The Low-Maintenance Flower Field: Grow More, Work Less
By UCCE Master Gardener Tracy White-Urrutia
Summertime brings to mind vibrant sunflowers of all shapes and sizes, rows of colorful zinnias, and delicate love-in-a-mist gently blowing in the warm breeze. It is tempting to get excited in the spring, pull out the seed catalogs and go crazy, purchasing ever color and variety of flower, dreaming of the perfect field. This often requires many weeks of growing delicate seedlings under indoor grow lights or in a greenhouse, and then transplanting out in the field in May, after the last chance of a cold snap or frost. Then there comes the digging, tilling, mulching, irrigation set up or fixes. It can be quite daunting. Only to have fall arrive, pull everything up, toss it into the compost and wait until next season, often telling yourself you will not do that again as you review your laundry list of “lessons learned”.
Well, what if having your flower field could be less time intensive, less sweat, less aches and pains and more enjoyment? What if you could love your flowers longer?
It is possible to have a low maintenance flower field of any size by following a few simple steps. The first thing to consider is no-till soil. This allows for the use of materials, like cardboard, to be laid down as a mulch layer to prevent weeds and create amazing soil over time with no need for fertilizers. Start by overlapping cardboard and staking down. Then water it and let it sit for about 8 weeks. Simply cover the cardboard with about 6 inches of compost and it is ready to directly plant seedlings or seeds. The seedlings will easily push their roots through the cardboard and into the native soil. Weeds will be nearly eliminated the first season and by year two, the soil will be very nutrient rich and have excellent moisture retention. In subsequent years, simply add 1 inch of new compost and mulch to prevent weeds.
Now that your soil is complete, it is time to determine what flowers to grow. Overwintering flowers and bouquet filler is a great way to reduce the burden and enjoy a much longer growing season. Some excellent choices include: snapdragons, statice, daisies, yarrow, dahlias, eucalyptus, lavender, stock and peonies.
Simply plant your seedlings or tubers out in the first year and then follow these steps in the fall.
Snapdragons – cut back to about 2-3 inches above the ground, mulch and leave alone until spring. Snaps come in a variety of types and selecting the ones that do best in the warmest months will yield the best results for the longest time. Snaps overwintered will be much stronger and larger than those grown for one year only. In fact, the stems are often so sturdy they do not need to be staked.
Dahlias – in warmer zones, where there are not many frost days under 28 degrees, it is perfectly fine to overwinter in the ground. After the first frost in the fall, cut the dahlia back to about 2 inches above the ground and heavily mulch. That’s it.
Statice, daisies, stock and yarrow – these all benefit from being cut back in the fall after the first frost and they will come back beautifully in the spring.
Peonies – gorgeous for the month of June. Simply plant one time and cut back in the fall. They come back each year and have lovely foliage when not in bloom.
Eucalyptus and lavender – perfectly healthy to overwinter if temperatures don’t fall below 20 degrees. In spring, prune lavender back a few inches and enjoy gorgeous new blooms spring through fall, until your next prune.
It is important to mulch both in the winter and in the spring to avoid weeds in the summer months. Adding some fresh compost in the spring will be needed to fertilize the flowers naturally. Other than that, ensure your irrigation is set and working well and enjoy your cut flower field!
Julie Silva is a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener of Tuolumne County. UCCE Central Sierra Master Gardeners can answer home gardening questions, from rainwater tanks to drought-resistant plants. Call 209-533-5912 or fill out our questionnaire online. Want to learn more about UC Master Gardeners? Visit our webpage , find us on Facebook, or on the radio at kaad-lp.org or 103.5 FM on Motherlode Community Radio.