June 2025 Newsletter

Welcome to June! And welcome if you are new to this newsletter, we had a lot of new subscribers in May. This month we are still talking about planting seedlings. If you are like me, you still have seedlings that either need to be planted in the ground, or transplanted into larger pots, or both.

Planting seedlings in the ground

In April and May I planted out the seedlings that were started under lights in February. At this point they are starting to get root bound. I don’t worry too much about that, I tease the roots out if they have started to circle the bottom and then I plant them. The photo below shows two Wrinkle-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa) seedlings. They are about three inches tall. The one on the left shows the roots starting to circle the bottom, and I have teased out the roots on the one on the right.

I plant my seedlings in the ground when they are still very small, usually only a few inches tall. If I can handle them and they have nice roots, I will plant them. I want them to start forming their root systems in the ground as soon as possible. Once they are in the ground they have access to all the moisture in the soil and don’t need to be watered as often. May was a very wet month, my seedlings in the ground didn’t need to be watered at all.

Native plants tend to stay small for a long time. They look like they aren’t doing anything. Many of them will only grow a few leaves for the first year. The magic is happening under the ground, where they are building a fantastic root system. The second year they find their stride and grow into mature flowering plants.

In the meantime, the best thing that you can do to care for them while they are still tiny is to mulch the soil around them. I use leaves or grass clippings. Not only does mulch keep the weeds down, but it is wonderful for the health of your soil. It prevents it from drying out and you don’t need to water as often. Try not to have bare soil exposed during the growing season. I heard a great quote from Douglas Tallamy the other day, “If you can see the ground, you don’t have enough plants.” While you are waiting for your plants to mature and fill in the space, use mulch. When you are planting, try to space the plants so that they will be touching when they are full grown.

Winter sown seeds

I am still potting up the last 30 of the 80 species that I winter sowed. When the seedlings are crowded in their pots they stall and stay the same size until they have more room. The sooner I get these plants potted up the better. I tease apart the tiny seedlings and plant them into flats. For photos and more details please see the May 2025 newsletter. The seedlings usually need 4 to 6 weeks in their new pot before they are large enough to handle and plant out into the ground.

The New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) seedlings pictured below grew to this size and then stopped. Once I planted them up into a flat they started growing again.

This is the first year I have done winter sowing on this scale, so I am still figuring out the timing of planting out the seedlings. Last winter I only had 12 species of winter sown seeds, and some of them were sedges. The sedges started later and did not get crowded. The asters and the goldenrods, on the other hand, have filled in quickly and needed to be transplanted sooner.

I am hoping that by the end of the month the winter sown seedlings will be large enough to go into the ground. I worry about planting them out in the heat of July. Maybe I will put them in a shady area and plant them in early September.

Introducing Mitella diphylla, Two-leaved Mitrewort

I am excited that we will soon have Two-leaved Mitrewort seeds! We will be harvesting seeds in late June and they should be available in July.

The seeds should be sown immediately on the surface of the soil. They will germinate and begin to grow right away. Keep them in a pot in a shady location for the summer and plant the seedlings into your garden in September.

Miterwort is a delicate looking woodland plant, perfect for a shady spot in your garden. It has delightful, tiny white flowers that look like snowflakes up close.

The name Mitrewort refers to the shape of the fruit, which looks like a mitre, a type of bishop’s cap (Bishop’s cap is another common name for this plant). The seeds are held in the cup-like fruit of the plant and are dispersed by raindrops.

This plant goes overboard on cuteness, with its tiny snowflake flowers and raindrop dispersed seeds. So adorable!