November 2025 Newsletter
Each month I try to answer the question “What should I be doing with my native seeds?” November is at the very beginning of seed sowing season and you have a lot of options. The window is wide open for direct sowing, winter sowing, and putting your seeds in the fridge for cold, moist stratification. However, I would like to encourage you to take a moment to reflect on this year’s growing season, which has abruptly ended this week with several inches of snow.
2025 Reflections
First, I would encourage you to think of a species that you had success with this year. Did you try a new growing technique? Did you find the right location for your plants? Do you have a new favourite species?
The milkweeds were clear winners for us. We found that milkweeds germinate really well when they are winter sown (we were unsuccessful the previous year when we put them in the fridge). They did so well that we were able to plant out large seed production beds in the spring. Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) flowered and produced a lot of seed this year, even with the drought.
Next, think of a species that did not work out for you this year. Did you have trouble getting it to germinate? Did it germinate well but once it was in the garden it struggled to survive? Maybe your seedlings did not survive the drought?
White snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) is a species that we have been able to germinate and grow successfully into seedlings. When we surface sow the seeds and put them under lights we have lots of healthy plants. However, we haven’t found the right location for the seed production beds. We have tried planting them in shady areas of our forest, perhaps it was too shady? This year they were planted in a sunnier area, but still they languished. Perhaps our soil is too dry and sandy? Next year I will try to find a part shade/moist soil location for them. We just keep trying until we find what works.
Use what you have learned from this year’s growing season as you plan for next year. Listen to the plants. And if you are brand new to growing native plants from seed, just begin planting and see what happens! There are many wonderful native species that you can grow.
If you are ready to sow your native seeds you can check out our newsletter from last February where I go through four different ways to stratify seeds. Note: the seed balls did not produce results that were any better or different from direct seeding, so I would not bother making them, just directly sow your seeds.
Trent Ecological Restoration Conference
We had an amazing time at the Trent Ecological Restoration Conference. The presentations were excellent, we wished we could have gone to all of them! We were thrilled to connect in person with many people we have met online, especially Jennifer Nantais and Sarah Winterton from Carolinian Canada, Sammy Tangir from Kawartha Land Trust, Anna King from The Greenery Farm, Haley Goodchild from Green Up Native Plant Nursery, Andrea Brennan from Reconnect Ecological Landscaping, and Sherri Flegel from Native Plant Source. We also met many new people that we are looking forward to getting to know better. A giant thank you to Trent University and SER Ontario for hosting a fantastic conference!
New Species – coming soon
November is our month for cleaning all of the seeds that we harvested in September and October. Species that are currently out of stock will be replenished soon.
In December we are excited to introduce the following new species: White turtlehead (Chelone glabra), Canada wild rye (Elymus canadensis), Grass-leaved goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia), Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) and White vervain (Verbena urticifolia).
If you collected seeds from your native plants this fall you can store them somewhere cool, dark and dry in a paper bag or envelope until you are ready to use them. You don’t need to do any special cleaning.
As autumn turns to winter I hope that you have a chance to look back while you make your native seed plans for the future. We have many exciting plans developing for 2026, we are looking forward to sharing our upcoming adventures with you!
Happy reflecting!
Andrea D’Silva
Swallowtail Native Plants