SEED ORDERS OVER $100 SHIP FREE!

Seed Mix Enhancement for Drier Soils

$17.00 - $368.00

500 sq ft
$17.00
1000 sq ft
$22.00
1/8 acre
$57.00
1/4 acre
$93.00
1/2 acre
$185.00
1 Acre
$368.00

Natural plant communities provide the inspiration for our pre-designed seed mixes. All are strictly native, showy mixes that have blooms spring through fall, a great diversity of species and high seed counts. Still, some customers have inquired about increasing the overall color, the number of species, or the seed count to help compete against weeds in an existing or establishing native plant community.  For this reason we have designed Seed Mix Enhancements. These 7 species thrive in drier soils and near full sun, and will add even more color to your dry prairie or native garden.

Although some of the native plants in this seed mix have ranges that extend beyond zones 3-7,  the majority will do best in this zone range.  For more detailed information please see the RANGE MAP for each species.  View the complete species list, including % by weight, under COMPONENTS. All mixes are subject to change without notice depending on availability of species.

Seed Mix Enhancement

for Drier Soils

by Prairie Moon® Nursery

1.8 lbs per acre | 33 Seeds per sq/ft

(FILTER PLANTS IN THIS SEED MIX ENHANCEMENT)

WILDFLOWERS

Botanical Name (Common Name)

% by wt.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)

13.89

Baptisia bracteata (Cream Wild Indigo)

6.94

Heuchera richardsonii (Prairie Alumroot)

2.78

Oligoneuron album (Upland White Goldenrod)

6.94

Penstemon grandiflorus (Large-flowered Beardtongue)

31.25

Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan)

31.25

Symphyotrichum laeve (Smooth Blue Aster)

6.94

Last updated 10/2/24

3 Questions asked on Seed Mix Enhancement for Drier Soils

I plan to burn several acres of big bluestem this fall/winter. Will the plants in this seed mix be able to compete with the big bluestem when it begins to grow in the late spring/summer of 2021?
Hi Bill. Great question. We would call what you are going to do an 'interseeding' and interseedings should be treated as new prairie seedings. So, you should keep the Big Blue cut back next year to allow light to reach these new forb seedlings. Cutting back the Big Blue to 6" or so all next year will not hurt it. The Xerces Society has put out a very helpful guide on interseeding forbs into exsiting prairie grasslands.
If we are planting this dry seed mix in the spring, should we first artificially stratify?
Hi Mike. We usually advise against artificially stratifying a seed mix because each species in the mix has different needs. Even in this small seed mix enhancement you have about 6 different germination codes. Also, if you can't keep a site moist that has stratified seed sown, warm, dry spring weather could kill the seedlings.
Hi there, I'm about to start my garden this year, and I was wondering, should I buy a seed mix enhancement at the same time and lay the seed at the same time, or should I wait to see how the seed mix grows for the next couple of years and then decide whether or not to add a seed mix enhancement. Thanks for your time!
Hi Justine. It's entirely up to you - if the Enhancement mix contains a lot of duplicate species, you may want to hold off and see how the larger seed mix develops. If the Enhancement species are different than what is in the other mix, more diversity never hurts!

Native plant communities provide the inspiration for our seed-mix designs. All our mixes feature high seeding rates and a diverse balance of native species, which, when mature, will provide blossoms throughout the year. No matter what you want from a seed mix, you will need to make sure it fits the soil-moisture holding capacity and sun conditions of your site.

E stablishment of the diverse native-plant communities represented in our seed mixes can take three to five years. The most critical process before planting is preparing the site by removing unwanted species and working to deplete the soil’s weed seed bank. Find detailed site prep, planting and care instructions for our seed mixes through the following links:

ESTABLISHING A NATIVE SEED MIX - 3 YEAR PLAN

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR HAND SOWING A NATIVE SEED MIX

*PLEASE NOTE: we are a mail order nursery and have no retail facilities, but you may pick up your order if prior arrangements are made. Pick up orders are subject to **MN Sales Tax.

US Shipping & Handling Charges

SEED $100.00 and under: $5.00
Retail SEED orders over $100.00 ship free!

Custom seed mixes or discounted seed sales over $100, add 5% of the total seed cost
(for orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required)

BARE ROOT and POTTED PLANTS $50.00 and under: $9.00
over $50.00: 18% of the total plant cost. (For orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required.)

TOOLS and BOOKS have the shipping fee included in the cost of the product (within the contiguous US).

**We are required to collect state sales tax in certain states. Your state's eligibility and % will be calculated at checkout. MN State Sales Tax of 7.375% is applied for orders picked up at our MN location. Shipping & handling charges are also subject to the sales tax.

Shipping Season

SEED, TOOLS and BOOKS are sent year-round. Most orders ship within 1-3 business days.

BARE ROOT PLANTS are shipped during optimal transplanting time: Spring (April-May) and Fall (Oct). Some ephemeral species are also available for summer shipping. Since our plants are field-grown, Nature sets the schedule each year as to when our season will begin and end. We fill all orders, on a first-come, first-serve basis, to the best of our ability depending on weather conditions beyond our control.

POTTED PLANTS (Trays of 32/38/50 plugs and 3-packs) typically begin shipping early May and go into June; shipping time is heavily dependent on all the species in your order being well-rooted. If winter-spring greenhouse growing conditions are favorable and all species are well-rooted at once, then we ship by order date (first come, first serve). We are a Midwest greenhouse, and due to the challenges of getting all the species in the Mix & Match and Pre-Designed Garden Kits transit-ready at the same time, we typically can't ship before early May. Earlier shipment requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

*We are unable to ship PLANTS (bare root or potted) outside the contiguous US or to CALIFORNIA due to regulations.

Delivery

We ship using USPS, UPS and Spee Dee. UPS and Spee Dee are often used for expediting plant orders; they will not deliver to Post Office Box numbers, so please also include your street address if ordering plants. We send tracking numbers to your email address so please include it when you order.

FOR MORE DETAILED SHIPPING INFORMATION, INCLUDING CANADA SHIPPING RATES (SEED ONLY), PLEASE SEE 'SHIPPING' AT THE FOOTER OF THIS WEBSITE.

Details

Lbs/Acre
1.8
Seeds/Sq.Ft.
33
Sun Exposure
Full, Partial
Soil Moisture
Medium-Dry, Dry
Advantages
Pollinator Favorite: butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, beetles
USDA Zones
3-7
Catalog Code
DENH