I’m in the Piedmont (South-east US) region with a hardiness zone of 8a. I have a large area of turf grass, and I want to plant native plants, attract butterflies, native insects, fireflies, all of it. I’m looking for trees, shrubs, small plants, anything would be nice to plant.
Where do I start? I see a lot of different species online, but where can I get seeds for them to plant? Is planting from seeds a viable option for a beginner?
Any help would be appreciated!
Seeds are a good idea but I’ve had a lot better results starting them inside. I start them a week or two ahead of when they would start shooting up outside naturally.
I use a big tray with decent drainage, I moisten the soil first so it’s an even moist through the whole thing, put down a layer of seeds on top, put a little bit of most soil over them, just enough to cover them, I put some plastic wrap or a plastic bag over it with some air holes, and let it sit somewhere warm with no direct sunlight for a week. I personally use a seed mat but I know people who put them on top of their fridge or other places that stay a little above 70°
As soon as they germinate you don’t NEED the plastic wrap but you can keep it a little longer to keep the soil moist if you want. Once they’re an inch or two tall, I divide it all up (if I’m not using a divided tray already) and go plant them in the garden.
This method works with just about anything you wanna plant. It helps to get things started and established inside where it’s a controlled environment.