Midwestern Seedmix Species List and Description
Our Seed Mixes are temporarily sold out and will be back in stock in June 1st, 2024
Introduction
This seed mix has a balance of low moisture adapted species, intermediate moisture adapted species, and saturated or seasonally saturated soil adapted species so that no matter the moisture level of your soil; the seed mix will be successful. This diversity of species also has the sunlight adaptability to succeed with as little as 4 hours of direct sunlight a day the same as a full day of sunlight. All of our seed mixes have a ratio of 95 : 5 Wildflower seeds to Grass Seeds. This high percentage of native wildflowers ensures long-term balance of wildflowers and grasses without burning and without Elk (or Bison further west) who would historically help keep the grass dominance in balance with their selective grass grazing behavior. Seed Mixes with higher ratio of native grass seed are often doomed to become mostly grass with fewer and fewer wildflowers as it matures without the presence of large grass grazers such as Elk or Bison. When it come to how your native seed mix will look while in bloom; the dominance and presence of one wildflower species to another depends on the light conditions, soil moisture, and soil type. So this seed mix will mature differently aesthetically from site to site due to the high diversity of wildflowers.
Spring into Early Summer Blooming Species
Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea, Ohio Spiderwort Tradescantia ohiensis, Blue Wild Indigo Baptisia australis, White Wild Indigo Baptisia alba, Lanceleaf Coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata, Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis, Blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta, Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa, Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca
Notes: Native Meadows do not bloom profusely in early spring, but by mid spring this combination of wildflowers will welcome you to the warm seasons with yellows, golds, whites, and purples/blues. By early summer, Butterflyweed and Common Milkweed will begin a parade of blooming for pollinators and wildlife that lasts into fall.
Tap on the pictures below to enlarge the Spring into Early Summer blooming species example pictures of the Midwestern Seedmix.
Midsummer Blooming Species
Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa, Narrowleaf Mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Grey Headed Coneflower Ratibida pinnata, Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea, Oxeye Sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides, Culver's Root Veronicastrum virginicum, Maryland Senna Senna marilandica, Marsh Blazing Star Liatris spicata, Prairie Blazing Star Liatris pycnostachya, Early Goldenrod Solidago juncea, Blue Vervain Verbena hastata
Notes: This combination includes classic midwestern midsummer showstoppers such as Wild Bergamot, Purple Coneflower, Liatris, and Grey Headed Coneflower. The flower diveristy will support an abundance of native bee species as well as other pollinators. As with all seasons, the high diversity of native wildflowers in this mix will lead to success whether in partial shade, full sun, drier soil, intermediate moisture, or saturated/wet soils.
Tap on the pictures below to enlarge the Midsummer blooming species example pictures of the Midwestern Seedmix.
Late Summer Blooming Species
Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana, Partridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculata, Mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum, Common Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum, Hollow-stem Joe Pyeweed Eutrochium fistulosum, Orange Coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida, Tall Coreopsis Coreopsis tripteris, Giant Ironweed Vernonia gigantea
Notes: Late summer is often a difficult season to find native wildflowers in degraded environments. The late summer selection includes very drought tolerant species capable of blooming in late summer drought such as Obedient Plant, Partridge Pea, Mistflower, Orange Coneflower, Tall Coreopsis, and Ironweed. And incase you have wet areas, we include species that will bloom in wetter soils of later summer including again Mistflower, Obedient Plant, and Ironweed in addition to Joe Pye Weed, and Common Boneset.
Tap on the pictures below to enlarge the Late Summer blooming species example pictures of the Midwestern Seedmix.
Early Fall Blooming Species
Stiff Goldenrod Solidago rigida, Dwarf Goldenrod Solidago nemoralis, Showy Goldenrod Solidago speciosa, Showy Bidens Bidens aristosa, New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, Frost Aster Aster pilosus, Aromatic Aster Aster oblongifolius, Arrowleaf Aster Aster sagittifolius
Notes: Showy Bidens is an annual that will stick around for at least the first 5 years in good numbers as the native meadow develops. The other species are longer lived including 3 non-aggressive goldenrods adapted to intermediate moisture and low moisture soils. These Goldenrods replace the oppressive native Canada Goldenrod that tends to create monocultures in native meadows. The 4 asters we choose have species that are adapted to one or more of these conditions; wet soil, drier soil, intermediate moisture, partial shade, and full-sun ensuring late season blooms before winter sets in.
Tap on the pictures below to enlarge the Early Fall blooming species example pictures of the Midwestern Seedmix.
Sedge and Grasses (Less than 5% of the total seeds)
Fox Sedge Carex vulpinoidea, Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium, Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans, Canada Wild Rye Elymus canadensis
Notes: Grasses and Sedges become over dominant in the absence of grazers such as Bison, Elk, and Muskrat (Sedges). To prevent these species from lowering diversity and becoming over dominant, they are only 5% or less of the total seeds in the seed mix. We also omitted Big Bluestem as it’s too aggressive and tall for the urban, suburban, rural residential native meadow context.
Tap on the pictures below to enlarge the Sedges and Grass example pictures of the Midwestern Seedmix.
