Questions and answers

To the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., except Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin for now. Those seven states require a seed permit for packets like ours, and we’ll open each one as soon as we have its permit; the cart asks for your ship-to state before checkout. We can’t ship to Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories or APO/FPO/DPO addresses. Our Missouri natives grow best in the Midwest and nearby states.

$3.95 per order, or free on orders of $25 or more and on any order that includes the Winter-Sow Kit, the Complete Series or a Seed Club membership.

We pack orders by hand and ship within 2–4 business days by USPS. Orders of 1–4 packets (single packets, Pick Any 4 or the Monarch Milkweed Trio) go by First-Class Mail in a flat kraft envelope, without tracking; if one hasn’t arrived 10 business days after it ships, we’ll resend it once, free. Kits, the Complete Series and larger orders go by USPS Ground Advantage, and we email tracking when they ship. Most orders arrive 4–9 business days after you order.

Yes. Enter the recipient’s address at checkout. The Winter-Sow Kit, the Monarch Milkweed Trio, the Complete Series and the Seed Club each have a free gift note (up to 200 characters). For Christmas, please order by Friday, December 11, and we’ll ship by December 15.

Email [email protected] with your order number and a photo, and we’ll make it right. Our shipping and returns policy has the details.

Check the postmark on the front of each packet. Most say SOW DEC–FEB, meaning sow outdoors in winter. Wild Bergamot (No. 7) says SOW MAR–MAY and Missouri Evening Primrose (No. 11) says SOW SEP–NOV. The back of each packet has the directions.

Sowing seed outdoors between December and February, in containers like milk jugs or on bare ground, so winter’s cold and moisture break the seeds’ dormancy. It’s the easy way to start natives that need a chill. Our winter sowing guide walks through it step by step.

Only if you want to sow in spring a species that needs a chill. Then you mix the seed with damp sand and refrigerate it for 30 or 60 days first. See the fridge method. If you sow outdoors in winter, nature does it for you.

Every species in the series grows in USDA hardiness zones 5–8, and most range wider. They’re native to Missouri and do best in the Midwest and nearby states. Each product page lists its zones.

Native perennials are slow at first. Gardeners call it “sleep, creep, leap”: mostly roots the first year, some flowers the second, full size by the third. Black-eyed Susan often blooms its first summer. Rough Blazing Star can take 2–5 years.

Keep packets in a cool, dry place out of direct sun until sowing time. Avoid hot cars, damp sheds and sunny windowsills.

First, give it time: some native seed waits for a second spring. If a packet still doesn’t come up after you follow our guide, our Grow Guarantee covers a replacement packet. Tell us within 12 months.

Yes. Each one appears in the Missouri Department of Conservation’s field guide as a Missouri native. A few grow wild only in part of the state: Ozark Coneflower occurs naturally only in the Ozarks, and Lanceleaf Coreopsis is native mostly in the Ozarks and north to the Missouri River.

No. We don’t coat or treat our seed.

It shows the botanical name, “Missouri native,” the lot number, the germination test result and the month it was tested, the net weight and seed count, the year it was packed for and a sell-by date, plus sowing directions. When we know the state where a seed lot was grown, the label says that too.

Milkweeds (Nos. 4, 5 and 6) are not: the ASPCA lists them as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and their sap can irritate skin and eyes. The ASPCA lists coreopsis (No. 8) as non-toxic. For the others, the sources we checked list no toxicity, but the ASPCA notes that eating any plant can upset a pet’s stomach. When in doubt, plant where pets won’t graze.

For $54 a year, you get four mailings, in December, March, June and September. Each has three Missouri Native Series packets chosen for the season and a letter on what to sow now. Shipping is included. Your first mailing is the next one on the calendar. More on the Seed Club page.

Yes, it renews each year at $54 until you cancel, and we email you twice before each renewal. Cancel anytime online with the Manage or cancel button on the Seed Club page, or by email or phone. You won’t be charged again. The full Seed Club terms explain refunds.

Yes. Custom packets start at 50, at $2.75 each for 50–99, $2.25 for 100–249 and $1.75 for 250 or more, with a free design proof. They’re ready 7–10 business days after you approve the proof and pay the invoice, with free delivery in St. Charles County, St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis. Start on our business packets page.

Yes, to garden centers and gift shops with a physical store: 50% of retail, with a $150 opening order and $100 reorders. Apply on our wholesale page.

Each species is a numbered stamp in the series, Nos. 1 to 12, so you can collect the set. The postmark on the front is the sowing season: winter, spring or fall. See collect the series.

If a packet doesn’t come up after you follow our guide, tell us within 12 months and we’ll send a replacement packet, shipped free. You don’t need to send anything back. Details on our Grow Guarantee page.