Growing perennials from seed can be done many different ways, but have you ever used smoke-infused water to help? Most perennials in the southwest United States have had fire as part of their evolution. Penstemon and Castilleja, for example, are commonly found in disturbed soils along roadways. What did these species do before we had roads? They strongly grew in areas that had fire. With fire suppression, we have fewer of these events until it’s so severe that most plants don’t come back. With small, low fires the area is cleared of unwanted brush and the seed bank is left to germinate. With every rain event, ash and other chemicals are washed into the soils, triggering the germination of many fire-adapted species.
