Kicking the dust off the thread. I've been perusing the NH State nursery site looking at bare root plantings. I see a lot of shrubs I'd like to plant here. I have a sandy dry area just off the road and I see beach plums would do well there. The area was cleared for the septic installation and graded with not such great soil. It dries out a bit in the summer. Perfect for beach plums. Lots of native plants listed. I like the berry/fruit varieties for wildlife. Last fall I grew a few non-native crabapples from seed. Two of them made it so far, so those will end up here somewhere.
Beach plums will do fine there. I remember as a kid, going to summer camp in KS, they had a huge patch of those near the community building. Loved eating them off the shrub!
Wildflower seeds arrived today. I wanted to order early. This is the first time using this company. I'll still get the mix from HD and blend it all in. I'll get the shredder out in a few weeks and put some leaves through it for top dressing.
that is quite the mix of flowers. Good luck with them. Sweet William and Baby's breath are some of my favourites.
I found some unopened white spruce cones a few weeks ago. I set them in a Mason jar and when they opened I shook the jar to release the seeds. Today I put them in peat pucks in a takeout container with air holes. They are in the fridge for a few weeks to stratify. Last time I planted spruce seeds, I did not stratify them and I believe the seeds fell out of the husks. The seeds are in the lower part of the plate of the first pic. I did a little reading up on them and will see how it goes. This is not a really exciting post. I'll never see these trees fully grown in my lifetime, but if I can start a small grove to benefit wildlife, then it will be worth it.
Keep us updated on progress (or lack thereof). A lot of plant seeds really like to get a nice cold spell before they will germinate, so your theory could very well be correct.
I found a few more unopened cones and planted 10 more spruce seeds yesterday. I placed an order for 7 bare root native beach plums for the sandy soil by the road. 3 years to bear fruit and should end up around 6' tall. White flowers in the spring. Also ordered a bunch of native aster and beard tongues seeds from a non-profit in Maine. It should be a busy spring.
The beach plum will have a wire cage for the first year or two. The crabapples I planted last spring did fine through the winter. I was worried more about the rabbits than deer. As far as the flowers, I won't be able to do much, but the deer have plenty of forage through the summer. Our dog will probably deter them a bit too.
Are those some of the million bulbs you planted in the fall? Just the crocus and daylillies poking through here. The bleeding hearts should make an appearance any day how.
