Plant Sourcing
Ways to get a particular plant that you want for your habitat garden: 1. purchase from a reputable grower or commercial nursery; 2. grow the plants from seeds; or 3. clone or divide new plants from established plants. Read on for the pros and cons of each of these options.
growing a plant from seed
What is a Seed?
Starting Plants from Seed
Sowing Your Seeds
new plants from exiting plants
Growing Plants from Cuttings
Creating Plants by Division
How Does a Seed Form?
The flowers of a plant are designed for the purpose of making seeds. If a flower is pollinated, then fertilization can take place, and a seed develops in the ovary of the plant. This is sexual reproduction, and ensures genetic diversity. As the fertilized seed...
Helping Seeds Sprout
Some seeds have built-in mechanisms that prevent germination until ideal conditions are met. Even when perfect conditions are met, some of the ‘seed bank’ of a species will not germinate. They will wait, often camouflaged in the duff, as an insurance policy against a...
Some Natural Types of Seed Pre-Conditioning
Whenever I’m out collecting I always keep it foremost in my mind that seeds are food for all sorts of insects and other invertebrates, for birds, rodents and other mammals, and food for humans! When I gather toyon berries in December, I take just a handful from...