Sowing seed mixes directly to the garden spot where they are to bloom creates a wonderfully informal, cottage-like, almost "wild" look and feel that is impossible to achieve with transplants. It's an easy and inexpensive way to landscape if you follow some simple rules.

Site Selection

Select a site with full sunlight exposure for maximum success (unless you are planting a flower mix that is formulated for shade).

Choose a relatively weed-free site (including lawn with sod removed). Areas that contain strong weed populations and/or have soil erosion problems can be used but more extensive site preparation will be necessary.

If your site is excessively sloped, consider including grasses (such as Chewings or sheep's fescue) in your seed mix. Grasses help hold the soil while the flowers become established.

Soil Preparation

Prepare the soil well because seed-to-soil contact is vital for seed germination and for the healthy rooting of seedlings. Proper preparation also prevents dormant weed seeds (present in topsoil) from becoming a further problem.

LIGHTLY scratch (scarify) or roughen the soil surface. Unless the site is heavily compacted, do NOT till the soil deeply, because: 1) deep tilling promotes the germination of weed seeds already present deeper down and 2) in arid climates, deep tilling disturbs the upward movement of moisture through the soil, thereby lowering the moisture-holding capacity of the soil.

To prepare small areas, remove existing weeds with a sharp hoe or mower, then follow with very shallow roto-tilling or simply hand raking.

Water the area 2 or 3 times each day over a two- to three-week period to encourage dormant weed seed germination. After 2-3 weeks, when this second crop of weeds is up, mow or scrape the new weeds off at ground level. Again: do not roto-till or roughen the soil at this point.

Most direct-sown garden flowers do best in soils of low to medium fertility. Go easy on fertilizing -- high nitrogen soils only encourage the growth of weeds and lush vegetative plant growth at the expense of flowers. However, if your site consists of subsoil which has shown poor results in past attempts with flowers, consider a soil test to determine exactly what nutrients might be needed and how much.

Planting time

If the planting will depend entirely upon rainfall for germination and growth, sow in anticipation of the rainy season. For many US garden climates, this means a mid-March sowing. In the West or deep South, sow in late fall into early spring. Where supplemental water is available, wildflowers and direct-sown garden flowers can be planted anytime during the spring or early summer.

Planting Methods

Because most seed mixes contain seeds of vastly different sizes and are often difficult to broadcast, blend an inert carrier such as fine dry sand with the seed to insure even distribution. Use a ratio of 10:1 (sand to seed).

Follow the suggested planting rate for flat ground. Increase the rate 50-100% for "difficult" sites such as those without supplemental water, strong weed populations, or sites with erosion problems.

For small areas, hand broadcasting the seed along with the inert carrier works quite well. Also helpful in distributing the seed uniformly, especially over areas greater than 20 square feet, is to draw lines on the ground to divide the area into equal, manageable portions. Then divide the seed/sand mix into the same number of portions.

Once the seed mix has been sown, it should be covered to a maximum depth of no more than 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. Lightly rake the seed in with a hand rake for small areas. Care must be taken not to cover the seeds too deeply as this is one of the primary causes for failure.

Where possible, roll the area with a sod roller to guarantee seeds make firm contact with soil.

Post Planting Care

Keep the planting moist for 4-6 weeks, using supplemental irrigation if necessary in order to ensure germination of as many species as possible. In hot, dry weather, you may have to water 2-4 times per day with light sprinklings. As the planting becomes established, gradually reduce the frequency of supplemental watering.

You should begin to see seedlings within 2 weeks and the first flowers in 6-8 weeks. As the season progresses, several waves of color will be seen according to the blooming times of the species contained in the mix.

In dry climates or in drought conditions, 1/2 inch of supplemental irrigation per week will lengthen the blooming period of the flower display.

If you've sown a wildflower mix and wish to have it naturalize (return another year), you may want to mow the area in the fall (summer in the deep South and West) to a height of 4-6 inches, after most of the flowers have finished blooming and set seed. Mowing will help to scatter the ripe seeds for next year's showing. The following spring (or fall), also consider supplementing the site with some new seed in order to more firmly establish the permanence of the planting and to suppress weed growth.