Native Seeds: Preparing for the Next Growing Season

by | Mar 16, 2026 | Blog, Newsletter Winter 2026

Although the season isn’t ideal for native plant gardening, we’re keeping busy by preparing for upcoming outreach events!

This past fall, we collected many seeds and have been hard at work cleaning, weighing, and packaging them. In case you didn’t know, we love bringing packets of native seeds to our events to give away for free to community members! This year, we’ll have a wide range of varieties. Check out the table below to see what may be available when you visit our table or booths in the near future.

SpeciesCollection siteHarvest DateWeight (g)
Common Evening PrimroseLoriella FarmDonated 20251.41
Common Evening PrimroseCo-op Country Store Seed Increase PlotOctober 202531.12
Common Evening PrimroseGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20252.22
Purple ConeflowerPWA Office Rain GardenNovember 20256.10
Purple ConeflowerGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20251.42
Swamp MilkweedPWA Parking LotOctober 202516.16
Swamp MilkweedGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 2025NA
Swamp MilkweedLoriella FarmDonated 202518.69
Cardinal FlowerGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 202510.16
Hairy Beard TongueGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20250.095  
Liatris Blazing StarGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 2025NA
Prairie Blazing StarGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 202520.90
Joe Pye WeedGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20250.765
Ditch StonecropGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20252.61
TickseedGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20250.395
Grass-leaved GoldenrodGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 2025NA
BonesetGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20252.205
Cutleaf ConeflowerGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 2025NA
Giant HyssopGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20252.45
Tall CinquefoilGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20253.65
Black-eyed SusanGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20250.013
Blue VervainGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 2025NA
Blue VervainLoriella FarmDonated 202512.785
Calico AsterCo-op Country Store Seed Increase PlotNovember 20252.75
Great Blue LobeliaGreenpark Meadow Pollinator GardensOctober 20251.48



Germination trial
Although we have many seeds to give away, we are unsure of their germination rates. To address this, we are currently conducting germination trials for many of the species collected last fall. We are testing different methods: the seed cut test and a germination test with and without cold stratification.

Seed-cut test: The cut test procedure involves slicing open a seed to examine its internal tissues. Seeds with a fresh, undamaged (white) embryo are considered viable. Because many seeds are very small, this test was performed only on our Swamp Milkweed seeds.

SpeciesCollection site# seeds testedViability %
Swamp milkweedLoriella Farm4879
Swamp milkweedGreenpark Meadow Pollinator Gardens5573
Swamp milkweedPWA parking lot5088

Cold Stratification: Cold stratification was performed on six species. These species were selected because of their shorter stratification times and their abundance in our inventory. Seeds were placed on a moist coffee filter and sealed in a plastic bag. The bags were kept in a refrigerator set to approximately 4–5 °C for four weeks. Each bag was checked twice a week to ensure adequate moisture and to monitor for mold, which could negatively affect germination rates. Any seeds that germinated during this period were also recorded. After four weeks, the seeds were transferred to trays with 12 hours of daily light.


Germination without cold stratification: We also tested germination without cold stratification. Seeds were placed on moist coffee filters in trays to evaluate whether cold stratification is necessary. This method was applied to 10 species to determine if they could germinate successfully without the additional four-week cold treatment.

We are currently waiting for the final results of our germination trials. These results will be available by the end of the month and will be included in the Native Seed Project final report, which will be posted on our website before the end of March 2026.

Loriella Farm visit

Our team was able to get out of the office for an afternoon of fun! We visited Loriella Farm, a native plant nursery located in Elgin. A big thank you to Marie-Josée and John for making this visit possible. This nursery is one we often rely on when purchasing native plants for our projects. They offer a great diversity of species, and we share similar goals: promoting the use of native plants in our community! They even surprised us with snowshoes, which we used to explore our AERF restoration site located on their property.