The Easy Way to Grow Desert Wildflowers

If you’ve ever seen a field of desert wildflowers and wish you capture that beauty in your garden, you can. And it could hardly be easier. Here’s how.

Every spring, the desert southwest puts on a display of wildflowers so stunning it attracts visitors from around the world. You may have wished you could grow those flowers in your yard, but weren’t sure how to go about it. Or maybe you’ve tried without success.

Here’s how to replicate that beauty in your garden.

Growing Wildflower the Hard Way

If you look at instructions for planting desert wildflowers, they usually go something like this:

• Select a sunny spot and remove weeds, mulch, and gravel.
• Scratch or turn the first few inches of soil with a rake.
• Mix the seeds with a little sand or soil, sprinkle on the prepared soil, and rake in.
• Cover lightly with mulch or compost.
• Spread twigs, leaves, and/or chicken wire over the area for protection.
• Water and continue to water daily until they sprout.
• After they sprout, water once a week.

I don’t know about you, but I think that sounds like a lot of work. Especially compared to how nature does it.

Growing Wildflowers the Easy Way

In nature, wildflower seeds are dispersed by gravity, wind, water, and animals or are propelled by the plant (such as exploding seed pods). If a seed lands in a spot that meets its requirements, it will sprout and grow into a plant that lives to bloom and repeat the cycle.

I like to emulate nature. I scatter seeds on the ground in spots that I think will meet their basic requirements and where I would like them to grow. I water the seeds once to help them make contact with the ground and so that they don’t blow away.

That’s it.

If there is sufficient winter rain, your wildflower seeds should germinate. If winter rains are scarce, you can water occasionally, just enough to mimic the rains you normally have.

Here are the wildflowers I successfully sowed this way last fall:

• Arizona poppies
• blanket flower
• brittlebush
• desert bluebells
• desert marigolds
• firecracker penstemon
• Parry’s penstemon

I admit that not all the seeds I sowed germinated. The blackfoot daisy and Goodding’s verbena seeds did not germinate. But I’m OK with that considering the seeds cost little and required no work. It’s also possible that I inadvertently pulled the seedlings up in the spring thinking they were weeds. Oops. 🤭

Once seeds germinate, water every few weeks if rainfall is below average. Look around and take your cue from nature. If you see wildflowers thriving along roadsides or hiking trails, that’s a sign that those in your garden don’t need more water than nature is providing either.

Pro Tip!
Put seeds in a jar with play sand and shake.
This helps to scarify seed coats, which can enhance germination.
You can then sprinkle this mixture on the ground.
Mixing seeds with sand also makes them easier to sow.

When to Sow Wildflower Seeds

There are two wildflower seasons in the desert — cool season and warm season.

Any wildflower that blooms during the spectacular wildflower display in the spring is a cool season wildflower and seeds should be sown in the fall.

There is another wave of flowers that bloom in the summer. These warm season or “monsoon wildflowers” should be sown late in the spring, shortly before the monsoon rains begin.

Wildflowers can be annuals (desert bluebells, poppies, lupines, owl’s clover), perennials (penstemon, desert marigolds, sacred datura), or even shrubs (globemallow, brittlebush).

Caution!
Never put down pre-emergent where you want to grow wildflowers.
It prevents seeds of all kinds from germinating — both weeds and wildflowers.

Where to Buy Wildflower Seeds

There are a few great local resources for buying desert wildflower seeds.

Native Seeds/SEARCH is a not-for-profit organization that specializes in seeds of the desert southwest, both edibles and wildflowers. They’ll ship them to you, or you can arrange to pick them up if you’re in Tucson. You can also buy their seeds at Spadefoot Nursery in Tucson.

Borderlands Nursery & Seeds in Patagonia, AZ offers a somewhat different selection and also ships seeds.

And most Ace Hardware stores carry wildflower seeds packaged by The Native Seed Company.

How to Get Free Seeds

You can also gather your own seeds, provided you do it responsibly. Please see A Guide to Collecting and Growing Sonoran Desert Wildflowers. This brochure published by the Native Arizona Plant Society will tell you everything you need to know about collecting wildflower seeds.

The Pima County library system has a free seed library for cardholders. You can check their seed selection online and place a hold, just like you do for books.

Warning!
When buying a desert wildflower mix, read the label carefully.
Some contain seeds from non-native species, such as the potentially invasive African daisy.

Can You Plant Wildflower Transplants?

Some nurseries, especially local nurseries that specialize in native plants, carry wildflower plants. However, wildflowers generally don’t like having their roots disturbed or being transplanted. (This is one of the many reasons why you should never dig up wildflowers in the wild to transplant at home.)

One year I did a little experiment and planted wildflower seeds and transplants. The plants that started from seeds performed better in every way. The seedlings quickly caught up in size to the transplants and went on to grow larger, produce more flowers, be more drought-tolerant, and live longer. Plus, they cost pennies per plant instead of $10 to $20.

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Photo Image

“Wildflower Outbreak” by tdlucas5000 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0