Native Seed Packets at 20th Annual Concord Ag Day

 

Information & Recommendations

These seed packets contain a diverse mix of 31 native plant species. Sow them in your yard to create a mini meadow and support local pollinators and wildlife!

Location: These plants are adapted to a range of conditions and some will do well in either moist or dry soils. But they all will do best in a sunny location. Keep in mind that some of these plants can grow 6+ feet tall at maturity. You can also start them in containers with potting soil and transplant them into the ground later.

Timing: The best time to plant native seed is in late fall or early spring. Most of these seeds need a few weeks of cold, moist weather to break their dormancy and begin to germinate around April. So it is best if they experience at least a month of winter (freeze/thaw, snow, rain). But you can plant these any time if you are patient. It sometimes takes years for seeds to germinate.

Sowing: These seeds will have the best chance of survival with minimal competition from other plants. Plant them into a patch of bare soil if possible – they will have a hard time germinating in thick, established grass. Scuff the soil surface to loosen it and allow for good soil-seed contact. Then spread the seed and lightly rake it in. The seed should be planted shallowly – no more than ¼” deep. Some of the tiny, dust-like seeds actually need light to germinate. 

Maintenance: The seedlings will be very small and difficult to identify when they first germinate. And you will likely have other weeds popping up from pre-existing seeds in the soil. As the plants get bigger, try to identify them using apps like iNaturalist, Seek, or PictureThis. If they are weedy non-natives, pull them or cut them back to give the natives a chance to compete. Usually the weeds will grow much faster than the desirable natives. Growing native plants from seed takes patience!

 
 
Species List:
Species name Common name
Agastache foeniculum Anise Hyssop
Agastache scrophulariifolia Purple Giant Hyssop
Allium cernuum Nodding Onion
Andropogon gerardii Big Bluestem
Anemone virginiana Thimbleweed
Aquilegia canadensis Eastern Columbine
Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa Butterflyweed
Chasmanthium latifolium River Oats
Conoclinium coelestinium Blue Mist Flower
Elymus hystrix Bottlebrush Grass
Eryngium yuccifolium Rattlesnake Master
Eupatorium hyssopifolium Hyssop-leaved Thoroughwort
Eupatorium perfoliatum Common Boneset
Hypericum ascyron Great St. John’s Wort
Iris versicolor Blueflag Iris
Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower
Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia
Monarda fistulosa Beebalm
Monarda punctata Spotted Beebalm
Oligoneuron rigidum Stiff Goldenrod
Penstemon digitalis Foxglove Beardtongue
Pycnanthemum muticum Clustered Mountain Mint
Scutelaria lateriflora Mad Dog Skullcap
Solidago bicolor Silverrod
Solidago nemoralis Gray Goldenrod
Sorghastrum nutans Indiangrass
Symphyotrichum cordifolium Blue Wood Aster
Symphyotrichum ericoides Heath Aster
Vernonia noveboracensis New York Ironweed
Zizia aurea Golden Alexander
 
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