Wildflower Seed Packets are Here!
DCN has developed two wildflower seed mixes for use in Northcentral Washington. The Lower Valley mix is a blend of annuals, biennials, and perennials, and would be drought tolerant in desert-type environments around Wenatchee, Cashmere, Quincy, Chelan, and Manson. The Upper Valley mix is a blend of annuals and perennials, that is drought tolerant in forest-type environments around Dryden, Peshastin, Leavenworth, and Lake Wenatchee. This mix could also be used in the Lower Valley, but would need a limited amount of supplemental irrigation.
These blends highlight flowers that are easy to establish from seed (I’m looking at you, Flax and Yarrow!), but also a few species like Balsamroot and Desert Parsley that are hard for us to grow well in containers and don’t transplant as well. Details are below. All seed was grown on the BFI Native Seeds farm in Warden, or ethically wild harvested in the Columbia Basin, and has been tested for purity and germination (details provided on the bag).
Sowing Instructions:
Due to germination requirements, these seeds should be sown in the fall. Timing of seeding should occur sometime after Halloween and before the ground freezes. Seeds should be sown onto a weed-free, bare soil surface, and lightly raked in to provide around 0.25” soil coverage. 1 oz covers approximately 150 square feet (10’ by 15’ area).
Watering in is not necessary in the fall, but light, frequent watering could be beneficial to promote germination in the spring, particularly if weather conditions after snowmelt are dry and sunny.
| Lower Valley Wildflower Mix | $14/oz; 1 oz covers 150 s.f. | |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | % |
| Bluebunch wheatgrass (P) | Pseudoroegneria spicata | 11.3% |
| Sandberg’s bluegrass (P) | Poa secunda | 1.7% |
| Arrowleaf balsamroot (P) | Balsamorhiza sagittata | 39.6% |
| Whiteleaf phacelia (P) | Phacelia hastata | 4.4% |
| Hoary tansyaster (A/B) | Dieteria canescens | 2.9% |
| Oregon sunshine (P) | Eriophyllum lanatum | 1.2% |
| Yarrow (P) | Achillea millefolium | 0.4% |
| Douglas’ dusty maidens (B) | Chaenactis douglasii | 5.3% |
| Lewis’ flax (P) | Linum lewisii | 6.9% |
| Nine-leaf desert parsley (P) | Lomatium triternatum | 26.4% |
| Upper Valley Wildflower Mix | $14/oz; 1 oz covers 150 s.f. | |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | % |
| Bluebunch wheatgrass (P) | Pseudoroegneria spicata | 8.3% |
| Idaho fescue (P) | Festuca idahoensis | 2.6% |
| Arrowleaf balsamroot (P) | Balsamorhiza sagittata | 29.0% |
| Silky lupine (P) | Lupinus sericeus | 23.2% |
| Farwell to Spring (A) | Clarkia amoena | 1.4% |
| Oregon sunshine (P) | Eriophyllum lanatum | 0.9% |
| Yarrow (P) | Achillea millefolium | 0.4% |
| Blanketflower | Gaillardia aristata | 7.7% |
| Lewis’ flax (P) | Linum lewisii | 5.1% |
| Nine-leaf desert parsley (P) | Lomatium triternatum | 21.3% |
| A=Annual; B=Biennial; P=Perennial | ||
