(Photo by Jackie Hai - KJZZ)

The 2018 wildflower season is expected to be more subdued than previous years.

The 2018 wildflower season is expected to be more subdued than previous years. A dry fall season is to blame.

Area horticulturalists say local wildflower seeds need an inch of rain in October just to germinate and get regular moisture through the fall in order to come out in large numbers.

"In March 2018 it’s probably going to be more of the trees and perennial shrubs that we’re going to see the color and flowers on," said Ray Leimkuehler, with Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden.

Leimkuehler said while annuals like the Mexican poppy, lupin and Alice clover will make an appearance, they won’t come close to the bloom we saw in the spring of 2017.