Hi - I have r. herbstonne, r. triloba [prairie coneflower] and a multibranching sunflower for your purple coneflower - Doreen.

I ws'd compass plant from seed 5 years ago. Can give you seeds from last years flower. I had to wait 4 years for a flower, but it might have been in a really dry area and could bloom earlier for you if you give it more attention than I did. Last year the flower stalks got at least 10 foot tall. I moved it to a place that gets less sun and they're only about 4 foot this year. Happy surprise - they have a long tap root and I was worried about moving it, but it came back without a problem in its new home - AND - the tap root left behind is growing a new plant in the old location!

Hi Christie, I WS'd Liatris pychnostachya, L. ligulystylis, and S. perfoliatum in 2008. My records show sow dates of Jan 4th, Feb 4th, and Feb 14th and all 3 sprouted well between April 11-19th. AFAIK, these seeds do not have to be sown fresh - fully dried seeds sprouted fine. The seeds that need to be sown fresh are hydrophilic - many of the woodland plants for example - and they need to stay moistened by the soil and leaf litter until they sprout. I purchased some seeds last fall from Prairie Moon nursery that were packed for the year before and they sprouted fine. If you wait a little later in the season, then they are packed for the current year. Don't worry too much about the date on the seeds - even if they are a year old, no doubt the seed company stored them under optimal conditions and I think they are required to perform germination tests on the seeds they sell each year. My experience has been that seeds last much longer than references say, when stored well. I store them in a produce drawer in the refrigerator, with the humidity lever set to low, and throw those dessicants from vitamins, packaging, etc. in the drawer. I've been storing my seeds in the fridge for nearly 25 years and routinely sprout seeds that are 10 years old or older. For example I've sprouted the same Big beef tomato, basil, and parsley seeds the past 3 years that were packed for 1998 - 12 years old! - and herb seeds supposedly have a very short shelf life. And they sprouted like crazy!

I'm sure that most of the plants on your lists are great and have some wildlife value, Anna, but the ones that jump out at me are - Castillega indivisa/Indian paintbrush - I can only drool at pictures of this beautiful host for buckeyes and fulvia checkerspots since it doesn't occur here, but it's also a good nectar plant for butterflies, and, judging by the looks of the flowers, for hummingbirds, also. It's supposed to be impossible to transplant, but it can be propagated from seeds. If I lived in Oklahoma, I'd order seeds and sow them in a meadow with native grasses - most members of the snapdragon family are parasitic or partially so on grass roots. Centaurea americana - you already have plenty of this - I'd make sure it stays! Antennaria and Artemesia - Both these are host for American ladies, and, if they're as tough as the cudweed in my area, they should be easy to grow. Asclepias, spp. - All of these are desirable, both as hosts for monarchs and the nectar in their flowers, which are real popular with all butterflies. Asters - These give beautiful flowers in the fall that butterflies nectar on, and they're supposed to host pearl crescents. I've planted some rice button asters to add to the naturally occurring asters in hopes of getting PC cats someday. Desmodium - This is the principal host plant for long-tailed skippers in my area - it's VERY easy to grow! Liatris pycnostachya - I just love this beautiful plant, and butterflies love to nectar on the flowers. Tephrosia virginiana/Goat's rue - As far as I know, this plant doesn't host any butterfly, and I've never seen any butterflies or hummers nectaring on the flowers, but it thrives on the poorest, driest, most eroded, pure red/orange clay parts of my property. The rainbow of pastel colors of the flowers is charming, and it might be useful as a host or nectar plant to something - I don't get to the parts of my property where it grows too often. Sherry