Fall is an ideal time to start thinking about planting a wildflower garden for a spring showing. Depending on your climate, planting in the fall works well for mild-winter zones such as California, Florida and southern Texas, or anywhere with little or no winter frost. If you can time your planting before the rainy season begins; that's even better.

In nature, flowers in the wild go through their blooming season, go to seed and are essentially planted in the fall. If you plant in October, generally you'll see blooms about 2-4 weeks earlier than you would have if you'd waited until May to sow your seeds. Timing is important, you want the ground to be cold enough that the seed won't sprout prematurely, but remains dormant until the soil warms it up in the spring and activates the germination process.

Buy your seeds from a reputable gardening company, choosing a variety of types such as California Poppy, Black Eyed Susan, African Daisy, Blue Bells and Sweet William. If you decide on one of the combination wildflower mixes, read the labels carefully, as many contain more meadow grass than flower seeds.

Once you've selected your seeds, choose your location and prepare your soil. If you have an area saturated with weeds, you may want to wait until spring until you see them sprout and either pull them or destroy them with herbicide. Another option is to water the soil, wait until the weeds sprout, and pull them. Otherwise, til the soil and plant the same day if possible. By planting the flower seeds quickly, they get a jump on any weed seeds waiting to sprout and take over your blooms.

Try to select a sunny spot in a natural location such as a wooded border or fence, or in the back of a lot. They look great planted around a bird feeder, bench or bird bath, or in an area where you want your blooms to appear accidental and haphazard. Some people plant large meadow type areas and mow winding paths through the middle.

Wildflowers are extremely hardy and adaptable to most soil types. A heavy clay soil would probably need to be lightened up with the addition of sand, and sandy soil would benefit from humus to add weight and help it retain water more readily. Survey the existing plants in the area – if meadow grasses and other vegetation grows readily, your wildflowers should do fine, but if the area is exempt from any vegetation, maybe you should look for another spot.

When clearing the soil, turn the dirt over with a shovel and rake away anything that remains. A rototiller also works, but ensure you don't dig too deeply. You may start dredging up dormant weeds that will sprout upon reaching the surface. Fertilizer is not usually necessary for wildflowers, but if used, choose a variety that is low in nitrogen, or a brand recommended for perennial flowers. Generally the higher nitrogen fertilizers encourage grass growth, and this is something you want to avoid.

When sowing your seed over a large area, mix in one part seed with ten parts of light sand or vermiculite (do not use beach sand). This process helps to dilute the seed allowing it to be spread more evenly, as well as showing you where you've sown. Go over the area twice to ensure complete coverage. Don't rake or cover your seeds with soil, just roll lightly with a lawn roller or walk over the entire area.

Depending on the temperature and the amount of water your garden receives, the seeds may sprout in as little as eight days. To prevent them from drying out, they should be watered and weeded regularly. Once you've enjoyed a season of blooming wildflowers, then cut your garden with a mower or weed trimmer and it will be ready for next spring.