Hi ya'll! I hope you will all try some of these other forms of Stratification, and then post here telling us what you tried and what you sowed! It can be a fun forum experiment that we can all participate in together - see what worked best and what failed, and reasons why for both. I just did some SNOW PLANTING! I sowed these into a large circular bed built around a Redbud tree, with some Bridle's Wreath Spirea, a fragrant pink Old Garden Rose shrub, and lots of cobalt blue Larkspurs that self-seed every year and came up weeks ago. Pinks and white with a splash of deep blue and bright yellow. The colors and various plant textures will look smashing! I just hope the birds don't eat the seeds before they germinate and grow! Queen Anne's Lace (white) Pink Baby's Breath (soft pinks to pale pink) Cosmos, Sensation Mix (drk pinks to white) Cleome spinosa, 'Color Fountain Mix (lght pinks to magenta) Rudbeckia hirta, Black-eyed Susan (bright warm yellow) Echinacea, 'White Swan' (white) Happy Me! ~SweetAnnie4u

Carol, you're a hoot! Like most of you, with the exception of things that are newly planted (we planted two new trees this year to replace two that we lost in a storm over the winter) and my potted vegetable garden which is on the deck and in bright sun for most of the day, we don't water daily or on a routine basis either. The veggies do get watered daily as a rule, but I also try to capture rainwater which I then use to water them - a trick we learned from some friends in GA who lived through the drought involving Lake Lanier. It's easily done by directing water from the gutters into 55 gallon trash barrels. If it's been a week or two with high heat and no rain, we look to see who is wilting (OTHER than ME) and we water if the plants are showing signs of significant stress, but honestly, that doesn't happen very often and we only give a good soaking to those beds that are looking haggard. But when we water, we do soak them thoroughly, and we do it either in the very early AM or late evening. One thing we did a couple of years ago that has made a tremendous difference was to invest in SoilMoist and add it into our beds around every plant. This is a synthetic additive that holds a tremendous amount of water (200 times its weight) and then releases it during times of drought, when the plants need it most. Adding it after the fact is a major chore because you can't just spread it around the garden or rake it into the soil around the plant -- you need to get it down near the roots. That meant either digging down along side the plant or lifting the plants out completely, adding the SoilMoist, and then replanting. It took us an entire growing season to get started with it. Now when we plant, we add a couple of tablespoons or more for something larger like a tree and we add it in the bottom of the hole with the compost and manure. Putting it where it can help larger shrubs and roses can be challenging and very time consuming if they aren't easily lifted. When we were dealing with some of the huge roses and shrubs, we dug down next to them using a heavy duty long handled weeding tool and sometimes a bulb planting tool to make a narrow tunnel next to the plant so that we could be sure to get the SoilMoist deep enough. I've been told that it does have a "life span" but so far, it seems to be doing the job and has shown no signs of losing it's water retaining ability. Other than the trees, which need watering a couple of times a week at least, and some new things we planted, which were watered liberally until they got established, (and the vegetables on the deck), I don't think we've watered more than 6 times this entire season. And once even a new plant becomes established, it often only needs watering when the entire bed does -- the SoilMoist is that effective. Mulching also makes a big difference. We use shredded leaf mold for mulch and that also reduces the amount of watering needed as it provides protection from the sun and slows drying considerably. Best of all, it composts right in the beds and becomes the darkest humus you've ever seen (except for that gorgeous black dirt in Minnesota). We make our own mulch. We get several truckloads of leaves dropped off in the fall by a landscaper friend who only brings leaves from properties that he maintains so we know that they are going to be free of serious pest problems (like nasty blights) and unwanted chemicals. Over the course of the fall, we run them through the Mighty Max and then we let them compost over the winter, covered by tarps. Then we run them through Max again in the spring. This gets put on the beds as a mulch and in the fall, we top them off again and add a bit of manure as well with another couple of inches Having done it both ways in the same garden, I can tell you with certainty that the combination of the SoilMoist and the thick mulch really makes a dramatic difference in terms of watering. Our gardens are pretty extensive and people often ask us where we hide the irrigation heads. (We don't have an irrigation system at all.) We have only a half acre but the entire thing is a series of garden beds. (We do have a token bed of "grass" and yes, it did turn brown during the recent dry spell we had -- it isn't blessed with the benefit of SoilMoist or mulch LOL -- but the rest of the beds were only watered in some cases once, some cases twice, and some cases not at all. Before we started using this regimen, we were watering some part of this garden daily and we were losing plants despite our best efforts. Now, even the weeds look like they're right out of Jurassic Park. Cathy (MA)

