The bounty of our native flora, with all its beauty and ecological benefit, is available to home gardeners at quite an inexpensive price β if we can just figure out how to grow them from seed. Native seeds each have a particular code to unlock their germination that can be much more complex than those of the cultivated seeds we buy to start our vegetables in the spring.
Luckily, there are professionals out there who have figured out just how many days of cold stratification each native seed requires. Sowing native seeds outdoors in covered pots during the winter is a way to satisfy this natural requirement while protecting them from critters and dehydration.
Looking at our recent weather, the best time to sow would have been in November when temperatures started to drop below 40 degrees, some 10 weeks ago. Many native flower seeds need only 30 days or fewer of cold weather, and the ones that need longer, well, you can stick those in the fridge. Our yards are one of the few variables in the climate crisis that we have control over.
Planting native species at home can help supply the pollen and berries and leaves and bark and habitat that wildlife needs to survive. To begin my midwinter project, I indulged in a favorite pastime: kicking back and shopping nurseries online.
Fragaria virginiana, the wild strawberry, a tough groundcover for poor soil: I wanted a lot of them for a project. Into the cart. Plantain-leaved pussytoes, another sunny groundcover that might work well in a stone path as an alternative to thyme: could be a fun experiment. I pressed the order button with my cart filled to the brim. When my seeds arrived, after fondly holding them and admiring the packaging and shaking them like macarenas, I stuck them in the fridge as advised.
