The blooms of this plant will put on quite a show in your garden during the spring.
Native to southern Europe, wallflowers are cool-season plants hardy in Zones 3-10 with a lovely fragrance.
They come in an abundance of colors.
Nancy Rotenberg.
Wallflower is a short-lived perennial or biennial often grown as an annual with a long season of blooms.
They vary in size from low groundcovers to small shrubs.
They suit rock gardens, border fronts, raised beds, and containers.
Credit: Nancy Rotenberg
They prefer sunny spots.
Where it’s warmer, the seeds can be planted in the fall.
Don’t completely cover them with soil when plantingthey need sun to develop.
Credit: Justin Hancock
If you’re out of wallflower’s hardiness range, plant nursery starts as annuals.
Dig a hole about the same width and depth as the planting container.
Remove the plant and loosen the roots a bit from the root ball before placing in the hole.
Credit: Nancy Rotenberg
Backfill with soil, tamp lightly, and water well.
Wallflower Care Tips
Wallflowers grow best when planted in average, dry to medium, andwell-drained soils.
Light
Place wallflowers in an area of the garden where they receive full sun in northern climates.
Credit: Justin Hancock
In southern climates, they appreciatesome afternoon shade.
Soil and Water
Plant wallflowers inalkaline soil(pH 7.0-9.0) that’s well-draining.
They need mostly dry soil to keep their roots dry, so they stay healthy.
Credit: Lynn Karlin
Since they’re drought-tolerant, they don’t need a lot of watering except when they’re first growing.
Once they’re established, cut back on watering frequency.
Fertilizer
Fertilizing wallflowers is not recommended.
Credit: Julie Maris Semarco
Amend the soil with compost when you plant them and they should do fine.
Pruning
Deadheadwallflowers regularly to allow new blooms to emerge.
If left too long, they become woody and leggy and will produce fewer and fewer flowers.
When the roots start to show through the drainage holes, repot to a larger container.
Avoid planting near vegetables to reduce the opportunity for infestation.
Diseases that can affect wallflowers includepowdery mildewand rust.
Neem oil can get rid of powdery mildew, and a weeklysprinkling of sulfurcan treat rust.
How to Propagate Wallflower
Propagate wallflowers with plant cuttings.
A 4-inch pot is best.
Water and wait for it to pull back when you tug on it, which indicates roots have formed.
Then your cutting is ready for planting.
Zones 6-10
‘Fire King’ Wallflower
Erysimum’Fire King' bears striking orange-red flowers on 16-inch-tall plants.
A perennial in the southernmost states, it’s a cool-season annual elsewhere.
Plant it a few weeks before your region’s last frost for early fall color.
Zones 8-11
Snapdragon
Snapdragonis acool-season annualthat blooms in early spring when warm-season annuals are just being planted.
The flowers come in gorgeous colors, including variations on each flower.
Plus, snapdragons are an outstanding cut flower.
They’re also great for fall color.
It makes a great cut flower, perfuming bouquets and borders.
It grows best in full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil.
Zones 7-10
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on when and how you planted them.
If you’re growing them from seed, wallflowers can take a year to flower.
That’s usually the problem when wallflowers don’t bloom.
Bees and butterflies are drawn to wallflowers, but fortunately, deer are not.
