Volunteers are needed this coming Wednesday, March 27th, to clean and weed the pollinator plant bed around the council circle. Work will begin at 1:00 PM.
No experience necessary! Great opportunity to learn about native prairie plants, and maybe even meet new friends!
Bring gardening tools (rakes, pruners, weeders, etc, if you have them) and gloves. Drinking water, sunscreen and hat recommended.
Winter seed sowing is a great way to grow most native plants! The seeds of many native species require cold, moist stratification to germinate. This occurs naturally when a seed falls on the soil and goes through an average Illinois winter.
These conditions can be mimicked in the refrigerator with a moist paper towel or a spoonful of sand, planting the seeds after meeting the required time for stratification of a particular species.
Winter sowing is an even simpler option—great for gardeners of all levels of experience. Planting in a milk jug or other recycled container gives seedlings a head start, as the containers create a mini-greenhouse to trap heat, speeding up germination and protecting seedlings during spring cold snaps, and lets nature work its magic! Continue reading “Winter Seed Sowing”
This post wraps up our 4 part blog series describing 12 easy-to-grow plants for attracting pollinators (butterflies, bees, etc) to your garden. View earlier blog posts here.