Clarkia rhomboidea, Diamond Clarkia seed
An annual wildflower with showy pink blooms in summer. Great for pollinator strips or adding color to meadows. Easy to grow and reseeds. Covers 1 ft.
From Northwest Meadowscape's website:With spade or diamond-shaped bright pink petals, and anthers bearing blue-grey pollen, this nice annual is striking to look at. Even better, it’s typically easy to grow and very adaptable with a natural tendency to show up in dry pine forests and oak savannahs in late spring, with the most prolific appearances in recently burned sites.
In Washington diamond clarkia is mostly found east of the Cascades, while in Oregon and northern California it extends west to the coast. At around one foot in mature height, with late spring blooms, it’s a great plant for any site sun or shade with medium to dry soils. We think it has excellent potential as a rock garden plant, in solar farm seed mixes, and partially shaded urban settings with poor soil conditions. Note this is a hostplant for the giant, hummingbird-like bedstraw hawkmoth (Hyles gallii).
How to Use Your Cover Crop & Native Seed Packets
Each seed packet is measured to cover 25 sq ft or 100 sq ft, depending on the size you chose.
Sowing Instructions
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When to sow: Fall is ideal in Portland. The soil is still warm for germination, and fall rains keep seedlings watered. Some seeds (like meadowfoam or clovers) can also be spring-sown.
How to sow:
- Rake the soil lightly to create good seed-to-soil contact.
- Scatter the contents of the packet evenly over the area (don’t worry about perfect spacing).
- Gently press or rake seeds in so they make contact with the soil. Do not bury deeply — most native and cover crop seeds need light to germinate.
- Water: Fall rains usually do the job, but water lightly if the weather turns dry.
What to Expect
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Traditional Cover Crops (rye, peas, fava, daikon, crimson clover, buckwheat, mustard): Grow quickly, protect soil, and build fertility. In spring, chop them down or mow before they set seed. Some (like rye) can also be crimped into a mulch.
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Living Mulches (red fescue, dwarf yarrow, creeping thyme, low clovers): These stay low and provide long-term weed suppression and ground cover. Shear lightly as needed, but they don’t require replanting every year.
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Pollinator Wildflowers (Clarkia, poppy, gilia, flax, meadowfoam, coneflower, blanketflower): Not classic cover crops, but they add beauty and attract bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects. Many reseed naturally.
Spring & Summer Management
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Chop-and-drop: Cut plants at the base and leave them as mulch (peas, fava, clovers).
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Mow: Use on ryegrass or cereals to turn them into quick mulch.
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Crimp: Flatten tall rye or grains at flowering to create a long-lasting weed barrier.
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Shear perennials: Yarrow, thyme, and sedges can be trimmed back after bloom.
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Self-seeders: Flowers like poppy, clarkia, and meadowfoam will often reseed themselves. Leave some seed heads if you want them back next year.
Quick Tips
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Cover crops = soil builders.
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Living mulches = weed suppressors.
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Wildflowers = pollinator magnets.
Tulle or row cover can protect young seedlings from birds and slugs until established.
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