As the days draw closer to solstice, we check in one more time with our native plants. They don’t really die in the frost, they simply go to sleep for the winter. For now we have what looks like a snow mound, but is actually hundreds of hibernating native plants, wrapped in their winter blanket of mulch and snow.
And we are already thinking of spring, “starting” our seeds by tucking them in for winter, too! We have begun the process called “stratification.” Many native plant seeds require a winter (or two) to get them going in the spring. Essentially cold stratification is the process whereby seeds are placed in a proper medium and kept cold for somewhere between 10-60 days, depending on the species. We use sand and occasionally vermiculite, slightly moistened, and create a pocket in the medium for them to rest. Having tucked them in for the winter, we let them rest in our break room refrigerator until late winter / early spring, when we warm them up and give them lots of light.
Taking our cues from this beautiful, natural process, we too realize that we require some rest at this quiet, peaceful time. So for the next two weeks, we will only be available by appointment, and will be CLOSED Thursday, December 24, and Friday, December 25, 2020. We will also be CLOSED December 31, 2020, and January 1, 2021. You can reach us by email at blp@beautifullandproducts.com if you need to schedule an appointment. We won’t be doing our usual traveling around the holidays, so we can be here if you need us. Just remember to rest as well yourself! We hope you have a restful, wonderful holiday season, and we want to thank you again for your continued support this year!!
Very Best Wishes to You,
Phil Ricks, General Manager
