Seeds Available Fall 2022

The new list of Beaux Arbres seeds is posted below. Most species on the list have hotlinks to their Species Profile page, for more information and, usually, pictures.

Packets are $4 each. Minimum mail order: 5 packets, plus $5 for handling and postage. Same as last year. Email your requests to naturalgarden.

Seeds will also be for sale at the Pine Ridge Studio Christmas Sale., December 10 &11. This will be our only in-person retail event this fall.

The six dozen species on the list are fairly easy to germinate, as native plants go. The only one that needs to be in cold-stratification soon is White Turtlehead, which has an unusually long cold requirement. Some seeds are challenging only because they are so tiny: Cardinal Flower, Alumroot, and others.

If you are unfamiliar with cold-moist stratification, it is giving the seeds a period of moist chilling, at about 0 to 3C, Many native plant seeds have anti-germination chemicals in them, probably to prevent the seed from germinating on a warm afternoon in December. The anti-germination chemicals break down slowly at temperatures just above freezing. This cold-moist period can be achieved by burying your seeded pots deep in a snow-bank or by using your refrigerator. Some species germinate much more reliably after experiencing a natural winter, than they do after a faux winter in the fridge. This may be due to repeated freeze-thaw cycles breaking hard seed coats, or seeds responding better to a slow natural progression to warmth, or to snowmelt and spring rains washing away anti-germination chemicals. In truth, for many species, there are no definitive answers and result vary from person to person and from year to year.

Folks with shady gardens will notice that there are almost no forest species on this list. Many native woodland species have complicated germination requirements and the seeds may be intolerant of dry storage. The easiest way to get a whole bunch of, say, Bloodroot from seed is to plant a few nursery-grown plants of Bloodroot in your garden and eventually ants will distribute Bloodroot seeds around your garden.