Tips and resources for starting your own native plant garden from seed
Seed Starting: Pros and Cons of Pots
Starting native plants from seed is a simple, low-cost way to get a head start on your garden indoors this winter. February and March are the best times to start, helping ensure your new plants thrive outdoors in spring.
While the supplies are minimal, choosing the right type of pot to use can be the most difficult. We break down the pros and cons of plastic, biodegradable and homemade pots to help you select the option that best suits your gardening needs.
Plastic Pots
Pros
- Sturdy: Most plastic pots are made of polypropylene which is strong and sturdy.
- Easy to find: Commonly found at garden centres and hardware stores.
- Reusable: Like most plastics, these pots can be reused until thoroughly damaged, then recycled.
Cons
- Material: Plastic isn’t biodegradable and becomes waste.
- Root-risky: You’ll need to remove the plant from its pot before adding it to your garden, which can disturb the delicate roots.
- Expensive: The overall cost of plastic pots can add up quickly, especially if you don’t already have some.
Biodegradable Pots
Pros
- Variety: These pots are often made of peat, paper, and other materials.
- Root-friendly: Because these pots are biodegradable, they reduce overall waste.
- Garden-friendly: These pots can be added directly into your garden, which helps to avoid disturbing the plant’s roots.
Cons
- Material: Biodegradable pots may begin to degrade before your plant is ready to be planted.
- Expensive: Because you can’t reuse them, there is a cost to purchase new ones every year.
- Controversial: Peat is the most common material used, but the ethics around its sourcing are contended.
Homemade Pots
Pros
- Use what you have: These pots are commonly made from newspaper rolled around a bottle, toilet paper rolls folded inwards, and egg cartons.
- Low-cost: With the right materials, no additional purchases are necessary for making pots at home.
- Root-friendly: Paper is biodegradable and can be planted into the ground with the plant, reducing overall waste.
Cons
- Flimsy: Depending on the type of paper used, these pots aren’t as strong as plastic pots.
- Material: Biodegradable pots may begin to degrade before your plant is ready to be planted. Plus, paper weakens when wet, which further adds to the flimsiness of these pots.
- One size fits all: Because of the materials used, it can be difficult to create larger sized pots to move your plant into once it outgrows its current pot.
Next Steps
Regardless of which type of pot you choose, consider starting native plants from seed and purchasing supplies from your local native plant nursery. Use our native plant lists and nursery guide to get started.
Sprouting into Life: Tips for Your New Seedlings
Watching the seeds you started indoors sprout into life is a joyful experience. As those tiny, delicate seedlings emerge, you may wonder how best to care for them to improve their chances of survival. Here are a few simple tips to help your seedlings get the best possible start:
Thin them out
If several seeds sprout in the same pot, keep the healthiest-looking seedlings and remove the rest. The easiest way to do this is by snipping the unwanted seedlings at soil level.
Rotate the pot
Pots placed near a window should be rotated 90 degrees (a quarter turn) each day. This helps the seedlings get light on all sides and prevents them from growing crooked.
Pot up
Some seedlings may outgrow their pots before it’s time to plant them outdoors. Gently transplant these into a larger container or pot to give their roots more room to grow.
Harden off
Seedlings started indoors are tender and need to be gradually introduced to the outdoors. Once the risk of frost has passed, place the pots outside in a shady location out of the wind for a few hours. Each day, increase the length of time the seedlings spend outside so they can build up their tolerance to the elements.
Plant
Select a permanent location in your yard that suits the needs of the seedling. Be sure to review our native plant lists for species-specific care tips.
Water
Don’t forget to gently water your seedlings at every stage to keep the soil moist but not wet.
Come spring and summer, your new seedlings will reward you with a beautiful garden to admire and care for all year long.
Plant of the Month: Golden Alexander
Golden alexander (Zizia aurea) is easy to start from seed and to add to your garden. Its long-lived yellow flowers can brighten your yard from May to late-June.
This flower is related to dill and parsley, and the resemblance can be seen in its flower cluster, an umbel. From stalks growing between 30 and 60 centimetres tall, small groups of stems radiate out into even smaller clusters, each with a tiny flower. Combined, this creates a wide umbrella, shading the foliage below.
As the season progresses, green seed pods harden and turn grey, making them easy to harvest and share. While considered a short-lived perennial, golden alexander will readily reseed itself, leaving a healthy patch in your garden year after year.
Care Notes
Golden alexander is tolerant of drought but prefers moist sand, loam and clay soils, making it a great addition to a rain garden. A hardy plant fit for tough urban conditions, golden alexander is tolerant of salt and soil compaction, and capable of thriving in full sun to partial shade. If the flowering stems grow too tall, stake them to keep your garden tidy.
Create a Butterfly Nursery
Pollinators such as bees, butterflies and beetles will visit golden alexander for nectar and pollen. Black swallowtail butterflies use golden alexander as a host plant, often laying eggs on the flower umbel. Once hatched, the small caterpillars are well camouflaged, appearing as bird droppings. Larger caterpillars are brightly coloured, with green and black stripes and yellow spots.
Plant alongside some of our native milkweeds and asters to create a butterfly nursery that also provides colour throughout the season.