Besides offering a wonderful fragrance and breathtaking sight, a native wildflower meadow is also a magnet for wildlife. It provides nectar, food, and cover for birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and a host of small mammals.

Your meadow could fill a small corner of your yard or several hectares. With a little luck, you’ll start a whole new trend in your neighbourhood. You could also adapt this project and plant a patch of prairie grass.

• Choose
  an area that could serve as a transition zone between
  wild and conventional areas or as a replacement for part
  of your lawn. It should be in a sunny location.
• Till
  the area 15 to 20 cm deep in spring or fall.
• Only
  if you choose to begin the project in fall, plant heavily
  with buckwheat seeds after tilling. Rake the buckwheat
  under before the seeds set – that is, before the fresh,
  tender sprouts get taller than 15 cm – two to four weeks
  after planting. Immediately reseed with another crop of
  buckwheat, also tilling it under before the seeds set.
  Then let the area sit for the winter. (This technique,
  known as green manure, gives the soil nutrients that allow
  wildflowers to grow thicker than they would in the wild.)
• After
  spring thaw, cover the tilled area with heavy black plastic
  for two or three weeks, so the weed seeds will germinate
  and die. (It is important to remove any weeds from the
  area to be planted to allow for good growth of your wildflowers.)
• Remove
  the plastic and plant your wildflower seeds as well as
  grass seeds or seedlings. Use native species adapted to
  your region. Biennials and perennials take longer to establish
  than annuals, but are longer lasting.
• You
  can skip the green manure technique if you wish. If so,
  till the earth in the fall, put down the black covering
  in the spring, and then plant the native wildflower seeds.
• Mix
  the wildflower seeds with dry sand or vermiculite to allow
  for a more even distribution and to prevent from seeding
  too thickly.
• After
  seeding, rake the area lightly so that the seeds are not
  buried too deeply. The seeds should be at a maximum depth
  of 6 mm. You can mulch the planted area but only very
  lightly. Then tamp it down.
• Do
  not add fertilizer. This would create an abundance of
  foliage at the expense of blooms and also encourage weed
  growth.

Maintenance

• Water
  the area regularly (at least once a week unless rain is
  abundant) until the plants are well established. Most
  wildflowers are drought resistant once established but
  until such time the soil should be kept moist but not
  soaked.
• Weed
  out any undesirable growth once it can be identified.
  (Weeding will be most difficult in the first year while
  the wildflowers establish themselves.)
• Mow
  or cut your mini-meadow in late fall to boost reseeding.
• Be
  patient! It may take two seasons before some wildflower
  species come into bloom.

[source : www.wildaboutgardening.org]