List of Seeds that should be direct sown in November in Illinois

laagarden

12 years ago

I'm wondering what seeds I can direct sow right now, November, in Zone 5, so that I can get blooms in spring.

I would like to start a list, if anyone can help.

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Comments (3)

drippy
12 years ago
Well, I don't direct sow anything except a few veggies, but I have started some seeds this week that need warm/cold/warm cycles (sometimes more than once). In your zone, you might have to keep such flats indoors for a few weeks, then put them out - but in Alabama the temperatures are still warm enough to qualify for a warm cycle.

Here's what's out on my shelves already:

Cornus stolonifera and cornus sanguinea (red dogwoods)
Dictamnus alba (gas plant0
Echinacea angustifolia (WCW is recommended, but you may be able to get away with just wintersowing these)
Camellia sassanqua - not sure my seeds are viable for this; I plucked them from a plant in the church courtyard
Rhexia virginica (Handsome Harry) - a little beauty that is one of my favorite wildflowers
Rosa, rugosas, and seeds from a couple of hybrids
Symphotricum novae-angliae (NE Aster)
Trollius europaea (globeflower)
Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh)
Calycanthus floridus (Carolina allspice)
Filipendula vulgaris (dropwort)
Tiarella
Viburnum opulus (cranberry)

In the next few days, I will be doing more; notably alliums, and some trees.

I am certain these could be direct sowed, but (a) I'd probably forget where they were, and (b) I like the control wintersowing in flats gives me.
docmom_gw
12 years ago
I was always told Larkspur would do well direct sown, but when I tried it last fall/winter, I got very few plants, and many of them were late in the summer season. So, this year I'm going to winter sow them, but plant them out early. That way, I have more control over where and when they bloom. It will make seed collecting for next year easier, also.

I know Cosmos, Verbena boniarensis, and scabiosa have all self-seeded. So, they would be candidates for fall/direct sowing. The concern I have is that critters might eat the seeds or snow/rain/wind might carry them away.

Hope that helps.

Martha
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This is my first year winter sowing too, but here are the perennial flowers I've sown so far: Marsh Blazing Star, Purple Giant Hyssop, Starry Campion, New England Aster, Wild Geranium, Boneset, Black-Eyed Susan, Brown-Eyed Susan, Joepyeweed, Virginia Bluebells, Yellow Coneflower, Spiderwort, Wood Lily, Harebell, Penstemon/Foxglove Beardtongue, and Red Columbine. These are all U.S. native seeds that need 30 to 60 days of cold, moist stratification. I also already sowed the annuals Rudbeckia hirta and Tall Bellflower...my seed packets say they need 30 days of cold, moist stratification too, even though they are technically annuals, but they are U.S. Mid-Atlantic natives. Hope I didn't sow these too early... I'm going to wait until spring to sow the French Marigold seeds I collected. Can't say yet how well these all take to winter sowing since it's my first year in Milk Jug World, but will post an update later in the year. Good luck with your flowers too!
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Larkspur, poppies, batchelor buttons... but I did it earlier, maybe around August. The seeds sprouted and over wintered as seedlings. Karen
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No, they are planted in a tray with sand-to-peat ratio of 2-to-1. The trays are covered, so I'm not worrying about being washed-away by the rain or blown-away by the wind. On the other hand, the tray is located in a sheltered area outside the house - no climate control. The tray stands behind a wall and does not receive direct sunlight. It is aerated for about 15 minutes when I come back home in the afternoon.
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marie, what xiangirl said is true. Look around you: the planet is primarily green. Plants/seeds know what to do and when according to their genetic code. Did I have failures? Yup! I didn't lament them because I knew that it was ME who didn't provide them with what they needed to sprout and thrive. You asked for suggestions. Here's one - stand back and let them do what comes naturally. I'm in southern New England so I live on the opposite side of the continent from where you are. If I look at a map of the Pacific Northwest, it's warmer and wetter than where I live but it's still the continental U.S. Our climate and growing conditions may be different but we're still on the same planet and still in the same country. I suggest you open your mind to possibilities rather than accept what you've been previously told about growing from seed. I did and have been amazed at (and rewarded by) the results. Ex: two little old ladies walked down my driveway last year and stood gazing, apparently amazed by my garden beds. I walked out to see what they wanted and answered all their questions about my garden beds. They left--45 minutes later--still amazed.
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jeanne
12 years ago
I personally think all of these should be sown later, after it gets cold, but if I had empty space and a hankering to sow seeds in it NOW for blooms ASAP, I'd choose:

allysum
bachelor buttons
calendula
annual poppies
marigolds
violas

Last week I laid dried stalks of Great Blue Lobelia and American Bellflower along the back of border to get those taller plants growing in a more suitable location. They are more summer and fall bloomers than spring, though.

Hope that helps.

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List of Seeds that should be direct sown in November in Illinois

Comments (3)

drippy

docmom_gw

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