Fall Planting of Native Seeds in Kentucky and the Midwest

 While many people think of planting in the summer, native seed plantings perform well when installed in the late Fall when soil temperatures fall below 50 degrees. This allows the seed to go through its natural stratification process during the winter months and encourages germination the following spring. As a matter of fact, many native species' seeds REQUIRE winter stratification in order to germinate. So, if you plant them in the Spring, and they have not yet been stratified (either outside or in the refrigerator for 2-3 months) you won't see them at all until the next year's Spring. Spring ephemerals (very early Spring bloomers) are a good example of species that need to be planted in the Fall because they germinate so early, sometimes as early as January or February. 
Photo:  Anne Milligan, April of 2021
Iris Virginica (Southern Blue Flag Iris) in one of our rain gardens. To learn more about native plant species:
 Let the Earth Breathe: Gardening With Native Plants

Leave the Leaves And Plant the (Native) Seeds

 On this rainy day in late November, I'm peering through a window at a drizzled up, fog-like specter of life outside our comfortably warm Kentucky abode. Robins, so carefully disguised as to be almost unseen, rustle up some fallen leaves. Sometimes, that's all we see - just the fluffing up of leaves. When we do detect the Robins, it looks as if they are re-decorating our "yarden", as we have chosen to "leave the leaves" or move them as mulch for newly planted native trees and shrubs. Honestly, these delightful moments, in synch with the evolutionary characteristics and behaviors of our resident birds, trump the activity around "bird feeders" any day of the week. Not only do we leave the leaves where they fall, but we have never had need for alternative bird feeders. The seeds in them do not come close to meeting the seasonal challenges that our wildlife have grown up with over time. What DOES meet the seasonal challenges is the planting of regionally native plants, shrubs, and trees. Our wildlife knows exactly when these species go to seed and depend on them. They grew up with them, so to speak!  The caterpillars that our birds may feast on in the Spring are overwintering in leaves that we DO NOT remove or mow. The leaves are sheltering so many other small critters that go undetected, but are SO important for the ecosystem in which we live. Everything we try to do here in our humble Kentucky Native plants sanctuary is intentionally designed to cooperate with the ecosystem as it has developed over time. We do not want to dominate nature, but to cooperate and to co-exist. We would like very much for that attitude to extend to human beings. I do not want to determine who or what you decide to be or do, but to share a context of native plants gardening that is for the highest good, for everyone. For more information and to join our community's journey with native plant swaps, please consider ordering the book Let the Earth Breathe. 
Anne Milligan (with Stephen Brown)
November 21, 2021

Let the Earth Breathe: Gardening With Native Plants

Anne Milligan and Stephen Brown have spent the last 12 years creating a Kentucky native plants, shrubs, and trees sanctuary in southeast Jefferson County, Kentucky. I, Anne Milligan, documented the journey from the very beginning via journal entries and photographs. Since we live in such a biodiverse area of the country, the native species have thrived to the extent that we had to figure out what to do with all of the extra seeds and plants, since our project is only a normal suburban lot. That is how we began the next leg of our journey, which is not only to share our produce, but also our process. "Let the Earth Breathe" is our narrative of growing with regionally native species, creating interesting, fluid, landscapes with native species, and having fun along the way. We have included lists, many photos, and ideas for new native gardeners in Kentucky and the lower Midwest region. All along the way, our first priority has always been the pollinators: Butterflies, bees, moths, birds, etc., who DEPEND on native species for their existence. And without pollinators, there is no life on our planet. To order the book, click here: Let the Earth Breathe book

Interactive Colors of Native Kentucky/Midwest Wildflower Blossoms

It is so enjoyable to see the intense "WOW" colors of individual native wildflower blossoms, but it is the interaction of certain colors that add spice and wonder to our gardens. Sometimes, these interactive colors happen on their own, but we can also design them intentionally, thus adding another level of pizzazz to a garden area. In this photo, for example, we see that the radiant violet purple of native Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) is even more intense as seen against the bright (complementary) color of Orange Coneflower. On a color wheel (which one can purchase at any art store or online), you can find a color, and its opposite (complementary) color and plant native wildflowers that bloom at the same time in those colors.  Another example is Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis). Its intense red blossoms stand out even against its own green foliage (green and red being opposites.) That's one reason why Cardinal Flower plants look so stunning when planted close together in large swaths. The greens and reds are amazingly intense and always draw the attention of Hummingbirds and humans!

For more information on using regionally native plants species in home garden design, you can now buy an accessible and fun book. It is the narrative of Anne Milligan and Stephen Brown's 12+ years native gardening project in southeast Jefferson County, Kentucky. Click on this link to purchase Let the Earth Breathe

Anne Milligan
Louisville, Kentucky
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