🌱 The Secret Life of Seeds: Why Fall Is Nature’s True Spring
Fall is the time of year most of us are tucking our gardens in to sleep.
We’re pruning, trimming, and cleaning up from the seasons of growth, reminiscing about those bright blooms and vibrant greens we won’t see for a few more months.
But to the native plants I love (and hopefully will bring you around to loving too), this isn’t the end of the season, it’s the beginning.
This is the time to do one of the most satisfying parts of being a plant person: planting.
🌾 Cold Stratification. Nature’s Alarm Clock
Native plants can be a little more particular to start than your average big-box ornamentals.
Many of my favorites need stratification. Basically, a reminder from Mother Nature that winter comes before spring.
There are a few types of stratification, but we’ll focus on cold stratification. The most common for natives.
So what is it?
It’s simple: you expose seeds to cold temperatures (below about 55°F) for a certain period of time, sometimes 30 days, sometimes 60 or more, to mimic winter.
That chill tells the seed, “Hang tight until it’s safe to grow.”
❄️ Two Easy Ways to Cold Stratify
1️⃣ The Fridge Method
This one’s efficient. and the more plants I grow for the nursery, the more I rely on it.
Here’s how:
Take a sandwich bag and add a bit of moist coconut coir (or horticultural sand,your choice).
You want it damp, not dripping.
Put your seeds inside a tea bag, then place it in the bag with the coir.
Label it with the seed name and the date. Trust me, you will forget.
Pop it in the fridge for the required number of days.
When they’re ready, plant them outdoors and let nature handle the rest.
2️⃣ The Outdoor “Milk Jug” Method
Still one of my favorites for its simplicity and charm.
Here’s the rundown:
Take an empty milk jug and melt drainage holes in the bottom (a wood burner works great).
Cut around it, leaving a little flap so you can open and close it.
Fill it with a mix of perlite and sphagnum moss.
Plant your seeds, tape the flap shut, and label it again.
Set the jug in a north-facing spot protected from direct sun.
That’s it. Leave them alone all winter. Come spring, you’ll have a tray of tough little seedlings that did all the hard work while you stayed warm inside.
If you’re growing in bulk, use clear totes instead of milk jugs. Fill them with trays or pots instead of loose media, and treat the whole tote like a mini greenhouse.
✂️ Pruning. The Other Fall Ritual
Pruning time! One of my favorite parts of the year.
It’s not just about cleaning up, it’s also the perfect time to take cuttings from native shrubs and trees.
Here’s my go-to approach:
Use a tote just like before. melt plenty of holes in the bottom for drainage.
Fill it with your favorite propagation mix.
When pruning, clean up your cuttings and trim them down to pencil-sized pieces with several nodes.
Stick them a few inches deep in the media, facing up (the same direction they’d grow naturally).
That’s it. Keep them moist and patient and before long, you’ll have a new generation of natives ready to grow.
🌿 Final Thought
Fall might look quiet above ground, but under the surface, it’s all happening.
Seeds are waking, roots are anchoring, and next year’s wild beauty is already underway.
You’re not tucking your garden in. You’re setting the stage for what’s next.
🌾 Seed Picks of the Month: Natives to Sow Right Now
These are some of my favorites for fall sowing. Tough, beautiful, and built for our Carolina seasons.
🟣 Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
One of the easiest natives to love. Big blooms, tough roots, and it pulls in everything from swallowtails to goldfinches.
Cold stratify for 30 days, then plant shallow, this one doesn’t like to be buried deep.
🧡 Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Bright orange blooms that stop monarchs midflight.
It prefers poor soil and full sun, the worse the soil, the happier it gets.
Give it 30–45 days of chill before sowing.
🩵 Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
The grass that glows bronze and red in fall light.
Keystone species for tons of pollinators and small wildlife.
Scatter and forget, it stratifies naturally outside.
💡 Stan’s Tip: Don’t worry about fancy gear. A few milk jugs, some tape, and a sharpie are all you need to start an entire native meadow.