It's snowing here again. We're also having the worst flooding since the 1940s. Thankfully I live on a hill, so the water is not an issue for my house. But, the cold is putting a serious cramp in my wintersowing. I don't have a single sprout in any of my perennials, and I haven't even sown any annuals because it's too cold and I don't want the seeds to rot. Tomorrow I plan to put out my annual jugs. Otherwise I won't have them sown in time to have them included in the container count. Wish me luck! Martha

Try cow's clover, Trifolium wormskoldii. Native to the western part of the US, it is extremely tolerant of wet, even marshy places. Nothing too special about the flowers - looks like most clovers :-)

Jennifer, This question really offends me. Stop clogging up the internet with this sort of ignorant, ill-conceived drivel...oh, wait, you asked for POLITE advice... Seriously, I think the four species you bought are all pretty adaptable and should do fine in most soils, even if the soil has a lot of clay, just as long as your fence line isn't too marshy or too shady. I definitely wouldn't add a thin layer of soil on top of the existing soil. I would probably just dig or till the existing soil, remove pieces of sod or weeds to stop them from sprouting, and sow your seeds. If you want you might mix in some organic matter (such as compost) with the existing soil, but I don't think that is necessary in most soils. While you're clearing a spot for the flowers, clear a wide border as well. I try to have at least a foot-wide border cleared because seeds take time to fill in, and the border holds the existing weeds or grass at bay for a while. I think it is better to grow wildflowers in the existing soil rather than try to add a layer of imported soil. Wildflowers grown in the natural soil seem more inclined to root deeply, while those in a layer of imported soil sometimes seem to grow roots only in the imported soil and not develop healthy, deep roots. All of your plants require a fair bit of sunshine, so be careful which side of the shed you plant them on. There may be one or two sides of the shed that are too shady even if the shed sits in the open. If you have shade or marshy areas you can still grow lots of nice wildflowers, but you'll need to select different species. Keep your flowers weeded during the first year or two. After that, once they are established and growing strongly, they will not require much attention. They will compete strongly with any weeds that come along and should be OK with just the occasional weeding and removal of woody vegetation that might spring up. Good Luck!

You can always copy Mother Nature and toss any seed onto the ground as soon as it is ripe. A little clearing out of other plants and roughing up the soil to allow better contact with the soil once it rains/gets watered. You could also summer sow--which is just like wintersowing, with the milk jug, etc, but at a later time. The advantages of the container are: constant ambient moisture to improve germination and prevent drying out as fragile seedlings, avoidance of washing away in a torrential downpour, avoiding the seeds and seedlings becoming lunch for some hungry rodent, and the containers are labeled, so you know what is growing and can plant it where ever you like and move them in and out of appropriate levels of sunlight/cold, etc. Happy sowing! Martha