The Native Seeds

Several weeks ago I promised a list of the seeds that I have planted in the yard to overwinter. Here it finally is!

This is the front bed with the bags of soil. 22 species total, with a little variety in heights, blooming time, and sun requirements.

There are a few that I'm really excited about.

Poke Milkweed is a shade milkweed. It's a little bigger and less showy than the other milkweeds, but still good for nectar production and feeding caterpillars. I'm going to enjoy it because of how much shade I have in the yard. 

Doll's Eyes. They're weird. That's all the reason I need. 

Prairie Smoke, which I think is beautiful. It should add a nice splash of pink to the yard.

Similarly, Queen of the Prairie. I got these seeds from my friend Savannah, and I trust that they're locally sourced seed.

This is an unusual one - Late Figwort. It's not very showy, but apparently has an amazing nectar production late in the season to help migrating critters. It also tolerates part shade, which I'm always in need of. 

I also threw several species into pots in the backyard, since I was out of room in the "beds" we'd created. These will require some more intensive managing as I'll probably have to re-pot them early in the season.

Gray Headed Coneflower

Germander

Prairie Dock

Goldenrod (probably early)

Milkweed from neighbor’s yard (shady – poke?)

Prairie Dropseed

Lead Plant

Ironweed

River Oats

Culver’s Root

Goldenrod (probably late)

Mountain Mint

Vervain

Coneflower (probably pale purple)

I may also offer up some services creating rain gardens for folks, if there's interest. I'm guessing around $100 for planting 20 plants (4-5 species) at a site of your choosing, plus 2 rounds of weeding over the summer. There are also some things I expect to give away for free no matter what - like the Common Milkweed - and then possibly hold a mini-plant sale/garage sale in the early summer. If you want any of these, let me know!