My wildflower seeds are sprouting - did I do it wrong?!

[AntiqueMaps]

Hello

This is my first year with a garden.

I read that it's best to scatter wildflower seeds in early autumn so I did so 2 weeks ago (from a packet). And now I see they are sprouting green shoots! Is this bad? Will they die over the winter? Will I actually get any wildflowers from these or will I need to scatter a new lot in spring?

Thanks

If you think about it, that's what would happen in nature. The seeds are dropped by the parent plant, and germinate when conditions are right for them. For some that will be autumn, and others will wait until spring before they sprout. They are programmed to germinate at the right time for the individual species.

I have noticed that because it's been mild weather for the time of year that some of my plants have "died" then come back. Your seeds might think it's spring. No harm in doing more scattering in spring to double up.

Autumn is a good time to start a wildflower meadow because the seeds have chance to germinate and grow to a decent size before the winter frosts. If you've sown grass along with the flowers, it's best to mow the meadow down to about 10cm in March so that the grass doesn't shield the emerging flowers from light.

Your flowers might not bloom the first year (unless they're annuals) but they will eventually.

Thanks all, I like the idea of just letting nature take its course!