Planting Wildflowers in Fall
For spring color, butterflies and hummingbirds.
There are some desert wildflowers that you can not only collect seeds from now, but you can also plant now.
The seed heads of many desert wildflowers ripen in the fall, and can be collected and planted now.
Achillea species. This desert plant is better known as yarrow. It is an herbaceous perennial growing from two inches to four feet tall. The colors can rage from yellow, cream, apricot and coral to pink red and mauve. Depending on the genus, the plant can be short and mat like and planted as a groundcover, or tall and elegant, and used as a background plant. The leaves are very aromatic and gray, green or grayish green in color. Yarrow is very adaptable and can grow in good humus soil or in poor, sandy or clay soil, although it does prefer soil that is well-drained. It likes full sun and is hardy from zones 3-10, which makes it a suitable plant for almost anywhere in North America. Divide this plant in fall or spring. It has a tendency to spread, so divide every two to three years. Some yarrow species that do well up to 9,000 feet elevation are A. tormentosa, which is short and mat like and has bright yellow flower clusters; A. milliforum, which has a flowering stem that grows to about two feet and has lilac or mauve flower clusters; and A. filipendula, which grows to almost four feet and has large yellow flower clusters.
Hemerocallis (daylilies). There are actually thousands of daylily cultivars, and most are moderately drought-tolerant, although the soil does need to be amended with organic matter. There is a wide range of colors of daylilies, from white, yellow and gold to pin and red, and even many that are multicolored. The flowers of daylilies last only one day (hence the name) and are edible. They also attract butterflies. Hardy from zone 4 to zone 10, these plants can be divided in fall or late summer.
Penstemon (many suitable cultivars and genus). Penstemon is an extremely versatile and beautiful plant. There are varieties which are low growing and are perfect for ground covers or along pathways in desert gardens, or among rocks. There are tall varieties which are beautiful along walls, in beds, and planted alone or with other plants, especially ornamental grasses. There are over 200 species of penstemons, and most can be found in their natural range west of the Mississippi River, although there are some varieties that can be found in the eastern U.S. Colors vary by species, and they come in pink, white, red, scarlet, blue or purple. There are herbaceous perennials, and are hardy from zones 2 through 10. They like sandy soil, but will tolerate any soil that is well-drained. Some drought-tolerant species include: P. ambiguous, P. barbatus, P. caespitosus, P. clutei, and P. gracillus.
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