Native Seed Packets: A Gift For You
Information & Recommendations
The native seeds you have received were collected locally, mixed into a custom blend, and packaged by our own Manager of Land Stewardship, Alexi Dart-Padover. Your seed packet contains a diverse mix of 22 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 may grow 4-5 feet tall at maturity, but most are under 3 feet. You can also start them in containers with potting soil and transplant them into the ground later. This seed packet will cover around 9 square feet of bare soil.
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 outdoors 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 you can identify weedy non-native plants showing up, 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!
Black Eyed Susan and Partridge Pea will probably appear first and will flower the first or second year while the other species grow more slowly.
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