Echinacea (purple coneflower) sometimes needs birds’ help to distribute its seeds.Certain species’ seeds need more help. For example, Echinacea seeds are securely fastened to the seed head, but American goldfinches eagerly munch on the plant, pulling out the seeds. What seeds the finches drop often sprout the next year. Other species’ seeds, possessing a hard seed coat that inhibits germination, might need to be fully digested by a bird or other animal; the seed coat is scarified by stomach acids, and when the creature eliminates, the seed can then germinate-sometimes while conveniently resting in nutrient-rich manure! To simulate this natural cycle, seed companies might give these collected seeds an acid wash.Finally, seeds need water. Too little, and they won’t germinate; too much, and they will wash away with the rain or their seedlings will rot (also called “damping off”).Kernels of Wisdom Bulk-seed companies offering various turfs and grasses are headquartered across the nation, but-in response to increased demand for “natural” or native plantings-many wildflower seed companies have sprouted up among them in the past decades. Applewood Seed Company of Arvada, CO, has produced wildflower seeds since 1965. Initially the business existed on a small scale, selling seeds to wildflower gardeners in hand-painted packets. As interest in wildflowers grew, however, Applewood began selling in bulk to the commercial landscape and wholesale seed industries. Today the company offers more than 150 species of wildflowers and grasses, as well as 35 wildflower mixes designed for a variety of growing conditions. “We’re not only a provider of seed, we also provide information about how to do the seeding,” General Manager Norm Poppe explains. “We work with contractors to educate them about the peculiarities of wildflower seeds. Many companies are not totally comfortable with the [wildflower] species specified in their projects; we want to transfer knowledge about the seed to contractors.”In a perfect world, seeds would be planted at the optimum time; in the real world, weather conditions and construction schedules often cause planting delays. “Perhaps the perfect time to seed is March, but construction delays push planting off ’til May,” Poppe says. “We’ll tell contractors what to do to help the plants “˜catch up,’ what they can do to deal with the reality of the situation.”
Corn poppies, popular annuals with delicate crepe paper-like petals, explode in color on these hotel grounds.The company’s main customers are state departments of transportation; state and federal agencies, such as Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Indian Affairs; contractors; and the mining community. Granite also has a turf division that works with homeowners and sod growers. “More people these days have an interest in native plant materials and xeriscaping,” Agnew notes. Is there any advantage to mixing seeds or staggering planting to achieve ground cover when it’s needed? “It depends on what you want to achieve,” Agnew explains. “We provide separate materials, but usually mixes containing different grasses, forbs, and shrubs. It all depends what the end target is too. Planting a roadside? Maybe you’d want more flowers. For reclamation or erosion control? More grasses. Planting for wildlife? Maybe your mix should contain more shrubs.”Agnew recommends hydroseeding for some projects. “Good performance, with good immediate erosion control at a relatively low cost. It works very well on places where you don’t plan to go back and water again, and it’s good for mulch cover so your seeds don’t blow away.” Granite sells mulches made from virgin wood fiber. Canfor’s EcoFibre and Conwed’s Conwed Fiber, virgin (processed) mulch products, feature long wood fibers that intertwine to form a rigid bond and are often used with tackifier to provide soil protection. Hydroseeding Makes Many Projects Possible