Sprouting Native Plant Seeds Indoors

I'm very excited. I just made the rounds of my seedling flats, and it looks like they are finally sprouting.

I've been growing simple annuals and vegetables from seed indoors for a while, especially tomatoes. But I began experimenting with starting seeds of native plants indoors last winter and am doing it again this year.

Really, the easiest way to start native plants from seeds is to sow them outside in the fall. But I haven't been organized enough to order them in time to do that. So instead, I followed the instructions in Prairie Moon Nursery's useful cultural guide, which comes with my seed order.

Most of the seeds need to be cold stratified. I do this by filling little plastic Ziploc bags with damp vermiculite, adding the seeds, and storing them in the refrigerator for the specified amount of time, usually 60 days. I then transfer them to flats and put them in a warm spot, like on top of the refrigerator, to germinate them.

This year, the copper shouldered oval sedge and sideoats grama came up quickly. They're now growing in my front window. The wild hyacinth and Virginia bluebells weren't doing as well. I'd given up on them but left them going and it looks like maybe, just maybe, they are starting to sprout.