WOW! They are:

– A fun, simple, tool and toil free way to create sweeping flower gardens.
– A great way to beautify any barren spot in your garden, neighborhood or community.
– A wonderful way to attract birds, honeybees, butterflies and wildlife thru the seasons.
– Drought tolerant and require very little water after germination.
– Low maintenance and pesticide free.
– An affordable ‘living gift’ that keeps on giving generously thru the seasons.
– An artisan hand crafted and made in California product.

Q: Are there seed ball instructions in the seed ball canisters?
A: Yes – each canister contains planting and care instructions plus educational links and loads of fun facts.

Q: Where should I sow them?
A: The Wildflower Seed Ball Blends (Mixed Wildflower and California Heirloom Poppies) grow well in just about any sunny spot; they prefer open ground soil with lots of room to spread out and re-seed; they don’t grow particularly well in containers. These blends are carefully selected for regions (planting zones: 4-9, 14-19, 22-24) of the Western US; please take care not to introduce them into areas where they are not native.

The Pollinator-Friendly Blends (Bee Friendly and Butterfly Garden) contain garden-cultivar flowers and herbs that are appropriate for garden planting in open sunny spots-all across the US. They thrive in both ground soil as well as in large containers.

Q: When should I sow them?
A: The Wildflower Seed Ball Blends (Mixed Wildflower and California Heirloom Poppies) will do best sowed (placed or tossed) during the sustained autumn and winter rainy season. If rains are sparse – it’s fine to hand water them until they germinate in about three to six weeks.

The Pollinator-Friendly Blends (Bee Friendly and Butterfly Garden) contain garden-cultivar flowers and herbs that are appropriate for the spring thru summer gardening season after danger of frost has passed in your growing region.

Q: How big a space will ten flower seed balls cover?
A: One seed ball will dissolve and spread out to cover an area about 36 square inches wide. Ten seed balls sown about three feet apart will cover approximately 350 square feet with dense plants, followed by blooms starting in the spring thru autumn.

Q: How do I prepare the soil for sowing?
A: You do not need to till the soil; the seed balls do best in lightly scratched, weed-free soils. The nutrients in the rich compost contained in each ball will nourish them as the plants lay down roots and grow.

Q: Should I dig a hole or cover them with dirt?
A: Seed-O-Sphere Flower Seed Balls do not need to be buried; either toss or lay them onto the soil; if you choose – you can lightly impress them into the ground leaving a bit of the seed ball showing; their germination is triggered by light and moisture.

Q: When will they bloom?
A: These fast growing flower blends will delight with loads of blooms starting in spring and lasting thru summer; in some planting zones flowers will continue well into the autumn.

Q: What do I have to do to maintain them?
A: They require very little maintenance. The blends are hearty and drought tolerant and require minimal watering once the plant has established itself. No fertilization or use of pesticides or herbicides is needed. After the plant’s blossoms are spent, numerous seed pods will appear. As the seed pods dry out they will disperse seeds onto the ground – waiting for the next rainy season to germinate and expand your flower gardens. If you wish – you can collect the seeds before the plant spills them onto the ground, store them in the Seed-O-Sphere canister, share them with others and spread them to new areas.

After your flowers have gone to seed and dried out, you can choose whether to leave them standing, mow, weed whip or hand clip. Regardless – when the next rains fall – many more flowers will emerge from spilled seeds.

Q: How long can I keep them before sowing them?
A: You can keep them almost indefinitely, ideally in the Seed-O-Sphere canister. The seeds will stay dormant and safe as long as they are kept moisture free. In ancient archaeological sites in the American Southwest – seed balls have been found with seeds that are still viable!

Q: Why are there grooved designs on the balls?
A: This is done in keeping with traditional Southwest Native American methods, which allows moisture to effectively penetrate and dissolve the balls. This helps the seeds, clay and compost spread out in a series of expanding concentric circles as germination takes place.

Clay seed balls have a long and varied history of use across the globe (The American Southwest, Middle East along the Nile, Japan).

When Southwest Native Americans sowed their crops they often used this unique planting method to encourage and safeguard quick germination and soil building in the harsh desert landscape. To keep the precious seeds from blowing away, molding or being eaten by rodents and birds the seeds were mixed with terra cotta clay and nutrient rich compost. This provided a protective planting medium for the seeds to stay safe until placed onto open soil to rapidly dissolve, germinate and root during the rainy seasons.

In the last century, Japanese farmer, educator and scientist Masanobu Fukuoka (‘The One Straw Revolution’) resurrected ancient seed ball planting and storage using innovative Permaculture methods. This included mixing the next season’s seed crop into clay balls that improved sustainable garden practice yields.

More recently, groups of urban gardeners took to throwing flower seed balls over chain linked fences to help regenerate and restore fallow soils in vacant lots and neglected barren urban landscapes. In many neighborhoods where the seed balls had been dispersed, the glorious appearance the next spring of masses of brilliant colored wildflowers and herbs inspired all manner of every day miracles! Imagine the surprise and delight of neighbors watching the seemingly spontaneous appearance of vivid flowers displays, followed thru the seasons by the return of song birds, bees, butterflies and wildlife.