Wildflower from seeds...

16 years ago

Just bought some wildflower seeds from Prairie Moon.

There are around 100 seeds/packet.

I was wondering what is the best way to plant them? Also,I just happened to read that sometimes it may takes 2-3 years to germinate?

Can I sow them directly onto beds(lasagna) right now? Or do I winter sow them in containers and then transplant?

Here si the lsit of seeds ordered:

Oenothera macrocarpa - Missouri Evening Primrose (Seed) (OEN10F)

Coreopsis lanceolata - Sand Coreopsis (Seed) (COR02F)

Ratibida pinnata - Yellow Coneflower (Seed) (RAT04F)

Salvia azurea - Blue Sage (Seed) (SAL04F)

Aster azureus - Sky Blue Aster (Seed) (AST02F)

Monarda fistulosa - Wild Bergamot (Seed) (MON02F)

Asclepias verticillata - Whorled Milkweed (Seed) (ASC18F)

Helianthus lateriflorus - Showy Sunflower (Seed) (HEL48F)

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Comments (8)

fatamorgana2121
16 years ago
If I recall correctly, Prairie Moon has information on growing their wildflower mixes. What does their website say?

FataMorgana
ladyslppr
16 years ago
If I was doing it I'd want to till or at least scrape the soil and plant them directly into mineral soil. If you have done a lasagna bed, I'd remove the organic material or till it into the soil before planting. I would sow them onto bare soil in the spring, storing them in the fridge or an unheated garage or shed all winter.

If you think there will be a lot of weed seeds in the soil, you could start them in pots and transplant. My main hesitation with this approach is that you have a lot of plants to start so it will be a lot of work. If you are placing transplants, I still try to till the soil as well as possible, then mulch between the plants with an organic mulch like lawn grass clippings or leaves to keep most of the weed seeds from sprouting. The big advantage of using transplants is you will know that seedlings that appear are weeds, not your wildflowers.
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syman
Original Author
16 years ago
As suggested I will till the soil and plant them in directly...Transplanting as mentioned would probably be too much work..It gets pretty cold here in Chicago in a bit, so I dont think they will germinate in direct soil under these conditions...But should I expect these to come up next season? If I have a choice I would rather plant something that would come up next season rather than wait 2-3 years...Also, each packet contains 100 seeds of a particular kind.I am assuming I plant seeds of each kind together and then space each set out...Probably a dumb question, but better ask first and appear stupid rather than assume things and end up dumber ..
joepyeweed
16 years ago
The common statement is that it takes wildflowers 2 - 3 years to bloom, not germinate.

The plants in your list could germinate in one season. Do you have a site prepared for them? Existing vegetation has been killed and the soil is ready for seeding?

I have an area that I killed off earlier this year and I am waiting until after all the leaves have fallen. Then I will remove the leaves, disperse my seed and then cover the seeded area with leaf mulch.
syman
Original Author
16 years ago
I see, 2-3 years to bloom...wow..After looking at all the pictures on this forum,kind of makes you impatient...

I do have the site prepared by sort of covering up part of the lawn near the fence with cardboard,grass clippings and leaves...when the temps are around 40 degress I was planning to dig inbetween and plant the seeds...
milo_z7
16 years ago
One or two of these will flower in their first year from seeds, another couple of species should flower in their second year, so you don't have to wait that long.
Judy_B_ON
16 years ago
You really should consult the Prairie Moon Nursery web site for directions, they have very detailed instuctions and will point out any specific instructions for specific plants.

Most native meadow plants need 2-4 months of cold, moist stratification before germinating, which means they need to be stored in the fridge in a baggie with moist vermiculite before sowing in early spring or sown directly in soil in the fall.

The advantage of sowing in containers and transplanting is that you will not have the problem of confusing weed seedlings with plant seedlings and can control which plant goes where. If you are trying for a wild, meadow look then scattering the seeds will suffice, if you want a more controlled garden bed look it is better to place individual plants.
MissMyGardens
16 years ago
Aside from the detailed info on Prairie Moon's website for direct seeding you might also want to try the Wintersowing Forum Faqs and Winter Sown website. Since you have plenty of seed you might want to try wintersowing some of those that need cold stratification/scarification.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sown