HortMan, first to address wildflower seeding. I say seeding because to me it is an ongoing process. I know it depends on what part of the country you live in as to how successful you are with wildflowers. I live in the Kansas City area, have good soil and reasonably adequate rainfall. Several years ago at our garden center we 'worked up' and seeded an area about 20'x60' with seeds. They came up and looked great but I remembered the seed supplier out of Colorado suggested we over seed every year (repeat customer for him). Well, we did that for several years and every now and then we would - forget. We could tell a big difference in how robust the area was. So, part of my advice is it depends on how conducive the area you are planting in is to wildflowers and plant growth and vitality in general. Second part of the question, I have used the mats for wildflowers (never tried vegetable seeds) and it worked fine. One caveat, I am a "dig in the dirt person" too and prepared a great seedbed before I laid the mat. It is quicker for cover, helps if soil erosion is a problem BUT is more expensive. So if a big area is the target it could set you back a little more. I will canvas some of my landscape contractor friends and see what else I can find out for you. In the meantime remember NOW is a perfect time to do this in almost every part of the country. I also invite anyone out there who has experience with mat/seeding to let us hear from you...
thanks for your question,
...Bosh