Plant native seeds now for a luscious garden all summer long

As the temperature begins to drop below zero, leaves fall from trees, and the first snowfall hits, gardening may seem to be months away. But the colder temperatures are in fact the ideal time to plant native seeds. The Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library (OWSL) is hosting a series of giveaways to encourage the growth of native plants across the city.

Lavender, creeping jenny, goutweed, Norway maple, periwinkle, spearmint and winter-creeper. All of these plants can easily be purchased at Ontario garden centres and are common in backyard gardens. but none of these plants are native to the province.

In fact, a value-for-money audit released by the Governor General of Ontario published in 2023 found that 52 per cent of all intentional introductions of invasive plants across Canada are plants brought for landscaping or ornamental purposes.

Aside from the concerns of the spread of invasive species, swapping out some of these common plants for native plants in your own garden can help to promote local biodiversity and support populations of bees and butterflies. Native plants are also more likely to flourish as they are well-adapted to the soil and other growing conditions.

But, Ontarians do not need to wait until spring to begin planning their gardens. Native plant species actually need to be sown now, to flourish all summer long.

“Most native plants need their seeds to go through a process to cool and warm the seeds so that their outer shell softens, enabling them to sprout (also called cold moist stratification or CMS),” the OWSL says on its website. “This cycle is naturally provided by our winter and spring seasons. Plants that require stratification cannot simply be sown directly outdoors either in the soil or in pots in the spring; they must be winter sown.”

Winter preparation can be as simple as planting seeds in a pot with drainage holes, covering it and placing it outside. Full instructions can be found here.

If you’re wondering where you can get native seeds, the OWSL is hosting giveaways across the city where avid gardeners, or those looking to restore the natural ecosystem in their own yards, can get native seeds for free.

In 2023, the OWSL distributed native seeds to 800 individuals, schools and community projects at its giveaways. An additional 2,000 seeds were mailed to Ottawans in early 2024, from 200 different species of native plants.

A giveaway will take place in Alta Vista on Nov. 30 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre. Future giveaways will take place at the Tom Brown Arena in Hintonburg on Dec. 7 and the Beaverbrook Centre in Kanata on Dec. 21. Those who cannot make one of the giveaways can contact the OWSL and have seeds mailed directly to them.