*** If all the decision making below is too much to do, Prairie Moon Nursery sells packets of mixed wildflower seeds! ***
*** It is important to check whether seeds require “cold stratification” to germinate.
During World War 2, people planted flowers as symbols of hope. In these trying times, we all need visual reminders to stoke the embers of hope in our hearts.
Even one or two wildflowers can make a difference in the survival of a hungry pollinator searching this barren landscape for an oasis.
Anyone could even, hypothetically, drop some seeds in a park or on a roadside 👀
If you can’t afford seeds, you can still take action! You can figure out what native flowers are growing around you and when they make seeds. Then you can help the plants by taking some seeds and spreading them around!
My first step is always to check what the pre-settlement vegetation of the site was, because the presence of certain plant species tells us a lot about the soil type.
After finding the community type, I pull a plant list from a different page on the same MNFI website. Then I do Google Images searches for each one to narrow down the list to only the wildflowers I find prettiest.
Then I lookup the plants I like on NC State’s Plant Toolbox to make sure they’ll grow where I sow them. My final step is ordering seeds from Prairie Moon Nursery and hoping that they grow!
For even more info about your planting site, you could check the Web Soil Survey too!
If all the decision making above is too much to do, Prairie Moon Nursery also sells mixed seed packets!
If you scrolled this far down then you’re really dedicated and would probably enjoy the tutorial video below for sowing seeds. I worked in a greenhouse and the standard operating procedure was misting recently-sown seeds often enough that the soil surface was never dry. We only actually watered plants after they grew new leaves other than the first two. For sowing outside, just wing it and pray 🙏
plant flowers 
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