Cool idea, I have no idea if it would be legal or not! Maybe try some CO native seeds like Rocky Mountain Penstemon or one of the smaller agastaches--butterflies and hummingbirds love them and who could even THINK of complaining when they grow in very lucky areas naturally. Columbines as well. Welcome to the forum!

No experience, but I like the idea. After I retire, I may take up guerrila gardening with trees.

I don't think either are legal, trespassing would be the main issue. The question is, would it be worth prosecuting? I think it would be cool to seed bomb around the crosses that mark where a person has passed in an accident.

I think it'd best be done just before one of our big spring snow storms.

Welcome, wendersis! Do you need an accomplis?;o)

For many of our native seeds, with the exception of warm season grasses, now would be a great time to toss out some seed bombs. The natural stratification from winter is great for helping them germinate in the spring.

Legal? Probably not in the purest sense of the word but to be honest I'm sure no one will even notice.

Some seeds that would probably do really good here on the front range are cowpen daisy, annual sunflowers, showy milkweed, or any of the native asters. All of these do really well colonizing disturbed sites. Warm season grasses like bluestems, grama, and buffalo germinate better if planted in spring but definitely don't count them out.

I'd definitely recommend milkweed, always nice to have additional butterfly attractors....and bee attractors....firecracker and Rocky Mountain penstemon are favorite (relatively) native plants that seed easily and those attract hummingbirds as well. Probably any local nursery will have a good assortment of native seeds, I know Tagawa has a nice selection.

Western Native Seed is a company from Coaldale that sells native seeds and seed mixes for Colorado. You do have to be careful with "pasture" and "meadow" mixes from almost everywhere because of their reliance on things like smoothe brome grass (a non-native that takes over pretty much everything).

http://www.westernnativeseed.com

Prairie Moon is of course a good place for native seeds as well.

Thanks everyone for the great ideas and suggestions!

Rocky Mountain Penstemon - I've fallen in love with the hummers and bumblers so that's a good one - asters - showy milkweed (I've seen 3 monarchs this summer) - cowpen daisy.

ZachS - Thanks for the advice about the prairie grasses. Great websites. I was wondering where I could get some of these seeds since they are not as widely available as ornamental seeds. I'll check Tagawa too, I love that place.

My goal is to stick with native plants so that whatever I might seed, enhances the natural landscape and doesn't invade it.

Guerrilla gardening... Ha!

I could get you some aster, cowpen daisy and milkweed seed if you want. I just started cleaning milkweed and have quite a bit of the others.

I am glad you take the consideration to use native seeds. I think too often people spread seeds of just "whatever" or rely on commercial "wildflower" seed mixes that use a lot of non-natives.

I think all of the seeds have already dropped from my Rocky Mountain penstemon but I'll look, will also check the firecracker penstemon. That one isn't as impressive of a bloom but the hummingbirds fight over it.

Hi Wendersis — et al,

I second Zach’s recommendations for Prairie Moon! I bought a bunch of “wildflower” seeds
(packets) from them this summer and was very happy with what I got. I was planning to do “my kind of seed
bombing” and plant the seeds out on the mesa at Ute Mountain Tribal Park in the
burn area when I was just down there last month, but, since I can’t go out onto
the park “unaccompanied,” the timing just didn’t work out this time. The seeds are now sealed in baggies in my
fridge awaiting a chance to do it when I go back in spring!

Here’s another company (from Texas) that sells native
wildflower and grass seed. It’s called
Native American Seed, but as near as I can figure the “Native American” is
about the seeds and not the Indians—tho they do seem to very much have an
“Indian Philosophy!”

I’m linking to two pages!
The first is to a page that explains “their philosophy”—with an 1876
quote, and the second link is to their home page. They do list the individual plants that are
in their “mixes.” I have not bought
anything from them!

http://www.seedsource.com/medicine/index.asp

http://www.seedsource.com/Default.asp

Here are a few more companies that sell native wildflower
and grass seeds. I have NOT bought
anything from any of these places and don’t know anything about them except for
“thoroughly” looking over their sites—but if I had somewhere to plant more
stuff (and could afford it!) I probably would try them!

