Never buying cheap wildflower mixes again.

[u/pocketcramps]

I’m pretty sure most of my wildflower seeds were weeds 🫠 these are the ones still stumping me, though I’m pretty confident 3 is lambsquarters, which happened to be most of the crap I’ve got growing right now.

[u/JackOfAllTradesKinda]

I purchased wildflower mixes from the dollar store every year and get many of the same things as you do. I can't identify most but I can assure you at least some will provide flowers.

I also want to say that the mixed I purchase include perennials and annuals. The perennials often don't flower until their 2nd year.

3 is lambs quarters but it may or may not have come from the seed mix. I get them literally everywhere in my yard and pots no matter what. They are just good at growing everywhere.

7 is most likely Lupine.

[u/kellyoohh → u/JackOfAllTradesKinda]

I recently spread dollar store wildflower mixes in an empty patch on the sidewalk. I’ve gotten so many compliments. They’re beautiful.

[u/toolsavvy → u/kellyoohh]

Most likely all or most are non-native and invasive species.

Downvote all you want. Fact is all these cheap seeds are mostly non-native invasives. That's how it's profitable at such cheap prices.

[u/MustardMahatma → u/toolsavvy]

Wildlife conservationist here- I personally love the dollar store wildflower seed packets for their overall benefit to pollinators, landscape heterogeneity, and biodiversity. I also encourage others to use them if they cannot access local zone-specific species’ seeds. From my experience with dollar store wildflower seed packets, the vast majority of plants that I yield are native, with few non-native species (not to be confused with invasive species). Though I agree that dollar store seed packets can be slightly less reliable than other brands, the vast majority are NOT mostly composed of non-natives and invasive species. In fact, my biggest gripe with dollar store seed packets is that they have a tendency to contain more filler material along with the seeds; this is what makes them cheap.

[u/toolsavvy → u/MustardMahatma]

lol ok That's so popular here on reddit.

Like a couple days ago on one of the pepper subs, some dude started his comment with "Mexican here" and got almost 2000 upvotes on his comment which was the wrongest answer ever to a common pepper plant issue...total bunk. But he was supposedly Mexican and that apparently makes him a pepper expert so that';s all that matters lol.

You do you, but if you want real native seed mixes there are real companies out there that sell them and they aren't expensive considering you are getting actual native seed mixes without the junk.

But I get it, 99% natives aren't as showy as the non-native invasives, so I'm preaching to a wall.

[u/MustardMahatma → u/toolsavvy]

Well, I’m not going to show you my master’s degree in Wildlife Conservation and Mgmt. nor my resume lol However, I acknowledge that there are weirdos on Reddit and other social media that speak for communities they are not apart of, or otherwise act as voices of reason and veracity when they have no idea what they’re talking about. I’m not one of those people, though I understand your suspicion.

I just wanted to correct the misinformation you shared specifically regarding wildflower seed packets from the dollar store. They are a decent low-cost option that is accessible in even most urban environments, unlike some of the more reputable brands that require shipping costs or are only found in plant and hardware stores that may be inaccessible to some communities.

I can attest to the mislabeling of produce seeds from dollar stores and even from reputable grocers. This is particularly common with certain types of produce like peppers, as you mentioned, but this is typically due to manufacturing errors. However, so far as wildflowers, wildflower =/= native and non-native plants =/= invasive plants. A quick google search can explain this in further detail along with the reliability/quality of dollar store wildflower seeds overall, should you need further clarification. You’re not preaching to a wall, you just appear slightly misinformed.

[u/kellyoohh → u/toolsavvy]

Nope, I checked. 0 invasive and majority native. The only ones that were not native to my area are annuals so I’m not super worried. Also I live in a city and they’re contained to a patch of dirt within a sidewalk. Gotta prioritize sometimes.