very complicated topic.

many wild flowers are not suitable for
rich soils. other plants grow better and
smother them.

some species need cover of various kinds
to get established.

some species can be pests in surrounding
formal gardens or lawns (i've got one species
introduced via a mix that i've been trying
to get rid of for years).

tilling stirs seeds around.

some species of grass and other weeds take
more than one round of poison to kill.

grasses and other weeds can come back via
roots from the side if there is no barrier.
and almost any barrier can fail or be in
the way or ...

then there are seeds still left behind
that will sprout, or birds, wind, rain,
deer, moles, ants, etc can move seeds.

perennials can take several years to get
to full size.

overall, i'd guess that it's unlikely you'll
get satisfactory results from this. it
will take a lot of effort and you'll probably
only end up with a few species amid a lot of
grass and weeds.

better to step back and actually plan a
perennial garden and then once that's started
you can open up a few spaces and plant the
annuals you want. this way you don't overdo
your capacity for weeding and caretaking.
26 sq yards of fertile clay is not something
easily kept up with (left bare after one
round of poison and within a month of that
and getting enough water and it wouldn't
even phase it).

i'd select perennials from a local greenhouse
that are suitable for the soil and fit the
color or other characteristics you want (bee,
hummingbird, moth, butterfly, bird, etc). i'd
not plant too many to start with, because you
don't want to overdo it. as you get more
experience you can add more and that helps things
go better too. also planting sparse means
you leave some spaces available for later
annuals or volunteers from the neighbors who
have gardens (or even spots for food plants,
a little garlic here or chives there can go
a long ways. beware chives, they can take over,
but they have pretty purple flowers. )...

etc.


songbird