Four Season Walks: Spring Plant Walk at Skyline Farm

Four Season Walks: Spring Plant Walk at Skyline Farm

$ 0.00

Date: Thursday June 8th

Time: 3:30-5:00 PM

Rain Date: Friday June 9th 

Four-Season Walks: Spring at Skyline Farm

In this Four Season Walks series, learn how to identify many of the native plants that grow at Skyline Farm. Wild Seed Project Staff will share about the native wildflowers, ferns, shrubs, and trees and their field and forest habitats around the farm. They'll also share other fun information on the plants’ uses as edibles, herbals and landscape plantings. Learning to recognize the native species in our midst is the first step toward becoming caring stewards of the places we live, work, and play.

This spring plant walk is the first of the series. We are hoping to time it with the blooming of the Pink Lady Slippers! With each new seasonal walk you will have an opportunity to see the plants through their full life cycles: from emerging, flowering, and unfurling leaves to fall foliage and fruits, and finally finishing with snow-covered trees and shrubs in winter. 


About Skyline Farm:

Skyline Farm is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to transform the North Yarmouth site into a community resource as a living carriage museum with an antique carriage & sleigh collection, while also preserving the farm's open space and historic buildings for recreational and educational use. Skyline Farm is a community-based organization providing educational and recreational programs based on the role of horse-drawn transportation in the cultural, social and economic development of New England.

Each seed package carries a specific germination code along with the plant description. These codes indicate specific sowing instructions.

  • A Seeds can be sown outdoors in fall or early spring.
  • B Seeds need a winter or cold period to germinate. Sow outdoors in fall or winter.
  • C Seeds need light to germinate; sow on soil surface and leave uncovered.
  • D Seeds need alternating cycles of warm-to-cold-to-warm to germinate. They can be sown either outdoors in spring or summer and will germinate the following year or in a flat in a warm place for 3 months, then moved to a refrigerator for 2 months, then moved outside in the early summer warmth.
  • E Seeds can not be allowed to dry out. Sow immediately.
  • F Seeds take two years to germinate. Sow outside in the fall or winter and look for germination in the second spring. A shady location prevents the flats from rapid drying and reduces weeding
  • G Large seeds should be soaked overnight in water.
  • FERN: Sow spores in a warm bright location in a sealed container and keep moist. Directions enclosed with package. Challenging.

If you have specific questions about seeds and germination guidelines please contact us at info@wildseedproject.net.

All seeds can be sown and placed outdoors in fall or winter bypassing the need for an artificial indoor cold stratification (refrigerator) required for some species when planted in spring. This is the simplest method. See How to Grow Natives From Seed for detailed instructions.