November Pollinator News

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Winter Sowing

Fall has been deliciously long and mild this year. I have completed more gardening tasks than usual as a result. I’m in a great position for the very first hint of spring in 2023. But don’t think that there is nothing to be done between now and then. Now that we have some freezing temperatures moving in, seeds can be prepared and planted.

It may seem odd to plant when the most inhospitable season is settling in. For vegetable gardening the threat of freezing weather is something that we guard against. Tomatoes and peppers are tropical in origin and do not tolerate Ohio winters. But we’re planting native Ohio, climate evolved plants that not only survive our winter weather conditions but may also require it!

Many seeds naturally mature, fall to the ground or are dispersed during summer and fall. Few of them sprout, even under favorable conditions. Seeds may be better suited to overwinter than the tender young seedlings. To prevent premature germination, many seeds require a cold, dormant period before any kind of growth can begin.

If you have collected seed or purchased seed for next year you should let them experience winter temperatures (unless you have specific instructions to do otherwise). This year, I am starting seeds in Milk Jug Greenhouses right now. Each of a dozen jugs has a different species of native perennial. These will stay out all winter. The mini greenhouses will warm quickly in the spring and seeds will sprout with a head start on the competition. Each milk jug should generate several seedlings that can be separated and transplanted out individually. It’s a cost-effective way to populate your native landscapes. Instructions are available here.

Milk Jug Greenhouse Instructions (PDF)

Large Area Winter Sowing

Seed mixes are often used to establish pollinator gardens on a larger scale. Different mixes are formulated for soil conditions, flower dominance, cost and other factors. These are often broadcast directly on prepared soils in the winter. Frozen soil may not be inviting for seed germination but will accommodate heavy equipment that would be challenged by spring conditions after a thaw. Some land managers prefer sowing on a light snow fall since the contrast between white snow and dark seed mix helps apply seeds uniformly. As snow melts the seed drops to the surface where the soils movement during the freeze/thaw cycle works to embed seed perfectly in the shallowest surfaces where germination is optimized. Open more details here.

Establishing Pollinator Habitat from Seed (PDF)

Ground Covers

A ground cover plant can be useful to help define an edge, fill space that deters weeds and covers the soil in ways that make mulching unnecessary. In shade or part shade areas I’ve been happy with Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense, and, to some extent, Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum.

For sun, I’ve looked for a plant that will fill in around taller ones, to become a semi-shade under-story. Inches matter since it shouldn’t block the view or compete for light or steal the thunder of the featured plants that it surrounds. Within these constraints there are two natives I admire.

Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana, is an interesting choice.  This native has small but tasty edible fruit, like the commercial cultivated hybrid, it flowers in mid spring about 6 inches off the ground and sets fruit by early summer. Strawberries grow laterally by runners that set roots down along the stem as they go. Each root node becomes a new independent plant that can be moved to other locations to continue the process.

Barren Strawberry, Waldsteinia fragarioides, superficially may look like a strawberry but the fruit is inedible. It is well suited to an under-story of partial sun in a variety of sun and soil conditions. The half inch wide yellow flowers bloom 4 – 6 inches above the ground in mid spring. Like the strawberry, it spreads with creeping rhizomes, potentially forming large colonies.

More examples and information are in the document linked below.

Native Groundcovers by Rita Pelczar (PDF)

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Saving Seeds, Sowing Habitat

We all know that you can get more garden on a limited budget with seeds than with nursery stock. Quart-sized perennials that are likely to bloom the very first year may cost $10 to $20 and more. Smaller plants and plugs are young and may not bloom the first growing season but may cost as little as $3 each. If you've ever worked in the nursery trade you know how much time and work goes into producing these plants and that they are good values.

Nothing stretches your budget quite like starting from seed if you have the time and patience. Even better, harvesting your own seed or knowing a generous friend who shares their seeds can work with even the weakest budgets. Handling seed heads and processing them can be intriguing and satisfying. With seeds, you can hold hundreds of potential native perennials in the palm of you hand.

The Xerces Society has resources that will help you learn how this is done.

Collecting and Using Your Own Wildflower Seed (PDF)

Pollinator Habitat 101 – An Introduction and Refresher
Pollinator Habitat 101

This was a quality series of webinars that just finished last week. If you missed them or want to see them again, the recordings are freely available HERE. 

Doug Tallamy, University of Delaware
Pollinators’ Best Hope: A New Approach to Pollinator Habitat That Starts in Your Yard

Harland Patch, Penn State University
Creating Pollinator Gardens: the Role of Plant Choice and Design

Heather Holm, Author and Biologist
Creating and Managing Habitat for Native Bees

Matthew Shepherd, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Deciding To Create A Pollinator Garden Is The Easy Step – What To Do Next?

Shana Byrd, The Dawes Arboretum
Getting Started with Wildflower Patches, Flower Strips, and Meadows