Many of us enjoy looking out into our garden and admiring the birds, butterflies and other wildlife that our landscape attracts. Wildflowers are nature’s way of celebrating the bright and colorful Central Valley landscape. Native San Joaquin and Central Valley flowers are helpful tools to attract local fauna to your yard. When you plant native wildflowers, you are able to spruce up your property and promote an eco-friendly environment.
The sunny climate of the San Joaquin Valley allows wildflowers to thrive, as most require at least six hours of sunlight per day. Wildflowers are the perfect way to improve your drought-tolerant landscape as they don’t require much water. These native plants are naturally resistant to pests and most diseases, so you will also save money by not having to fertilize. Another added bonus of incorporating wildflowers into your landscape is that they improve your water and soil quality and prevent erosion. Pollinators that support a third of the world’s crops are attracted to wildflowers, so by planting them you are helping to protect the environment by inviting the bees to the yard.
How do you incorporate wildflowers into your landscape? Many of California’s annual wildflowers don’t germinate until late winter. The first step is to clear weeds and non-native grasses from your planting area. There are a couple of options for starting your seeds; you can either plant them directly in your prepared planting area or start them in containers. When direct seeding, (planting them in the ground), you would lightly rake the kernels into the bed. If you don’t rake them into the bed, birds can take off with your seeds. While you eventually want to attract birds, you would prefer the flowers to have a chance to grow by then! It is important to note that planting clean seeds from a garden store will produce better results. Direct seeding does have the added challenge of keeping weeds at bay. Another option is to reduce the challenge by choosing pre-planted flower flats. Your main dilemma will be choosing your favorite colors!
Now to decide which flowers to add! Here are some native plants you can choose from:
- California Aster: Features pale lilac blooms similar to a Michaelmas daisy.
- California Poppy: Fast growing State flower that blooms in the spring and ranges from dark orange to yellow.
- Golden Yarrow: Beautiful brightly colored yellow blooms. A member of the daisy family.
- Monkey Flower: A hummingbird’s dream! Flowers are white, orange and red with delicious nectar for the pollinators.
- California Buttercup: A cheery yellow perennial.
No matter which flowers you decide to add to your garden, you will find that you only enhance your yard with these living colors, and attract birds, bees and hummingbirds to play in the natural and native beauty of your Central Valley landscape.