Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Seeds to sow
Fall sowing of the seeds of spring germination. It’s a doable deed and you can get a deal to boot! There are some native plant nurseries that have select seeds on sale to sow now and you’ll see results as they spring up next season! What are those natives?
Prairie Moon Nursery, based out of Minnesota, supplies native plants and seeds to the Upper Midwest. They can hook you up, as well as other native suppliers, with a variety of some pretty awesome choices. Here is a link for seed mixes. Check with your local garden centers to see what they have!
Wait to plant those seeds until there have been a couple of frosts! Here is a guideline on HOW to plant those seeds from American Meadows
Shrubby St. John’s Wort is a native that’s on the endangered list in New Jersey. This shrub will naturally form a round-bush appearance but can be pruned early spring for a more mounded shape.
An absolute bee magnet that is not picky about its sun and soil needs. It is rare that you get such beauty out of something so hardy. Able to grow under just about any soil condition you could throw at it, this lovely shrub is also quite resistant to deer and rabbits. Its secret lies in the toxic substances within its tissues that irritate mammals.
It is a host plant for a variety of caterpillars and very attractive to a wide array of pollinators. Bumblebees are especially fond of the bright yellow flowers. They bloom from July through September.
Remember, if you’re planting SEEDS, it’s going to take some time, don’t expect a shrub immediately in the spring! Expect the germination of what’s to come!
One of my favorite late-flowering tall plants is the New England Aster.
Maturing to 5′ tall, it is packed with purple flowers with orange-yellow centers from late summer to October. Popular with pollinators, it thrives in full sun or light shade in all but the driest soils. Before New England Aster blooms, it is easy to identify because of the hairy stem and leaves that clasp the stem in a distinctive manner, nearly encircling it with what look like hugs! This is unique among Asters.
