Woodland Mass Planting For Big Show

I'm looking to buy a few thousand astilbe seeds to plant along a shaded creek area. 300 feet each side. Any tips on how to seed?

I was thinking of mixing sand and seeds into a gallon milk container with lottsa little holes in the bottom and just shaking them out.

They should just seed?
Maybe rake them in after dropping?
Do it on a rainy day?
2,000 enough? How many will geriminate?
Any sources that sell by the pound? Or is that too much?

I also have a wooded driveway area that runs 1/3 mile that I'm interested in planting Anemones. Both sides, but I'd probably only do about half of the 1/3 mile

http://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/wildflowers-forbs/anemone-virginiana-tall-thimbleweed/

Lottsa questions but I'm a newbie to this idea.

I'm a very beginner gardener...but read your thread and thought of a grass seeder to disperse your seeds. it's a hand held plastic container that you can set for different seed disbursement density and then you just crank the handle. They are very inexpensive and you can buy them at any home depot type store. Just an idea...good luck! By the way, that creek is so very pretty. Living in the high desert makes any natural flowing water look so inviting :)

Taranne:

Wow. Why didn't I think about that!

So simple. It's a thought but there are some steep areas. I've dumped seeds before.

I have practically all the types of planting areas one could think of except desert.

Thanks

Here is a little info for you.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/654807/how_to_grow_astilbe_in_your_gardens.html

Bulk seed sales:

http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/perennials/astilbe.html

http://www.neseed.com/Astilbe_i_Showstar_i_p/20322.htm

Thanks moon:

I saw swallowtail before...had good experience with them as well. I like the height at 20 inches. I guess it's not a case of just spreading them, but I'm sure some would come up. I thinks it's rake, seed, and cover lightly. I probably won't get into separating them after they pop through. I have the patience and time. It looks like one itty bitty seed at a time spaced about two foot apart. But they're so danged small?

It is recommended to plant them NO more than 1/4 inch deep, so think a little less would be acceptable, especially if you rough up the area a bit first and then just water them in. I would not worry too much about spacing in such a large area...if you sow a couple hundred seeds per side and only get 50% germination, you still have 100 plants coming up per side....and they will reseed....

You said the area was 300 ft long per side, but not how wide the area was. If you sow an area 3 ft wide on each side, then for 18 to 24 inch plants, the spacing would be 12 to 18 inches, or one seed per square foot roughly, but, you are not planting in a garden setting, you are doing a more naturalized planting so I would look at maybe 600 seeds per side total. You can always come back in the fall and sow a few seeds in any bare spots as astilbe can be planted in Spring and Fall. Mix them with the sand and broadcast them as evenly as possible and let Nature take over.

I'll have to wait till the creek water warms up for "watering in"... splashing along...

Your description sounds good.Forget one seed at a time...my gawd. I really don't want to overdo it.

Should be an interesting project.

Thanks again

Best of luck to you. you will have to post a picture when they start growing...