All the leaves have fallen down, fallen down, fallen down; all the leaves have fallen down, Winter is coming.
Did you know that according to the Free Dictionary by Farlex, there are 33 verbs, nouns and adjectives for the word FALL or FALLING? That does not include the phrasal verbs or idioms. So you ask, what the heck does this have to do with gardening or plants? Well, let me tell you, it’s fall. I was curious about how many ways the word fall can be used. It was far more than I thought. But still, what does that have to do with gardening or plants? It’s fall, the time that is arguably the busiest time in the garden.
There are leaves falling, lots of native flower seeds falling, temperatures falling, and a little snow falling too. What to do?
First, leave the leaves, they will keep invertebrates warm and cozy this winter. The birds will find a few grubs or worms among the leaves. They will also provide protection to your gardens as insulation from the harsh winter temperatures.
Second, harvest your native seeds. Wait for the seed heads to dry out or cut them and lay them out on newspaper in the garage to dry. Harvest those seeds for planting in the Spring or now. What, plant them now? Yes, native plants do better when planting them in the Fall. It’s simple. Once the seed pods have dried, separate the seed from the seed pod/head. This can be fun and a little therapeutic! I find myself calmly picking out the precious seeds from the seed heads, and I can do it for hours. I feel like I’m keeping the native garden going and doing my part, to make sure the garden is filled with native flowers in the spring. But I digress. Once you have separated the seeds from the seed heads, let them air out overnight, just to make sure the moisture is all out of the seeds. Place the seeds in a paper bag, envelope or other paper container.
The next part of the process is fun. Decide which seeds you want in your native garden in the spring. Depending on what size area you wish to cover, take a large or small bag of topsoil, dump it into your wheelbarrow or garden cart. Take the seeds that you wish to use and mix them with the soil. Stirring to mix thoroughly. Take your rake and loosen the soil in the area that you wish to plant and rake it. Once raked, toss your seed/soil mix onto the ground and step on it. Wait for spring. It really is that simple.
If you wish to plant the mix in the spring, just keep the seeds separated and, in the refrigerator, and follow the same procedure in the spring.
So, what is the difference between planting now or in the spring? Chances are that the seeds that you plant now will bloom in the spring/summer/fall. Those planted in the spring will not likely bloom until the following year.
We can’t help the falling temperatures or the falling snow, but we can help save the Earth, one yard at a time, if you plant your native garden in the fall!
– written by Becki Wells, Co-President