Wildflowers around fruit trees?

I purchased a wildflower mix to spread in an area where I have figs, elderberries and plum trees but thinking now that it may hurt them. Here is the list of what in the pack. The area is behind a deck and covered with wood chips so it wont be seen unless on the deck so I was hoping just to fill in the areas. Thank You

Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) — pink to lavender flowers and aromatic leaves with a minty smell.
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) — cheerful bright yellow flowers.
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata) — yellow flowers with a dark red base.
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) — clusters bright orange flowers.
Dwarf Evening Primrose (Oenothera missouriensis) — yellow flowers.
Eastern Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) — nodding, red and yellow flower.
Gayfeather (Liatris spicata) — tall spires add a strong vertical accent.
Lance-Leaved Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) — daisylike yellow flowers.
Lewis Flax (Linum lewisii) — small pale blue flowers with dark blue veins.
New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) — daisylike asters purple rays and yellow centers.
Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) — showy clusters of three-petaled blue flowers.
Ox-Eye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) — sunflower-like yellow cone-shaped central disk.
Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) — yellow or yellow and red-brown drooping rays surrounding a long, red-brown central disk. (Also known as Mexican hat).
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) — showy daisy-like purple coneflowers.
Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon strictus) — spikes of showy bright blue flowers.
Scarlet Cinquefoil (Potentilla thurberi) — loose clusters of long-stalked, rich, deep crimson flowers.
White Upland Aster (Aster ptarmicoides [goldenrod]) — a mounded profusion of white flowers

Why would it hurt them? What is your reasoning on this?

Most trees and bushes thrive with lots of other vegetation around them, so I'm not sure where your concern is coming from.

Sounds like a good plan to me!

I have a lot of different things growing around my fruit trees, from wildflowers to grape vines, to berry bushes. The happiest fruit trees on my property seem to be the ones surrounded by the most plant diversity.

Are you from the Midwest? Those are all Great Lakes & Great Plains flowers.

I can't imagine hurting the trees with a bunch of flowers, especially if the trees are domesticated variants & none of the flowers are parasitic. At worst, I imagine it's have no real effect on the trees compared to what they were before. If they're not & they're native, I really don't see a problem, though it's up in the air as to whether some of the prairie plants will take, of there's not enough sun.

I get it, though. Your caution is warranted. But, if you're not living in the US/ Canada, I would advise caution in using those seeds. They'll get way out of hand before you can do a damned thing about it.

Thank you all for the advice. I was just concerned that the plants would take nutrients from the tree. I am an hr south of Chicago.

My mother-in-law lives in Oswego/Montgomery, and I just planted a similar seed mix in her backyard! I know that area can be quite clay heavy (or at least around my MIL's house), but after each fall when the wildflowers are cut back and decompose the nutrients will go back into the soil and build a healthier dirt. The flowers will also attract wildlife that will leave behind nutrients and overall lead to a healthier earth, so it should be fine for your fruit trees. The bees thank you!

I'm hoping the seeds I planted germinate okay in the clay heavy soil. Good luck to yours too!

Another thing to keep in mind is that some of those flowers won't bloom until the second year, so you'll have to wait at least one year for the beautiful Columbine's to show up.

Natalie if you in-laws live near Boulder Hill we're neighbors. Thank for the advice.

Haha! She does live near Boulder Hill! Not too far from Fox River! Small world! I bet there will be bees that travel between the pollinator gardens at your place and my MIL's and that's pretty cool to me. Gives me something to smile about.

Constantinos Avgeris wrote:Thank you all for the advice. I was just concerned that the plants would take nutrients from the tree. I am an hr south of Chicago.

The nice thing about wildflower mixes is you're spreading around a diverse variety of plants that aren't related to each other. You just spread them around and let nature figure out the rest, what grows where. This could actually improve the nutrient balance in the soil. If there is too much of one mineral in the soil and not enough of something else, then nature will tend to favor those flowers that draw up the excess minerals while not using much of the minerals that are in short supply.

You may also want to consider adding clover to your mix. It is one of the few ground cover plants which removes nitrogen from the air and adds it to the soil.