Your best bet is to stay clear of garden centers,as they can be best described as the busness of selling weeds to the gullable for profit.Collecting your own seeds locally,when ever possible,is the way to go,especially if you're looking for woodland sedges indigenous to your area.A paper bag and a pair of scissors taken along during a summer nature walk when the desired seeds are ripe, is the way to do it.

I have used Ernst Conservation Seeds and Wildlife Nurseries Inc. Many of the entries in the Ernst catalog say what "ecotype" the seed is which would help you pick seeds whose DNA comes from places closer to the plants in your area. Check for native plant societies for your state also.

Thank you for the recommendations. Ernst might work, but I need seeds in the hundreds of pounds :)

We also need plants/grasses that can sustain some browsing and grazing without die off.

I am somewhat ambivalent about wild collecting of seeds. I guess it would depend on the species and the location. Almost all of the woodland around here is either state/federal parkland or private property. I know I would be rather annoyed if someone decided to go seed gathering in our woods (over 10 acres).

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Finding local natural sources is better than importing seeds from distant growers.That way,you will be more assured of getting seeds of species native to your area with local phenotypes and less likely to import plants that may become troublesome weeds.Its essential to do your own field work to quantify the historic species makeup of the woodland areas you are trying to restore.Information particular to your area will not be available from midwestern seed growers and finding the appropriate plant materials from them will be unlikely. Take a walk in nature with your eyes open.Even in the most surburban areas remanants of natural habitats remain nearby for inspiration.

If I discovered someone seeking seeds in "my" woods,I would be delighted to assist them.