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Put on your snow boots and go outside to start your native wildflowers!
On January 9th, with light snow on the north slopes of the Prairie, I deposited seed from several native wildflowers on Paradise Ridge and in our seed-increase plot. Now is the time to plant your native Palouse wildflower seeds in pots or on the ground!
The picutre on the right is a restoration site on Paradise Ridge where I seeded 5 native wildflower species and two native grass species.
But wait-it is cold outside, isn’t it? There is snow on the ground too. That is exactly the point- it is cool and moist and just what our most of Palouse native seed desire and need in order to germinate in the spring.
The cool, moist process that most Palouse native seeds require in order to germinate is called "Stratification”. I will give you the formal definition and why Mother Nature designed this process.
Formal Definition: Stratification is a pre-germination treatment used to break dormancy in seed; many of our native wildflower seeds require a period of cold moist conditions in order to germinate.
Our winter temperatures and moisture can fulfill these requirements naturally.
Example: Arrowleaf balsamroot requires 90 days of stratification in order to germinate, so a fall or winter planting is best.
Mother Nature’s Reasoning: During the hot, dry Palouse days of July and August, seeds ripen on native plants while the plants themselves go dormant. (Mother Nature makes the plants go dormant in the late summer so they can survive our annual summer drought periods.) During the summer and fall these ripe seeds are collected from the plants by the wind or animals, and then carried to new locations and deposited onto the soil. To prevent seeds from germinating before a new seedling has the right conditions to survive, Mother Nature made each species with a specific germination timer. The timer is based on the amount of time (days), moisture and light (sunlight or no sunlight) required until condition are prime for survival. This timer is built into their DNA.
Seed pots to grow plants for transplanting: Put a few native seeds in your potted soil medium, lightly cover the seed with sand or small pebbles, water and take your pot outside for seed stratification. Leave the pot outside! Starting in early spring and when the snow is gone, keep the pots lightly watered until your seedlings are large enough to plant. They may not be ready until October.
The picture to the right is of Silky lupine planted into pots Janaury 2009. The seedlings were not big enough to plant in the fall of 2009 so left them outside another winter until I planted them in Spring 2010.
Seed your natural landscape or garden: Brush some of the snow off the soil. Deposit your seed on the light snow. Cover the seed with snow or a light mulch to keep the seed in place and hopefully the birds out. As the snow melts, the seed will gently embed itself in the soil. No fertilizer! Lightly water the seedlings in early summer to improve survival.
The picture on the left is Grand Collomia seed production area I planted in November 2011. Grand Collomia only needs 30 days on stratification but I have had better luck with a longer stratification time.
Remember:
"The first year they sleep, the second year they creep and the third year they leap! Patience!"
Our website's native wildflower product pages have the stratification requirements for all the species we sell. Here are some stratification requirements:
Common name Stratification
| Elkhorn Clarkia |
None-This annual germinates in late fall, survives winter
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| Grand Collomia |
30 days-cool, moist
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| Arrowleaf Balsamroot |
90 days-cool, moist
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| Oregon Sunshine |
90 days-cool, moist |
| Blanketflower |
None |
| Prairie Smoke |
None-may take one month to germinate
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| Little Sunflower |
None |
| Taper-leaf Penstemon |
90 days-cool, moist |
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 ...more |
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“We are a 3rd generation family farm bringing you
quality native seeds and deep-rooted native plants
from the Palouse Prairie of the Inland Northwest.”
-Wayne and Jacie Jensen
Thorn Creek Native Seed Farm
Seed packets and bulk available! For more information visit our
Products page.
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