Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
Great St. Johns Wort is a perennial wildflower found in North-Eastern United States and parts of Canada. This variety reaches up to 4 feet tall and features 2 ½ inch star-shaped golden yellow flower blossoms. St. John’s Wort is an excellent addition to your garden or landscape to attract primary pollinator insects, native bees and butterflies. Include other flowering plants like Common Milkweed and White Yarrow for the ultimate butterfly waystation. The flowers of St. Johns Wort typically bloom from mid-summer to early autumn. Its rhizomatous root system allows it to spread underground and form new colonies but the plant also self-seeds proficiently. The native habitat of St. John’s Wort is typically sandy prairies & mashes, wooded slopes, streams and open thickets. It tolerates neglect and average to poor soils.
You can use the flowers and the leaves to make tinctures, dried for teas, or ground up into capsules. It makes a great pair alongside other calming herbs like German Chamomile.
NAME: St. John’s Wort (Hypericum ascyron)
VARIETY: Great
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 3 – 6
PLANT TYPE: Perennial
STRATIFICATION: Required
DAYS TO MATURITY: 75 days
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
SUNLIGHT: Full Sun / Partial Sun
SOIL: Average soils with a soil pH 5.5 – 7.0
PLANT HEIGHT: 2 – 4 feet
SPACING: 12 – 18 inches
TEMP: 45 – 90 °F
Take a clean dye-free paper towel and completely dampen it with water; ensure that it is not too wet, squeezing out any excess moisture.
Lay paper towel on a table and sprinkle desired quantity of seeds on one half of the paper towel, ensuring that they are not overlapping.
Fold the paper towel in half over the seeds and slip into a plastic zipping baggie; ideally the size of the bag should be bigger than the size of the paper towel, so it does not bunch up.
Seal shut the baggie and place this into an undisturbed area of the refrigerator.
Check on the moisture once a week to make sure it is damp to the touch; if it becomes slightly dry add some drops of water until remoistened.
You must leave the bag in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 days. This mimics the natural stratification process. After this time, they are ready to direct seed into pots, cells, or prepared soil.
If mold grows on your seeds, the towel was too wet and you must start over.
If seeds prematurely sprout you can remove and immediately plant, root side down.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
Fill biodegradable pots with a well-draining seed starting mix.
Sow Great Saint John’s Wort seeds thinly on the soil surface, pressing them gently into the soil.
Mist the soil to moisten it, and cover the pots with a clear plastic dome or plastic wrap to maintain humidity.
Place the pots in a warm location with indirect sunlight or under grow lights.
Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged during the germination period, which typically takes 2-4 weeks.
Once seedlings have developed several sets of true leaves, they can be transplanted outdoors after the last frost date.
Scatter 5 stratified seeds every 3 inches on top of the soil and lightly press into the soil but do not cover; the seeds need light to germinate.
Water the seeds in well; keep the soil moist and seedlings will emerge in 15 to 20 days.
When plants grow to be 5 inches tall, thin to 1 seedling every 6 inches.
Continue maintenance of watering and weeding regular until the plants are 10 inches or taller; they will then be more established and require less upkeep.
Prepare a weed free, fertile soil bed for the seeds, free of large rocks and compacted soil; you should be able to stick your finger into the soil 3 or more inches if it is well aerated and correctly prepared.
Great Saint John’s Wort prefers well-drained soil and can tolerate a wide range of soil types, including sandy or rocky soils.
Water young plants regularly, especially during dry periods, to keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.
Once established, Great Saint John’s Wort is drought-tolerant and requires less frequent watering.
Mulch around the base of the plants to help retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Prune back the plants in early spring to encourage bushy growth and remove any dead or damaged stems.
Great Saint John’s Wort is generally low-maintenance and relatively pest-resistant but keep an eye out for aphids or spider mites.
Harvest Great Saint John’s Wort flowers when they are fully open and at their peak of blooming.
Use scissors or pruning shears to cut the flower stems just above a set of leaves.
Dry the harvested flowers in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight.
Once dry, store the flowers in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for later use in herbal preparations.
