Photo by Michael Crowley

Watermark Woods hosted 17 enthusiastic participants for the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Winter Sowing workshop on November 4.  Workshop leader BJ Lecrone discussed soil types and seed germination. She pointed out that it’s important to understand that each seed has specific requirements to break the coating to germinate. Some seeds are not that particular and don’t need as much preparation while other seeds need variations of stratification or scarification to grow.

Patience is another important factor of free plants. Patience while we wait to see what emerges in the spring, patience waiting for two sets of leaves before transplanting, and patience waiting for flowers. The excitement is well worth the wait for free plants.

The class chose seeds provided by Watermark Woods and planted them in containers they filled with moist soil. We labeled them carefully and everyone took their containers home to remain outdoors in a partly shady area that is open to precipitation from now through spring of 2024.

After the workshop, participants enjoyed the opportunity to purchase native plants on last day for 2023 sales at Watermark Woods.

Resources:
Prairiemoon.com – seed germination codes
Watermark Woods
Plant NOVA Natives growing from seeds with a list of seed resources
Playlist of youtube videos on winter sowing

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