Cold Stratification in Snow

Using Nature’s Way

January 16, 2024

Today we have snow! I’ve been impatiently waiting for a decent snowfall so I can plant some of my cold stratifcation seeds. I know, it’s surprising that a snowy day would be a good day to sow but some seeds need a period of wet and cold before they will germinate. In nature, the stratification process takes place when fallen seeds overwinter underground or beneath a layer of snow.

Into the snow went the seeds of several plants native to my area; Joe Pye Weed, Swamp Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed, and Anise Hyssop. Over the years, the majority of my seeds, bulbs, and bare root plants have come from Eden Brothers. Eden Brothers has the most robust educational content I’ve seen on a seed company website.

This year I also sourced quite a lot of seeds from Botanical Interests. Botanical Interests are known for their botanical art, their seed packets and packaging are gorgeous.

Empty seed packets after snow day sowing

This is the first time I’ve tried cold stratifcation in the snow so I’ll update this post in the spring when we are able to see how well it worked. What we’ll be looking for are patches of the following:

Joe Pye Weed: vanilla fragrance, pink or purple flowers, anywhere from 5 – 12 ft tall, loaded with nectar and pollen that attract native bees, honeybees and butterflies.

Swamp Milkweed: vanilla frgrance, rose-purple clumps of flowers, 3 – 4 ft tall, an exceptional plant for supporting pollinators & Monarchs, easily grown in medium-to-moist soils.

Butterfly Milkweed: yellow-to-orange flower clusters on tall stalks, the most famous milkweed and host plant to the Monarch caterpillar.

Anise Hyssop: mint-and-licorice-scented, fuzzy spikes of small lavender flowers, gros 3 -5 ft tall, highly attractive to numerous pollinators, especially bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Sowing milkweed and hyssop seeds brings my garden one step closer to supporting more native wildlife and pollinators. Sowing in snow mimics nature’s way of cold stratifying and hopefully, Mother Nature will give me a little leg up on my first try.

What’s your favorite method of cold stratification? Have you ever tried sowing in the snow?

Perenially,

Elizabeth, The Forest Witch