planting wild flower question.

[Jay]

I'm 73 now, and find planting vegies in the future will have to be a few things in buckets, as my breathing isn't the best any more. Anyway, my small rock garden, such as it is I find nothing but weeds which I am now pulling. I want to throw a bunch of wild flower seeds, the kind that come back every year, in the area. any advise will be appreciated as I don't even know the types, or wether you sow the seeds in fall or spring. or even if the present weeds will grow up and kill off the flowers. I wish to try to encourage bees as they seem to be few and far between the last couple years. Also if they attract birds into my area, so much the better. I'm in E. Tennessee.

 

[SheepDog]

Get the alpine daisy mix. They say that they will grow to 12 inches but after the first year you will get some as high as 30 inches. Keep the ones that grow well and let the others die. You will end up with some very nice daisies.
The other plant I would recommend is:
Zamphir Dwarf Tickseed
Coreopsis auriculata 'Zamphir'

Item #2898 USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 - 9

It will bloom most all summer and is good as cut flower.
Good in most kinds of soil and drought resistant.

 

[Peanut]

If planting I suggest planting powerful medicines that are often used as lawn ornamentals. This list is off the top of my head, some are water dependent. I don't know your elevation either.

There are dozens and dozens of very useful plants that happen to have beautiful blooms. Here are just a few...

Black Cohosh
wild quinine
catnip
beebalm, scarlet and lavender
jimson weed
goldenrod
echinacea
joe pye
smartweed
blazing star
heal all
skullcap
wood mints (several species)
mountain mint
plantain for ground cover
butterfly weed
queen anns lace
boneset
adams needle (yucca filamentosa)

 

[Patchouli]

So sorry your breathing isn't so great.
Many choices. So many wildflowers could be annuals (one year they grow, bloom and gone) but they reseed easily enough on their own with no effort on your part. Others are perennials, they will always come back.
So whatever you choose, pretty much it will all come back unless it is biennial, they appear two years in a row and sometimes when they are gone, they really mean it, they are gone.
Some will take over and you'll almost wish you'd never planted them.
A few websites come to mind...www.seedsource.com wildseedfarms.com johnnyseeds.com
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/flowers/wildflower-mixes/https://www.wildseedfarms.com/collections/regional-wildflower-mixeshttps://www.seedsource.com/All three offer packages of wildflower seed mixes. You might also find mixed wildflower seed packets at walmart.
Sunny location or partial shade, deep shade? Some wildflowers care, some don't.
Columbine
Feverfew, long stemmed, small daisy looking flowers, multiple flowers on a stem.
Black-eyed susans, daisy-like flower but black and deep yellow/orange petals. Invasive.
Milkweed.
Butterfly weed, orange flowers
Beebalm
Any mint will take over.
Asters for late summer, autumn