Oklahoma County Conservation District

Small seed packets (1/2 ounce) provide enough seed for 25 square feet; medium packets (2.5 ounces) cover 150 square feet; large bags cover 1000 square feet.

1. Select where you want to plant your seeds. Choose an area that receives 6-8 hours of sun per day.

2. Prepare the soil by removing lawn or other plant cover. This can be done via solarization, sod-cutting, smothering, or lightly tilling. Rake the soil about six inches deep. If the soil contains a lot of clay or sand, add compost to enrich it.

3. Plant your pollinator seed mix this Fall, before the first frost (usually around November 1st). Fall seeding allows for "cold stratification," a natural process that occurs when seeds lay dormant on the ground over the winter. To plant your seeds, simply disperse them evenly over the area you prepared. Protect the soil with a thin layer of native grass hay/straw and walk over the area to ensure good seed-to-soil contact. Your work is done until Spring!

4. Soon after Spring arrives, watch closely for your seeds to begin their transformation into vibrant wildflowers.

5. Manage unwanted plants in Summer, once your wildflowers have established. Always identify plants before pulling. Weedy species such as crabgrass, cheatgrass, and bermudagrass may try to creep into your garden. Pull these by hand, being sure to get the roots.

6. DO NOT mow until February. It may be tempting to remove "dead" standing flowers once Fall and Winter set in, but the standing stems provide food and habitat for overwintering wildlife. Let the garden be until later winter, then mow just before Spring to allow sunlight to penetrate to ground level.

7. FINAL STEP: Enjoy the vibrant beauty of your pollinator habitat each season! Feel free to re-seed if you desire. Remember your annual management plan: Weed out unwanted plants in Spring/Summer and mow your dead standing plants in late Winter, just before Spring.