream of escaping into a lush meadow of flowers with the sounds of rushing water? Adding a water feature to your wildflower garden can bring this dreamland to life. The right water feature, such as a fountain, pond, stream, or water wall, looks stunning and could be as simple as a trip to your nearest home improvement store.
There are some things to consider when installing a water feature in your wildflower garden, specifically as it pertains to mosquitoes. Mosquitoes love to live and breed in still and shallow water. Here are some helpful mosquito tips when using water as a design element in your wildflower garden:
- Stick to deeper water if installing a pond, stream, or fountain. Mosquito larvae tend to live in very shallow water. A good rule of thumb is to ensure your water features are at least two feet deep.
- If installing a fountain, steeper drop-offs for water help keep mosquitoes away.
- Keep the water moving with a filter to reduce algae growth and mosquito breeding.
- Add fish to your pond to help control mosquito populations.
3. Gravel pathways
If you’d like to stroll through the rows of fresh flowers, build a gravel path through your wildflower garden. If you’re ambitious and love a good DIY project, this is a great one to tackle on your own.
Gravel pathways are a great design choice because they allow you to walk through your wildflower garden without harming your precious petals and they’re relatively simple to install. Gravel pathways are also low maintenance. You’ll just need some basic landscaping tools and materials to plan your perfect path.
Consider adding edging to the sides of the path. It will help elevate the overall look of the pathway. Pavers and bricks might take a bit more time to install when it comes to edging, but there’s no denying that the finished product looks professional and eye-catching.
4. Pollinator habitats
Wildflower gardens already do a fine job at attracting pollinators, but there are a few simple steps to take to ensure the butterflies and hummingbirds are there to stay.
Some features to cultivate pollinator habitats in your wildflower garden are:
- Purchase or build decorative butterfly feeders.
- Put out a dead log as a way to encourage habitats for bees.
- Consider planting bundles of purple, blue, orange, and yellow flowers to attract bees.
- Add a source of water like a pond or shallow bird bath.
- Limit your use of harmful pesticides that might deter beneficial pollinators.
5. Ground covers
If you’re looking to highlight your flower garden with complementary colors, try installing ground covers. A ground cover is a plant that grows low to the ground and offers protection from harmful weeds and erosion.
Here are some great groundcovers to plant around your flower garden:
- Clover
- Ornamental grass
- Moss
- Fragrant covers like thyme and mint
6. Wildflower borders
Wildflowers look lovely in bordering areas. Focus on planting wildflower seeds in border locations and watch these colorful perennials sprout up to add a rich depth to the perimeter of your property.
Some great places to grow your wildflower borders include
- The border of a patio
- The border of the lawn
- Next to a fence
- On a property line
- Attached to the opening of a forest or woodlot
7. Rock features
Rock features can break up the texture of your wildflower garden. As nice as luscious bushels of flowers look, adding a different texture to the visage is pleasing to the eye and rustic.
Rock features are a good choice if you’re looking for an easy-to-install, affordable, and low-maintenance garden design.
Some popular rock features in landscaping include:
- Rock focal points
- Rock paths
- Rock walls
What are the benefits of wildflower gardens?
There are so many reasons to start gardening, but why specifically should you start a wildflower garden? From curb appeal to eco-friendliness, we’ll dive into the benefits these vibrant gardens bring to you, your home, and the environment.
Curb appeal
First and foremost, a well-maintained garden with colorful wildflowers and artful features adds curb appeal to your home and garden. With the right landscaping and gardening routine, your home will look stunning and the chances of increasing your return on investment are greater should you choose to sell.
But beyond that, you’ll simply enjoy relaxing in a beautiful wildflower garden from the comfort of your own home. You can showcase your prized coneflowers and marigolds while boosting the appeal of your home’s outdoor spaces.
Good for your health
Sometimes, gardening works up a sweat, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Gardening is both a physical and mental exercise, strengthening your muscles while expanding your knowledge. Studies have shown that exposure to sunlight and exercise while gardening can lower blood pressure and boost your levels of vitamin D, an essential nutrient that aids in bone and immune system health.
Gardening is even used as an alternative therapy for people coping with mental health conditions. People also benefit mentally from a stroll through the garden vs. a walk through the shopping mall.
Supports the environment
Wildflower gardens in particular help with strengthening the ecosystem of your outdoor spaces at home. Why? Because more variety in plants and flowers will help attract beneficial pollinators such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and small mammals. This is especially important for some critters that are dealing with habitat loss from human activity.
Other crucial benefits of wildflower gardens include the control of erosion, filtering stormwater, increasing underground water filtration, and reducing some of the impacts of droughts. Just make sure to take care of the lawn around your flowers too. Mow, fertilize, and water your land responsibly to help the environment and your wildflowers.
Is it time to use a professional service?
Landscaping is not an easy task. After you exercise your brain in native wildflower cultivation and maintenance, you’ll have to exercise your body by lugging rocks, fountain materials, and wood to design your ideal wildflower garden.
If you prefer reaping all the benefits of a strikingly unique wildflower garden without all the DIY, hire a landscaping professional. While you’re at it, make sure overgrown grass doesn’t cover up the wildflowers. Hire a lawn care expert to keep your yard as striking as your garden.
Main Image Credit: Peter Blanchard | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0
