Native NYC seeds for seed bombing?

January 5, 2020 1:28 PM

This year, I'd like to seed-bomb the vacant lot behind my building in NYC (so USDA hardiness zone 7a/7b), and I'd like to use native plants. The soil looks stony and is always full of dandelions in warm weather. What types of seeds should I get, and from where? And when is the best time of year to throw the seed bombs down?

Direct advice and/or links to tips welcome!

posted by showbiz_liz to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

One place to start would be New York Flora which is the state native plant society listed by the American Horticultural Society among others. Things get complicated because plants should be native to as small an area as possible in order to be of use to the local wildlife. The Long Island Regional Seed Consortium might also have some resources for you.

If the site is full of hardy, aggressive invasive plants they may out compete any natives unless they are weeded out but you could certainly try. When you reach someone with local knowledge be sure to tell them about the site in as much detail as possible.
posted by Botanizer at 1:43 PM on January 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

Is it sunny or shaded?

I would do purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) or New England aster (Aster novae-angliae). I would get lots of seeds and sow them every 7-10 days from early March to late April. I would sow them during or right after a light rain so that they stick in the soil without blowing away. If you can possibly sprinkle straw over the top of them afterwards, that will prevent birds from eating all of them.
posted by xo at 1:44 PM on January 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: It gets sun from morning until early afternoon, then a building shadow covers it.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:53 PM on January 5, 2020

Response by poster: Also I plan to do the thing where you mash them into dirt and form balls out of it to throw, so wind/birds will be less of a factor!
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:54 PM on January 5, 2020

The Green Guerillas could probably help you out with local advice.
posted by minervous at 2:09 PM on January 5, 2020

Blue chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a possibility. I've found it hard to get good seeds, and I think seeds for similar plants are sometimes substituted. It does like sun, but it doesn't need a lot of water. It's a common flower of the mid to late summer along roadsides and other infertile places. It attacks goldfinches and other birds that feed on its seeds.
posted by SemiSalt at 2:35 PM on January 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

What about milk weed? You'd be helping out the monarch butterflies.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:23 PM on January 5, 2020

Most native seeds will need a winter chilling period, which means they either need to be sowed soon (even on top of snow, as long as it’s not an icy sheet) or pre-chilled in the fridge for 8 weeks. It’s called moist stratification and it’s not difficult.

I would use a website like Prairie Nursery: find a dry prairie mix, see what plants in the mix are native to NY, figure out their germination requirements, and order some seed packets now.
posted by lydhre at 4:31 AM on January 6, 2020 [1 favorite]

Pinelands Nursery is located reasonably near where you are and is a supplier of native seeds that are grown in and for the Mid Atlantic.
They are a wholesale seller but if you're interested, maybe we can go in together and buy things. I work in horticulture and would qualify as a customer for them. They sell mixes suited for lots of different sites.

If you're not interested in this sort of thing, I'd go mainly for black eyed susan - most seed mixes will be nice and mix-y the first year or so and then subside into just being black eyed susan.

And yes, a lot of native seeds need a winter chilling period - milkweed for instance.
posted by sciencegeek at 4:37 AM on January 6, 2020 [1 favorite]

plant perennial oats
posted by hortense at 2:13 PM on January 6, 2020

Coneflower!
posted by aspersioncast at 4:11 PM on January 6, 2020

The vacant lot by my old house was covered in blackberry brambles and was fantastic if you had use for many many blackberries (oh yes I did). Unless your area is particularly unusual it's probably as good as native. The owner will not thank you for it, though.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 11:24 PM on January 6, 2020 [1 favorite]