SAN ANTONIO – If you want to transform your sad dirt patch that is supposed to be a lawn into a healthy prairie that grows blooming flowers, it requires little work and water.
Here’s what you need to do
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A good place to start is with the American basketflower, which takes the crown when it comes to the most stunning, jaw-dropping native wildflower.
Why do we continue to water our sad patches of dirt every summer that always die from the heat when we can plant more stunning sustainable prairies that contain native wildflowers like American basketflower?
Basketflower gets her name from the unique basket she sits on top of before blooming because every queen needs a throne.
What makes her a queen?
Not only is she stunning, but she is also a favorite of pollinators, attracting dozens of different species of bees and butterflies.
The American basketflower rebuilds your soil, even in places where you thought nothing would grow.
How?
After the annual basketflowers die in winter, what remains acts as a natural compost pile, creating large amounts of organic matter that enrich your soil and then reseed.
You heard that right. You plant the American basketflower once, and she keeps doing the work for you.
Basketflowers, like all native plants, have deep root systems. This increases the soil’s capacity to store water, reducing water runoff and allowing them to be drought tolerant.
Planting more native plants revives the soil and fights climate change by keeping carbon in the ground and removing it from the air.
Here is how you can plant basketflowers
- Plant in November and water seedlings often in late winter and early spring.
- Once established, they will take off and not need as much water or attention.
- Rainbow Gardens has packets of native wildflower seeds, including some for American Basketflower. Happy Gardening!