Hey everyone! I'm located in a hollow in Carter County, Tennessee, and my family and I are excited to transform a large part of our lawn behind our raised beds into a wildflower patch. Our garden area is surrounded by woods and some fruit trees and bushes. I'm looking for recommendations on trustworthy websites for regional wildflower seed mixes. Should I focus on native flowers, or should I also add specific mixes to attract hummingbirds? We get a few hummingbirds visiting us each year. By the way, we're also planning to include a section for milkweed to help out the monarch butterflies. Any advice you can share would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
Definitely check out r/nativeplantgardening for your area. It's way better to stick with native plants, especially if you want to attract hummingbirds. Native flowers usually provide their natural food sources. Seed mixes can be hit or miss, and sometimes they even include invasive species. If you're covering a large area, consider creating your own mix with individual seeds instead. I've heard good things about partridge pea and yarrow for your region. Good luck with your project! It's awesome to see more people focusing on habitat restoration!
You might also want to look into potted native plants alongside the seed mixes. I've found that some plants can spread out really quickly in the right conditions. For hummingbird attraction, native plants will definitely be the way to go! They love red to purple blooms, but you'll see them on inconspicuous flowers too. Monarda and lobelias are great choices, and they work well in full sun areas!
Have you thought about reaching out to your local horticultural society? They can have great leads on sourcing the right wildflower seeds for your area. Many of these groups, like 4H or organic farms, might sell or give away their own seeds. Another option is to plant a handful of regional mixes that can self-seed for next year. The flowers that thrive in your environment will naturally come back, so that’s a solid way to go!
For your project, check out tnps.org, the Tennessee Native Plant Society. They offer a ton of resources! And a word of caution: don't trust commercial seed mixes too much. They often include plants that can harm the local ecosystem.
That's smart! I love the idea of letting the flowers re-seed. It makes it easier for next year.