The Seeds Have Been Sown

Hawthorn Hill Native Wildflowers (my backyard)  February 5, 2020
This time of year is always an exciting time for me - full of hope and anticipation for the promise of a new batch of native Florida wildflowers. As I grow my plants from seed, I never quite know what to expect. Some flats come up so thick that I'd never have enough room to pot them all up individually - let alone find enough homes for them either. A few come up sporadically and a few others just never materialize. I've never been able to predict this with any accuracy, but I've learned that I need to sow my seed as soon as they are ripe, no mater what the month, and that I need to plant them as shallowly as I can get away with - just a dusting of soil over them to keep them from blowing away.
I began my hobby wildflower nursery as a way to share wildflowers that just aren't widely propagated by folks who try to do this for a living. I've always been a collector and it drove me crazy that so many wonderful native wildflowers were not in the trade. We have 17 different species of native blazing stars (Liatris spp.), for example, but only 2-3 were available to purchase and I wanted more options. There are 20 species of native goldenrods (Solidago spp.) and only 2-3 were bring grown for sale to the public. More than 20 species of native Symphyotrichum asters and maybe 2 of these were being sold.
Florida is so rich in native wildflowers. By my crude estimate, there are more than 1,500 species that would qualify as a native wildflower, yet only about 100 are grown commercially with any consistency by members of the Florida Association of Native Nurseries (FANN). I don't blame them for this - they have to make a living and the market does not bear much more diversity at this time. As I don't need to make a profit or feed myself on the seedlings I produce each year, I have the freedom of growing species that I might not sell more than a dozen of. I'd like that to change and I think it is - slowly, but surely.
If we are going to counter the mass destruction of our native plant communities caused by development, we need to put diversity back into our tiny developed landscapes. It's not about using only the relatively few species made widely available and it's definitely not about simply letting things come up in the bare patches we create after ripping out sections of lawn grass. I'm evaluating my attempts here in Holiday where I've added at least 80 natives species to my yard. In these flats are a few more I hope to add also. The rest, assuming these tiny seedlings mature enough, will end up for sale at one of my annual Open Houses. It's always rewarding to send species to new homes that might not otherwise get planted.
As it stands, I have more than 50 species of wildflowers and native grasses coming up in these flats. Many arise from the seed I've collected from my own wildflower garden. A few from friends who know what I'm hoping to add someday, and a few from seed I've collected as I hike across the state. If you wish to grow plants from seed, make sure you are collecting it legally and with permission. Never take more than a tiny bit of what you find from any population and KNOW exactly what you are collecting before you collect it. Collect seed only from species that you believe you can adequately provide for. If you don't have the right soils, sun, and moisture for something, don't take it even if it is common.  If you don't know what it needs, do some research. My other blog: hawthornhillnative wildflowers.blogspot.com may have the information you are looking for in that regard.
Spring is nearly upon me here and it is a time for optimism.

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