I’d like to convert a dried out bit of lawn on my hellstrip (small graded but of grass between road and property) into a tiny wildflower meadow – maybe 8 feet by 5.5 feet. Should I show seeds now or in spring? And can you recommend a good source for a native blend of seeds. I’m in zone 5a this area is full afternoon sun and my soil is dry and sandy.
Thank you.
Great idea and it will be good for all of the beneficial insects that are so important for pollination. While I cannot specify a particular seed company, I can give you a link to a list of companies that you can buy seeds from and many have online catalogues. When you browse through the catalogues, you will find that many also have good detailed instructions on how to plant the particular wildflower blends that they carry work and which work best for a particular type of site. Usually the blends include a mix of annuals, perennials and biennials.
https://seeds.ca/diversity/seed-catalogue-index
Depending on what mix of seeds you buy, you can sow in the spring or fall. Some annual seeds overwinter well and some seeds even need a period of cold weather to break their dormancy in order to germinate. Sowing in the spring will mean less loss of seeds to birds and other animals that eat seeds and spring rain will aid germination. Sowing in winter means earlier germination in the spring so earlier flowering but possibly less seeds may survive due to predation.