The best time to direct sow warm season grasses such as blue grama is spring. You can sow a warm season grass in summer if you are able to keep them well watered and its not too hot where you are. This is a fast growing grass that establishes quickly and easily from seed. it is best to sow the cool season grasses in fall. The Prairie dropseed needs cold stratification and is very slow going from seed. Its best to purchase plants unless you want to wait a few years for mature plants. Santa Rosa Gardens sells plugs for very reasonable, especially if you wait for their spring or fall clearance sales, although they seem to be out of it currently. Big bluestem is another one that takes quite a while to establish from seed as it spends the first year or two putting down deep roots. You didn't mention one of the most beautiful and best warm season prairie grasses of all. Sideoats Grama. It is fairly fast to establish and forms seedheads rather early so its gorgeous all summer, fall and winter. Pictures do not do it justice, a mature plant is very stiff, impressive and upright and it can get quite large. The seeds germinate in early spring and it establishes fairly fast. Another good one that adds hazy purple color contrast and light effects is purple three awn grass. Its a fine bladed cool season grass that blooms purple fading to beige all spring through summer. Comes up very easily and grows fast.

thanks Khalid I'm thinking about sowing both...I will order my seeds from this company http://www.herbgarden.co.za/mountainherb/herbinfo.php?id=83 Common Name: CUMIN - BLACK Scientific Name: Nigella sativa Seeds: To order please contact us Get the latest pricelists hereDescription: Annual White flowers Mentioned in Bible Culinary Uses: Spicy flavour. Ingredient in curry and spicy mixtures Bread, cake, sauces, curries, chutneys fish dishes Medicinal Uses. It is said that: Respiratory conditions, allergies, fevers, flu, asthma, emphysema Hypertension, insomnia, arthritic and rheumatic pain Clear acne, boils, excessive perspiration Inhibits certain forms of cancer Stomach upsets, nausea, vomiting, colic, spasms, intestinal worms Diuretic and promotes lactation Treat inflammatory and auto-immune conditions http://www.herbgarden.co.za/mountainherb/herbinfo.php?id=461&seeds=1 Plant InformationCommon Name: CUMIN, JEERA Scientific Name: Cuminum cyminum Seeds: To order please contact us Get the latest pricelists hereDescription: Annual Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, a member of the parsley family. It was originally cultivated in Iran and the Mediterranean region and has been in use since ancient times. It is mentioned in the Bible in both the Old Testament (Isaiah 28:27) and the New Testament (Matthew 23:23). Today it is cultivated all over the world. Cumin is a half hardy, slender annual with finely divided, ovate leaves, reaching 10cm long. Tiny, white to pale pink flowers are produced in umbels, followed by gray-green ovoid-oblong fruits, containing pale brown seeds. Cumin is grown from seed sown in spring and prefers full sun, well-drained fertile soil and a long hot summer of three to four months (115 days). Daytime temperatures must be around 30 °C - seeds may not ripen in cold climates. Seeds must be sown directly in a garden bed and keep clean from weeds - germination will take place in 1 to 3 weeks.Culinary Uses: Cumin can be used ground or as whole seeds and helps to add a hot and aromatic flavor to food. The seeds are a perfect companion for salad dressings, cheese, pickles, pastries, masala, stews, soups and spiced gravies such as chili. Cumin is an ingredient of curry powder and has a distinctive taste associated with ethnic foods of the Mediterranean Basin. An essential oil from the seed is used as a food flavoring.Parts Used: The seeds are collected by hand when ripe, threshed, dried and stored whole in airtight jars.Medicinal Uses. It is said that: Cumin is an astringent herb that benefits the digestive system - it is used in treating inflammation, indigestion, flatulence and as an appetite suppressant. Cumin purifies blood, promotes healthy reproductive organs in both male and female, increases milk flow in nursing mothers and acts an aphrodisiac. A fine paste of cumin seed powder mixed with water is applied on boils, swellings and itchiness of the skin. To prepare a mouth freshener, eliminate foul smell of the mouth and heal mouth ulcers - boil Cumin powder in water, allow cooling down, adding a pinch of cardamom powder, filter and gargle. In ancient times it has been used as a pain killer and to treat rotten teeth. Massage roasted Cumin powder mixed with sea salt on the gums to treat inflammations, prevent bleeding and to strengthen them. To treat indigestion and flatulence - boil 5ml of Cumin seed powder in 250ml of water, allow it to cool down and drink twice daily. Using Cumin powder with honey will do the same. To treat irritable bowel syndrome - drink pomegranate juice mixed with roasted Cumin powder until the condition subsides. In India ground Cumin powder is mixed into a paste with onion juice - to be applied to scorpion stings Cumin has a very disagreeable flavor and is nowadays seldom used in Western herbal medicine - having been superseded by caraway which has similar properties and a more pleasant flavor. Today Cumin's medicinal use is confined to veterinary practice where it is used as a carminative.For Animals. It is said that: Cumin is often used as part of birdseed mixtures. Mixed Cumin seeds and sea-salt is an universal remedy for diseases like scabby backs and breasts disease in pigeons. Take 113g each of sea salt, common Salt, Dill-seeds, Cumin-seeds, 453g Fennel-seeds and 29ml Assafoetida. Mix it with a little wheat flour and some fine-worked clay. Mix well and bake in the oven. Allow to cool down and put it on the table in the dove-cote for the pigeons