Winter Sowing Flower Seeds

Winter sowing flower seeds creates strong, healthy flowers. Most wildflower seeds and native flower seeds will thrive because of cold temperatures.

It sometimes surprises people to learn that some perennial flower seeds depend on the freeze and thaw cycle to germinate properly. Their seeds must be subjected to several weeks or months of freezing temperatures before the flower seeds will sprout. Native wildflowers need these variations in temperature to break their hard seed coats.

It is, in fact, not the cold temperatures that are a threat to native plants, perennials, herbs, and wildflowers. As any tour of a winter garden will reveal, perennial wildflowers and native flowers tend to remain green under snow. They go through he winter weather just fine if they are close to the ground or in a protected location. Here, they are sheltered from the wind.They are also shielded from the collection of moisture directly on their leaves. Accumulating moisture that freezes hard is the dangerous element that can kill sensitive plant tissue.

Two very popular native flower seeds for winter sowing are Purple Coneflowers and Black Eyed Susans. These native flowers also have the added benefit of being prolific spreaders with long lasting blooms.

Many experienced gardeners understand that providing plants with adequate cover can protect them throughout the winter months. The technique of winter sowing flower seeds inside small mini-greenhouses is not entirely new.

Winter sowing is the brainchild of Trudi Davidoff, who brought it back to popularity with her enthusiasm and generosity. Trudi and her friends share their experiences on the GardenWeb forum, where any gardener can easily learn to apply the steps of the process.

In essence, all that is required is adequate cover, proper ventilation, and good drainage. Given these three conditions, perennials and perennial flower seeds can be started at any time after mid-December. The procedure can be completed using everyday materials found around the home. One very common strategy for winter sowing is to use a one-gallon plastic milk jug.

A clean milk jug, minus its cap, is cut in half. The opening left by the missing cap will provide the proper ventilation. After filling the bottom half with good potting soil, the gardener then adds seeds. The next step is to  water the soil and seeds thoroughly. The top half of the jug is replaced and secured with tape. Then, all that remains is to place the container outside and let nature do the rest.

The result is early germination inside a protected individual greenhouse that shelters tender seedlings just enough keep them growing with increasing strength. There are many, many variations on the basic idea. Container choices can range from clear-topped cake boxes to paper cups covered by plastic bags. Moisture control potting soil or soilless mixes can be used.

Perennials, grasses, herbs, lilies and re-seeding annuals all seem to grow well with winter sowing. One of the best things about winter sowing is that it is especially successful with native plants, which makes it very good for the environment.

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