Blooming flowers in purple, pink and yellow

Rewilding Yard Tour – Dora's Home

$ 15.00

Out of Stock

This event is now sold out. Please click here to be added to the waitlist.

Date: Wednesday, August 17th
Time: 2-3:30pm
Rain Date: Tuesday, August 23 from 2-3:30pm

This summer, Wild Seed Project invites you into the yards of our members to see first-hand what biodiversity looks like at home. Our members will share stories about their personal habitat restoration journeys, and the challenges and joys they have encountered along the way as they have tackled invasive plants, experimented with leaving their leaves in place, cut back on mowing, and restored habitat with rich arrays of native plants. Tours will feature urban oases of bustling backyard meadows, neighbors who are working together to transform a suburban neighborhood, pristine coastal landscapes with formal garden plantings, and much more.

More than 25 years ago Dora Galitzki transformed a small, wet backyard lawn into a stunning native plant meadow, filled with masses of ironweed, Joe-pye weed, swamp milkweed, bee balm, coreopsis, asters and others. Hidden behind a fenced courtyard, the passage through the gate is dramatic. Her street-side plantings are also filled with native plants. Before moving to Rockport, Dora wrote a gardening column for the New York Times and spent years as the New York Botanical Garden's plant information officer. Her yard is magical.

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.