Milkweed & Yarrow germination success!

Success!  I have milkweed seedlings, both Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).  I'm pretty sure that I went to high school with a guy nicknamed "Swamp Milkweed," but I was still a bit intimidated because I recently read "The Great Milkweed Germination Test" on the website (Sowtrueseed.com) from which I bought my milkweed seed.  Talk of stratification makes my eyes glaze over and I had already bought my seed when I read the article.  Throwing caution to the wind and being a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl, I just planted them as I would tomato seeds.  I planted them on 2/8 and I would say about half of the seed I planted had produced a seedling.  They are spindly, narrow seedlings, but seedlings nonetheless, I'll take it!  Also planted on 2/8 is my white yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

These little guys are quite sturdy.  The seeds are TINY, which is why there are so many per peat pot (I was shooting for one seed each and used a seeding tool, which I never had before).  It is also a NC native plant, and reminds me of the Queen Anne's Lace that my grandmother used to grow, but Queen Anne's Lace is really just a wild carrot so yarrow, in my opinion, is a much better choice as it supports local wildlife.  ​Bee Balm is another native that I planted on the 8th.  They are handsome little blokes, aren't they? (photo below)

White Yarrow seedlings (above) and at maturity (below).

Grow lights and propagation domes don't make for a sexy dining room but it's totally worth it when your chomping on fresh veggies or enjoying beautiful blooms and wildlife in your yard.