Seed Starting - North East Natives

Thinking about starting a garden filled with native plants, but you have questions? Maybe you received one of our seed mixes from a friend and need to know how to get started.

Look no further, you’ve found the right place to begin your native plant journey.

Let’s talk about the basic “why”s, “how”s, and “when”s for starting a native garden of your own.

Plant natives!

  • Most of the plants in our seeds mixes are herbaceous perennials, meaning they grow and flower during the warmer seasons but go dormant during the Winter. Though some perennials may flower in their first year of growth, many require more than a year before reaching maturity.

    The information below is relevant if you have the following seed packs:

    • Showy wildflower mix

    • Oops! All wildflowers!

    • Hummingbird mix

    • Butterfly mix

    • Sunflower mix

  • The main threat to your new plants is non-native, invasive plants that outcompete and colonize spaces. Be prepared to protect and weed your garden by learning about the plants that inhabit your yard today and take actions to eliminate any invasive species that would colonize your native garden. Remember, “nature hates a void”; aggressive spreaders and invasive species will attempt to fill every patch of bare soil until your natives have filled in the gaps.

    Once you have selected a good location, prepare the selected space by killing all of the plants that would compete with your seedlings. In general, using methods like lasagna mulching or solarizing will yield great results without the need for chemical treatments. However, some particularly hardy plants will require more aggressive actions, like tilling, soil removal, and/or targeted herbicide applications. The more effectively you eliminate invasive species, the more easily your plants will establish and the less weeding you’ll need to do!

    Resist the urge to augment your soil! The plants in our seed mixes have evolved to thrive in a range of soil conditions. They do very well in crowded plantings and thrive in poorer soil.

  • All of the seeds in these mixes were selected to have shallow planting depths, many germinating directly on the soil surface. After your location has been fully prepared, simply sprinkle the seeds on the soil surface and water in.

    To ensure even seed dispersal, mix your seeds with a filler material (fine sand, compost, peat moss, etc.) and a bit of water, then cast the mixture over your planting site. Filler will adhere to the seeds, lightly coating the larger ones and acting as a transport for the tiny seeds. The extra weight will help the seeds fly farther and downward, rather than floating away on the breeze.

  • Many native plants require a period of cold stratification, meaning that they will remain dormant until exposed to several months of cold, wet conditions. Some plants even require multiple cycles of warm and cold stratification that naturally take place over the course of a year. We created our seed mixes to provide you with some blooms in the first year after planting, but some of your new plant seeds will require an extra year (and patience!) before they germinate.

    Planting in Autumn ensures that your seeds receive cold stratification during the Winter with no extra work on your part.

  • All of the plants in our seed mixes were chosen for full sun conditions, but several plants will do well in partial shade too.

    Similarly, all of the plants in these seed mixes thrive in various moisture conditions. Once established, all of the plants will adapt to your climate and soil conditions without additional watering.