Seasonal News
Spring Issue 2024
Seeds that Need Special Care:
Cold Stratification
Written by Frankie Bygum-Cecil, active Roanoke Master Gardener
Have you ever planted seeds and they never germinated? Well, a friend of mine and I have been trying to establish a Milkweed garden to no avail. Everything we tried to do did not work. After several years of failure, we did an in-depth bit of research and discovered that the seeds needed special care in order to germinate properly. And, here is a list of some more seeds that need the same attention.
You still have time, if you hurry, to get these going. April is your list ditch month to have these seeds stratifying in your refrigerator!
Many of the plants listed here are natives to our Southwest area and are noted for you. Many on-line nurseries are starting to carry native seeds since most states are getting the message about our insects and birds disappearing due to the lack of native plants and trees.
Common varieties that require cold stratification for spring planting:
Milkweed (Asclepias) Native
Lupine (Lupinus) Sundial Lupine is Native
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) Native
Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa) Native
Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) Native
Perennial Sunflowers (Helianthus) Some are Native
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) Native
Rudbeckia (most varieties) Native
Coneflower (some varieties) Native
Soapwort (Saponaria ocymoides) Is Invasive in most NE States
Primrose (Oenothera speciosa)
Larkspur (Delphinium)
Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia) Native
Heliopsis
Lavender/Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) Native
Catmint (nepeta)
Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) Native
*** If you want more information on native plants, check out the Native Projects page on this site***
The following is a couple of ways to get the germination party started. There are other means; however, these are the two easiest in my opinion.
Peat Moss/Water
Place a 1/4 cup of peat moss (or more) in a mixing bowl. Slowly add water until you can form a ball with the peat moss/water mixture.
Add your desired seed amount to the peat moss. Mix thoroughly.
Place peat moss/seed mixture in a Ziploc bag and seal.
Label the variety and date clearly on the bag.
Place in the refrigerator for 1 month before planting. If seedlings start to sprout in the bag in the refrigerator, remove immediately and either plant in the ground or in pots until it’s time to plant outdoors.
Soaking/Paper Towels
This is one of the methods most widely used for native seeds, especially milkweed. It is easy, quick, and the materials are usually right in your kitchen ready for use.
Soak your seeds for 1-2 hours.
Use a paper towel or coffee filter to drain the water.
Spread seeds out in a single layer on the paper towel.
Wrap a dry paper towel around the damp paper towel to help keep things moist but not too wet (which could become moldy).
Place in a Ziploc bag and seal.
Label the variety and date clearly on the bag.
Place in the refrigerator for 1 month before planting. If seedlings start to sprout in the bag in the refrigerator, remove immediately and either plant in the ground or in pots until it’s time to plant outdoors.
Give stratifying a try for these seeds and you will be so surprised how simple this is to do and get such great results.