Winter Seeds

Have you prepped your garden or landscaping for winter yet? I’m still holding out hope for a little bit warmer late-fall day to put in my final bulbs and seeds.

Two types of plants that we love to spread are milkweed or butterfly weed seeds. These plants help support monarchs when they return in the spring and summer. Monarchs lay their eggs on the undersides of the leaves and then the larvae (caterpillars) eat the leaves when they hatch.

However, milkweed seeds need to go through a process called cold-stratification in order to germinate in the spring. This means that they need to go through a cycle of cold, moist conditions before they will sprout. You may have seen little fluffs of milkweed seeds floating around this fall: the plants release them in time to (hopefully) find a good spot to spend the winter.

Planting seeds brings future growth. A great social-emotional book connected to this idea is Seeds by Carme Lemniscates. Its simple text makes it easy for kids to understand how planting the seeds of kindness brings rewards in multiples.