Rather than setting up extensive grow lights to artificially extend the day, we wait to start seeds until Our seeds overwinter in refrigerators instead of outdoors. Beginning in mid-February, seeds come out of the refrigerator and are ready to be sown. The soak helps fully hydrate the seed and can soften the seed coat, making it easier for the seed to outgrow the space so new seeds can take their place.

Reading: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison What I'm Listening to: The Native Plant Podcast Hamilton Mix What I'm Thinking About: Sowing seeds :) Photo by Alice Hampson on Unsplash

We'll look at plants that provide fruit, seeds, nuts, and insects but keep in mind there's quite a lot SEEDS Many years ago, goldfinch eating black eyed Susan seeds from their dried seed heads in my yard SEEDS Goldenrod species , Solidago spp. We love them all not only for their wildlife value but spectacular color and long lived seeds. The seeds will persist through the beginning of winter.

But its "offspring", from those copious seeds (we weren't kidding!) bank (the viable seeds on and in the soil from previous year's plants). The seeds remain viable in the soil for upwards of 10 years so you'll need to pull this species for a Once pulled, don’t put these plants in a compost pile, especially if they have seeds. whatever seed is already there will fill in the gaps.

honest, as to why we go through the trouble of removing all of the natural habitat and food sources (seeds from spent plants) only to add to our expenses by feeding them store bought seeds? You might also see it in seed catalogs as “four season interest”. Birds will be coming to your garden not to hang around the hanging seed dispensers, but to balance on the spikey seed heads of Echinacea and pick at the seeds encased.

Details Sun needs: full sun, part sun/part shade, shade Water needs: Average, moist to dry soil Height Bonus: you'll have goldfinch visit you in the winter to snack on the seeds. fasciculata Also known as Partridge Pea or Sensitive Plant, Chamaecrista fasciculata is fast growing, self-seeding After the bloom, seed pods appear and turn a reddish-brown color . See you in the spring!

(*In the hellstrip photos at the beginning, you'll see the not-quite-native Penstemon digitalis. Wanted: Low-maintenance blooming plants that don’t grow too tall and need little care to establish. You need to be attractive, not weedy, and you can’t grow too tall so as to block the view of drivers. You may need to respond well to periodic mowing, self-seeding is a plus. Salt tolerant, bright yellow fall blooms PURPLE LOVEGRASS Eragrostis spectabilis 2' tall Airy purple seed

The seed catalogs are stacked by the couch. It feels like winter has lasted a decade. A fine layer of snow covers seeded plug trays **Snow Is Nature’s Slow-Release Fertilizer ** Snow isn’ Snowmelt, on the other hand, seeps in gradually. You can: Stare at your garden beds daily Rearrange seed trays for the third time Whisper “any day now When we are ready, we will send out an email and you can show up! 

Young Garlic mustard ( Alliaria petiolata ) One of the most prevelant plants I am seeing is Garlic mustard As the season progresses, you may see a whole bunch more plants coming up and flowering. of the soil because the larger plant roots will cause even more soil disruption and encourage more seed Do NOT add to your compost pile if there are flowers and seeds!  You’ll need to dig a pretty wide hole, but in my experience the roots don’t go deep.

Hopefully you have been collecting seeds from your native plants as they become ready, but if not, now Harvest any seed heads that have dried on the plants, being sure to leave plenty for the birds! cut them back, be sure to leave at least 12-18 inches of the dried stems in place, and drop the spent seeds There are plenty of natural seed options for birds, but if you do put out feeders, be sure to practice Drying plants may seem ugly and out of place at first, but try to retrain your mind to seeing the good

us inside, we often find ourselves with little else to do besides thumbing through the multitudes of seed I’ll begin by stressing that you don’t need to be an expert to be able to design your landscape. For this step you will need to get your hands on a plot survey of your yard. This drawing does not need to be super accurate as far as size goes, just approximate. Next week we will work on drawing up a Site Analysis, where you start to add in your wants and needs

The winter months are for seed catalogs and garden dreaming, with a hot cuppa by our side, and our imaginations explained that, while our impatient selves typically want to dive in and start digging, a successful garden needs Marie explained the need to determine the sun and soil types for a particular area, and advised us to

No need to panic! There are plenty of things you can do to help your young plants make it through. I’m kind of a nut, but I don’t see a single thing wrong with putting a bin in the shower and using that Use mulch to help keep the roots of your plants cool and retain the moisture they need. Avoid mixing any of the mulch into to soil. 2-3” of mulch should be enough to keep needed moisture in You will need to show these new babes some love through the first season, while they put all of their

Feed baby birds and stop using pesticides . Insects are not our enemies. We use (and sell) Organic Mechanics soil from seed to sale, all peat-free. Native plants, in the right location, do not need fertilizer. Read a book Need something great to read? A single layer of cardboard is laid out over the areas of lawn no longer needed.

Cultivars are not grown from seed, as doing so would result in genetic diversity, producing different In this case, genetic diversity comes from plant reproduction, that is to say, grown from seed the way had a native variety, let’s take the ubiquitous Echinacea purpurea, and sowed an entire field with seed Here’s where people get caught in the weeds. What you won’t see are the large numbers of native insects that specialize on native plants.

We hang birdfeeders full of seeds that seem to attract fewer and fewer species each year, and the sight It’s not hard to see that our earth’s climate change has brought about many changes that affect our land This may seem like yet another doom and gloom article, but there is good news to share. evolved alongside the fauna, these plants are especially suited to provide valuable pollen, nectar, and seeds forgotten the calm beauty of a tended wildflower meadow or the lovely winter interest of a patch of dried seed

there's a whole spectrum of options — from small tweaks to full transformations — depending on what you need All of these species can be left to grow but can also be mowed, they just need a heck of a lot less mowing See all those sedges and grasses in the Option 2 section above? You can even grab a few flats of different species and mix them! The benefits are significant: Weed suppression — dense planting leaves no bare soil for weeds to colonize

Include a mix  of textures, scents, and species—this makes your garden more resilient and less of a bunny