Applewood Seed – listing this place because it’s in
Arvada! They do have “wildflower” seeds
but don’t specify very well if they’re native of “here,” or just “native of the
U. S.” On their “flower seeds” page they
mix the annuals and perennials all together, and there doesn’t seem to be any
way to separate them! It is possible to
pull up the list by Latin name, which REALLY helps when you’re looking for
something! Also, they have a “code” with
the listing of each “flower,” but I haven’t found anywhere that tells what the
“code” means! They do have mixes, and do
say what’s in them!

http://www.applewoodseed.com/our-seeds/

Seeds Trust – Littleton!
This looks like an “old established company,” but in looking closer I
think it may possibly have been bought by the “Littleton person” fairly
recently! If I’m right, don’t know if
that’s good, bad, or indifferent!!! And,
possibly, it’s still “in the family!"
There’s info on the site about what “appears to be” the “old owner,” but
nothing but a name about what “appears to be” the “new owner.” Possibly the “new owner” is a family member!?! The reason I’m questioning it is because the
company started in Idaho and then moved to Arizona, and that’s well explained,
but the current address is “here,” and there’s no info at all about “that
move!”

They list their “wildflowers” by common name, so makes
finding a “specific thing” difficult.
Annuals and perennials all mixed together! They do
have collections—of a sort! Their
collections are just a bunch of individual packets of whatever is in “that
collection.” And their “wildflowers” are
apparently not “native!” At least
there’s no info about what is or isn’t native “where!” They do have a list of what they call “native
grasses,” but, again, no info about what’s native where! Could be a good place to buy seed—but info
about “local natives” would need to be researched elsewhere!

Hmmm! I was quickly
looking down the “wildflower” list and noticed that they still list Dame’s
Rocket, Hesperus matronalis! That’s been declared a Noxious Weed in Colorado and is on the B List, which means
“eradication could be required” in some parts of the
state! Also means (to the best of my
knowledge!) it’s illegal to sell it or ship it to the state anymore, so as I
look over this site more I’m not at all sure what I think if it anymore! Will post the links anyway, but be aware, and
make your own decisions! [and DON’T buy
any Hesperus!]

http://www.seedstrust.com/shop-seeds/seeds-trust/wildflowers.html

http://www.seedstrust.com/shop-seeds/seeds-trust/native-grasses.html?limit=36

Great Basin Seeds in Utah!
It looks like this place pretty much just sells seeds in pound
lots! They do have mixes and list what’s
in them. Their “wildflower listing page”
lists them by common name, so it can be difficult to find what you’re looking
for!

https://greatbasinseeds.com/wordpress/

A couple years ago I saw a story on TV about Guerilla
Gardening and I thought it was a pretty interesting concept! I can’t afford it (but I’ll help you with the
trees, Barb!), but it was really fun to see what others had done. I think by definition “guerilla gardening” is
more about “real plants” than seeds, but as long as somebody’s planting
something I’m not sure there’s a whole lot of difference! Here’s a site with some info about guerilla gardening in England. I’m linking to the main page, which has a post
about seed bombing just a little way down, and I’m also linking to a page with
pics of a bunch of guerilla gardening “projects” around the world! Love looking at the before and after pics!

http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

http://www.guerrillagardening.org/ggtroopdigs.html

If I’m at either or both of next year’s swaps I have seed
for Rocky Mountain Penstemon, P. strictus, I can bring along if you come and
want some! Also could bring “my” yellow
columbine, Aquilegia chrysantha, seed, and English lavender, Lavandula angustifolius,
(EXCELLENT xeric plant!) seed for you—and probably some more other things
(hollyhock, Alcea rosea) that I’m not thinking of right now for your seed bombs
if you decide to go ahead with it!

Welcome to RMG, Wendersis,

Skybird

If you have any questions about the "nativeness" of anything you can check out the USDA Plants Database, and, of course, just ask here!

Annuals are generally really good colonizing disturbed sites. Just think of all the helianthus (sunflowers) that you see along the roadsides. So, for a while, whatever annual seeds you use will probably be the dominant species, but over time the perennials will start to come through. So, if your first year or so all you see is prickly poppy (I think it's an annual?) and sunflowers coming up over the cheatgrass, don't be too disappointed (I'm assuming you'll be revisiting the site on some fashion, even just driving by).