Winter Sowing Native Plants – A Step-by-Step Guide to How and Why

🌱 Want to start native plants easily—without a greenhouse? Winter sowing is the simplest way to grow strong, hardy seedlings! In this step-by-step guide, I’ll show you exactly how to winter sow native seeds for a thriving garden.

Winter sowing is a method of starting seeds that mimics the cold stratification process that many native plants require for germination.

Winter sowing is a low-maintenance, foolproof method that mimics nature’s way of starting seeds. By using milk jugs or containers, you can germinate native plants outdoors—even in freezing temperatures! This tutorial covers:
✅ Best native plants for winter sowing
✅ Step-by-step seed prep & container setup
✅ When and how to transplant seedlings

Whether you're a beginner or experienced gardener, this method will help you grow resilient, pollinator-friendly plants with minimal effort!

The native plants that I am starting:
Scientific Name Common Name
Solidago rigida Goldenrod - Stiff
Heuchera americana Coral Bells
Verbena canadensis Rose Verbena
Hypericum prolificum St. John's Wort - Shrubby
Physostegia virginiana Obedient Plant -Northern
Sorghastrum nutans Yellow Indian Grass
Elymus virginicus Wild Rye - Virginia
Bouteloua curtipendula Side-Oats Grama
Dalea purpurea Prairie Clover - Purple
Zizia aurea Golden Alexanders
Heliopsis helianthoides False Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani Maximilian Sunflower
Bidens aristosa Beggar-ticks, Swamp Marigold
Sisyrinchium nashii Nash's Blue-eyed Grass
Silphium perfoliatum Cup Plant
Lonicera sempervirens Coral Honeysuckle
Achillea millefolium Common Yarrow
Baptisia australis Wild Indigo - Blue
Euonymus americanus Strawberry Bush
Ptelea trifoliata Hop Tree
Conoclinium coelestinum Blue Mistflower
Eupatorium perfoliatum Boneset - Common
Senna marilandica Senna - Maryland
Osmorhiza claytonii Sweet Cicely
Aquilegia canadensis Eastern Red Columbine
Pycnanthemum muticum Mint - Clustered Mountain
Penstemon hirsutus Beardtongue - Hairy
Asclepias incarnata Milkweed - Rose/Swamp/
Eutrochium purpureum Joe Pye Weed - Sweet
Asclepias syriaca Milkweed - Common
Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower
Schizachyrium scoparius Little Bluestem
Carex blanda Common Wood Sedge
Carex cherokeensis Cherokee Sedge
Carex grayi Gray's Sedge
Helenium autumnale Sneezeweed
Ratibida pinnata Coneflower - Gray-headed
Agastache nepetoides Hyssop - Yellow Giant
Asclepias tuberosa Milkweed - Butterfly Weed
Asimina triloba Pawpaw
Mitchella repens Partridgeberry
Ilex opaca American Holly
Solidago flexicaulis Goldenrod - Zig Zag
Lobelia siphilitica Lobelia - Great Blue
Rudbeckia laciniata Coneflower - Tall, Cutleaf
Rudbeckia subtomentosa Sweet Black Eyed Susan
Solidago shortii Goldenrod - Short's
Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Stylophorum diphyllum Celandine Poppy
Trillium grandiflorum Large-Flowered Trillium
Erythronium albidum Trout Lily - White
Allium tricoccum Wild Leek, Ramps
Actaea pachypoda Doll's Eyes
Gymnocladus dioica Kentucky Coffeetree
Aronia melanocarpa Chokeberry - Black
Aronia prunifolia Chokeberry - Purple
Achillea millefolium Common Yarrow
Eryngium yuccifolium Rattlesnake Master
Rudbeckia fulgida Coneflower - Orange
Salvia lyrata Lyreleaf Sage
Eragrostis spectabilis Purple Love Grass
Hydrangea arborescens Hydrangea - Smooth, Wild
Solidago rigida Goldenrod - Stiff
Liatris spicata Blazing Star - Dense
Apocynum cannabinum Dogbane
Mikania scandens Hemp dogbane
Chasmanthium latifolium River Oats, Sea Oats
Rhexia mariana Meadow Beauty - Maryland
Boehmeria cylindrica Smallspike False Nettle
Veronicastrum virginicum Culver’s root
Cephalanthus occidentalis Buttonbush
Antennaria plantaginifolia Pussytoes - Plantain
Asclepias viridis Green Spider Milkweed
Castilleja coccinea Indian Paintbrush
Ceanothus americanus New Jersey Tea
Chelone glabra Turtle head
Dodecatheon meadia Midland Shooting Star
Gentiana andrewsii Bottle gentian
Liatris aspera Blazing Star - Button
Liatris cylindracea Dwarf blazing star
Pedicularis canadensis Wood Betony
Sagittaria latifolia Arrowhead
Scrophularia lanceolata Early Figwort
Silene regia Royal Catchfly
Spigelia marilandica Indian Pink
Fragaria virginiana Wild Strawberry
Phlox divaricata Wild Blue Phlox
Thalictrum dioicum Early Meadow Rue
Ruellia strepens Petunia - Smooth
Allium stellatum Prairie Onion
Astragalus canadensis Canada Milk Vetch
Baptisia alba Wild Indigo - White
Echinacea pallida Pale Purple Coneflower
Senna hebecarpa Senna - Northern Wild
Symphyotrichum laeve Aster - Smooth Blue
Lespedeza capitata Round-headed Bush Clover
Dalea candida Prairie Clover - White
Bouteloua gracilis Blue Grama
Sporobolus compositus Rough Dropseed
Desmodium canadense Showy Tick Trefoil
Geranium maculatum Wild Geranium
Parthenium integrifolium Wild Quinine
Phaseolus polystachios Wild Kidney Bean
Persicaria pensylvanica Pinkweed