Is Spring a good time to plant wild grasses?
Answer
Spring is a perfect time for planting grasses! However, starting off with seeds directly sown will require a lot of site preparation to eradicate the existing weeds and prepare the bed. Seeds will not be able to compete with the weeds. Starting with plants or plugs (small plant starts) will greatly increase the possibility of success. Even so, depending on the weeds you have, you will certainly have to keep them in check until the grasses are mature enough to compete and smother the weeds. This may take several seasons. The larger the plants you start out with the faster they will establish, though the seed-grown plants will eventually catch up. Wildflowers would be in the same category. Those "meadow in a can" ads have little chance of success without intense site preparation.
For more information on native grasses, search PHS McLean library catalog for recommended books, such as
William Cullina's Native Ferns, Mosses and Grasses. .
Good luck.