Native Seed Packets Available

 

Don’t Wait for Spring! Get a Head Start on Your Native Gardens

Looking for native seeds to spread in your local park? Partnerships for Parks has two types of seed packets available upon request, sunny pollinator mix and groundcover mix. By sowing your seeds in the winter months, you allow them to acclimate to local temperature shifts early in the season, ensuring they are hardy enough to reach full maturity. Getting started is simpler and more sustainable than you might think. Read on for some helpful tips!

The sunny pollinator mix is best for spreading in an open area or building out an existing pollinator garden, whereas the groundcover mix is best for a disturbed area where introduced species have been removed. Groundcover mix is designed to carpet the ground to help prevent the growth and re-establishment of weeds.

You don’t need specialized pots or trays; upcycling plastic containers like old milk jugs and strawberry packaging is a fantastic way to create mini-greenhouses. Simply fill your containers with a mixture of 75% soil and 25% compost. Once you’ve spread your seeds about an inch deep and lightly pat the soil, place them in a protected outdoor spot like a nook in the garden or building stoop. Nature will take it from there until the weather warms up.

Keep an eye on your containers once we have a week of 45–55°F temperatures or the last frost (typically around April 3-4). About 14 days after you see those first sprouts, your seedlings will be ready to move into their permanent homes in your garden or pollinator pocket. While some natives may seem to grow slowly at first, remember that they are busy building deep root networks that will eventually allow them to outcompete introduced species and thrive for years to come.

Reach out to your community engagement coordinator if you would like to request seed packets and we’ll work with you to come up with a seed sowing plan. 

Happy planting!

Native Plant Initiative Committee

For questions or concerns, contact your borough community engagement coordinator:

 

Robert Madera | Bronx Senior Community Engagement Coordinator

Community Boards: 4, 5, 7, 8

718.430.4667 | Robert.Madera@parks.nyc.gov

Ashley Santos | Bronx Community Engagement Coordinator
Community Boards: 1, 2, 3, 6
718.430.1861 | Ashley.Santos@parks.nyc.gov

Ashlyn Teather | Bronx Community Engagement Coordinator
Community Boards: 9, 10, 11, 12
718.430.1815 | Ashlyn.Teather@parks.nyc.gov

 Our mailing address is:

City Parks Foundation

830 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10065