Spreading Joy with Wildflower Shakers

by Ashleigh Smith

Flowers have been a means of spreading joy for hundreds of years! Whether they are given to celebrate a relationship, mend broken bridges, show appreciation, or remember what was, flowers spark happiness. Flowers are not only linked to gift-giving, food production, and landscapes, they are central to holding our ecosystem together. Our ecosystem is made up of millions of organisms, large and small, that rely on each other for food, shelter, and so much more! With the ongoing urbanization that is happening across America, we are seeing a decline in more and more native pollinator populations. This not only affects our ability to produce food, it is changing our landscapes both near and far. Growing wildflowers is a simple and easy way we can contribute to a more stable and beneficial environment. Not only are they helpful, but they are the perfect way to beautify the forgotten spaces found all around us.

Planting Wildflowers is Easy!

It is about time nature makes its way back into our urban spaces. Doing so doesn’t have to be difficult. Simply using your growing space is enough. So many people allow pieces of ground to go unused and remain uncovered. I’m talking about those corner flower beds that haven’t seen a flower in a few years, side strips that grow nothing but weeds, and city grow boxes that haven’t had anything in them since they were installed. You can find these spaces all around you.

Wildflowers are the perfect solution for these patches. Simply loosen the soil if it has been compacted, plant your seeds, and water. Or, if you really want to be hands-off, plant and see what happens. While your success rate may be much lower, some very determined wildflower seeds may surprise you with success. Wildflowers are often drought-tolerant and thrive in less-than-ideal conditions. This makes them a great solution to huge urban lawns that are sucking up water or reducing our tendency to cover every inch of space with concrete. Growing attractive plants doesn’t have to be labor intensive. Have a grow box that you don’t know what to do with? Add some wildflowers. Extra space around a tree? Let wildflowers fill it in with some color. Want to make that bedding strip near your front door more attractive? Sprinkle a few wildflower seeds through it. You don’t have to be exact about it. Just sprinkle and grow.

That's right, sprinkle and grow! Lately, a handful of gardeners have grown in popularity throughout online communities as they spread wildflower seeds by shaking them into desolate patches of soil found in urban spaces. Within a few months time, these patches turn from weeds to blooms. Not only are people enjoying these flower-filled corners, but so are the local pollinator populations. By adding wildflowers throughout our urban communities, we can preserve hundreds of native species that are being cut off through habitat destruction. Want to take further action? Team up with your local community representatives to sponsor community clean-up activities. Make the most neglected corners of your neighborhoods beautiful and joyful again with a few blooms this coming spring. Fall is the perfect time to clean out the weeds and shake a few seeds for growth this coming spring season.

Our wildflower shakers are fully compostable and reusable. Enjoy the ease of sprinkling wildflower seeds evenly throughout your growing spaces.