There are over 2000 one-gallon plants in the EarthLab’s native plant growing area. Many of these plants were propagated by cuttings but most have been grown from local seed. Even though the growing area is full of plants we are already thinking about planting for next year. We started collecting seed for next season’s crop of native plants in May and will continue to collect seed throughout the summer. There are a dozen native species from which we will collect and store seed. All plants grown from this seed will be replanted into the canyons as part of our restoration efforts.
Today we gathered seed heads from Salvia mellifera (Black Sage) in the EarthLab. These seed heads will be filtered through several screens to remove seeds from plant waste. The small brown seeds will be stored in a cool, dry place until needed.
