But every single last pot of Wood Mint that I had in the hoop house failed to overwinter. Had I any plants for sale, I could have sold dozens. Visitors to the nursery this past summer were impressed by the fine clump of Downy Wood Mint ( Blephilia ciliata)(pictured above) in front of the hoop house. The only at-all-tricky species on my list are White Turtlehead ( Chelone glabra) which needs a longer than usual cold period, and Blue-eyed Grass ( Sisyrinchium montanum), which responds much better to fluctuating outdoor temperatures than to “winter” in a refrigerator. If you do use the outdoors, best to place your pot in a snow-covered place out of the late-winter sun (which can be very warm). You can either use the outdoors or a refrigerator. This prevents it from germinating on an unusually warm afternoon in December. Essentially, the seed needs to experience winter. The commonest germination technique for native seeds is cold, moist stratification. (Basically, put the seeds in a cup, pour boiling water over them, let cool and soak overnight, and drain off the water in the morning.) There are some seeds on this list that require scarification but they are all species that I have had success with by using the much easier boiling water method to soften the seed coat. Frankly, I hate dealing with these fussy seeds. They may have evolved to pass through the gizzard of a relatively large bird like a grouse or a turkey, or they may be shoreline plants that have evolve to roll about on a beach, being abraded by the sands and gravels. Some other seeds have very hard seed coats that require physical abrasion (scarification) to allow water to get into the seed.
Blue-stemmed Goldenrod ( Solidago caesia) and White Snakeroot ( Agertina altissima) are plants for shady gardens that are also easy from seed. Because of that, the collection is slanted toward the sunny meadow species. Many native woodland plants are challenging from seed - either the seeds are intolerant of dry storage or require multiple winters (or both).
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