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 (September) I wonder if you might advise me on planting or seeding wildflowers native to the area.

I am retiring north of Yellville in about a year and a half and we are completing a new home there now. We have 32 acres on Pine Mountain -- I think it's the highest point in Marion Co, or nearly so. The construction of the new house has opened up a rocky bank of about 75 feet. I would like wildflowers to grow along this bank, but I'm not sure what kind, or how to get them started. The soil looks awful to me, but many sunflowers grow in comparable soil close-by. Mixed hardwoods are thick in the area, and there are some pine. The sun is full to filtered  along the bank. Can you suggest some things that might grow well in this spot? And then, would I try to transplant some flowers from the area, or might I start them from seed?

 The best time to plant a wildflower garden is in the fall. Try to prepare the site well before planting. Remove as much of the debris as possible-rocks, weeds, small woody plants, etc. If you can, add some compost to the planting site. While you can mix seeds and plants, seeding is more economical. Scatter a mix of seeds in October and you should have a good stand of wildflowers next spring. A combination of annuals and perennials works best to get some blooms the first season. For full sun, consider larkspur, Mexican hat, Shirley poppies, bachelors buttons, coreopsis, Rudbeckia, and Echinacea (purple coneflower). You can buy seeds at a number of nurseries, but it is best to find a seed source close to home. The Baxter Co. Master Gardeners have done some wildflower planting projects in and around Mountain Home, so you may want to give them a call to get some seed sources and ideas.

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