Friday’s Seeds – the Turtleheads

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I am pleased to have seeds of two North American turtleheads this year: Chelone glabra and Chelone obliqua.

Both species grow best in moist locations in full sun to part shade and are valuable for their late flowering in August-September; bumblebees can’t have enough of their flowers.

The flowers shape reminds of a turtlehead, reason for their Latin and common name: Chelone = turtle in Greek. Tournefort described Chelone glabra as “Chelone Acadiense, flore albo” (Acadia being the name of Nova Scotia, Canada at the time, around 1700).

I remember reading somewhere that Rafinesque was indignant of the chosen name, arguing that the flowers are not reptiles :) He tried to change it to Chlonanthes but it didn’t work of course. Especially the flower buds do really look like a turtlehead!

But I diverge, here are the seeds. They are very similar, as expected; brown to light tan with a surrounding wing.

Chelone obliqua, Pink turtlehead (Fam. Plantaginaceae) capsule and seeds

and

Chelone glabra, White turtlehead seeds

Friday’s Seeds – Anemone caroliniana

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Magic mirror on the wall,
Who is the wooliest one of all?

Anemone caroliniana seeds

Like many other Anemone, this species is easy to grow from seeds and a nice addition for the rock garden/other relatively dry locations.
Those who don’t want/like to grow from seeds can try and visit next year Fuller Natives & Rare Plants in Belleville; many NA ‘native delights’ are awaiting every season for discerning gardeners.

Find it in the shop

 

Out in the glowing woods

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Last weekend it was the perfect time for an outing in the woods; they are basking in the golden glow of the sugar maples these days (Acer saccharum).
Other trees foliage also contribute to a beautiful autumnal display: Fraxinus, Fagus, Carya, Juglans, Amelanchier, Prunus, while on the ground floor Thalictrum dioicum, Smilax, and Aralia nudicaulis foliage reflect the same golden colour.

Acer saccharum – Sugar maple, rock maple

Here and there, attractive ‘candies’ of various species can still be enjoyed:  Viburnum acerifolium,  Maianthemum species, Euonymus obovatus and Smilax herbacea. Others, like those of Amphicarpaea bracteata are not that visible, and you need a sharp eye to find them.

It is also a good time to reflect at the natural associations of these woodland species; we can easily reproduced them in the garden. Amphicarpaea flowering stems were threading over Euonymus obovatus (featured image), Hepatica americana and a nearby Smilax; notice the beautiful clump of Hepatica americana surrounded by the dry foliage of Uvularia grandiflora and the Maianthemum berries shining through Thalictrum dioicum foliage.

Maianthemum racemosum fruits

Smilax herbacea

Viburnum acerifolium

Hepatica americana and Uvularia

Some of these ‘candies’ are already in the shop.
New ones were just added:
Amphicarpaea bracteata
Zizia aurea
Lobelia siphilitica
Lilium michiganense

For the moist packed category in quite small quantities this year: Maianthemum canadense, M. racemosum, M. stellatum and Polygonatum pubescens.

*Native species wise, there will be more seeds to come; the collection goes on until the end of the month. Most species are listed on the Seeds List and will be posted after the seeds are collected and sorted out.

 

WTA!

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What the Arisaema! :-)

A couple of years ago I stumbled upon an Arisaema triphyllum population with huge leaves; among them, even a specimen with 3 leaves and two fruits.

Arisaema triphyllum – large form; the seeds are in the shop.

I didn’t carry a measuring tape but the length of the leaflets was much more than 1 ft. (30 cm). I also don’t know the colour of the spathe, anyway I failed to collect the fruits that time.

WTA!

I’ve seen other Arisaema triphyllum with leaves this large but the majority of seeds I collect are from more ‘normal’ (smaller) plants. So, I returned this fall and collected some of the fruits already lying on the woodland floor.

Arisaema triphyllum plants are cross pollinated, so it’s only a matter of luck to obtain an interesting form when growing from seeds.

There is great potential here!

 

A note regarding the germination: all A. triphyllum seeds collections from our region proved to be warm germinators; even older seeds. It will be interesting to see about these ones.

Link for the shop

Saturday morning Calochortus

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During a short trip to SE BC this summer I have had the chance to admire my first ever mariposa lily – Calochortus apiculatus, Baker’s mariposa lily – shown here in the featured image. Of course, I’ve seen many pictures of various species, but it’s never the same like experiencing them in the wild.

Next minute, a little voice was screaming in my head – I want to grow a mariposa! Not all Calochortus species are actually named mariposa lilies, but that’s how I call them.
I indulged, and together with a few other Western North American species I brought in, for my little voice and for the shop, 2 Calochortus species.

Not having pictures with the flowers I will introduce them through their seeds.
Calochorthus leichtlinii – the Smokey mariposa, which is found growing at high elevations in Oregon, California and Nevada, would be the one to try in zone 6. It has white to pale blue flowers with yellow/black centers.
With good luck and stellar drainage it may do well. The seeds were collected on Eisenheimer Ridge, Plumas Co. at 2135 m alt.

Calochortus leichtlinii seeds

The very cute Calochortus tolmiei (Tolmie star-tulip, pussy ears) would be best left for those living in a warmer climate, or grown in a pot in the alpine house. The flowers are light purple/lavender and are very hairy – you could grow it as a pet :)
I will test  the germination and who knows, maybe even end up with few plants to grow in a container.

Calochortus tolmiei seeds

For lots of mesmerizing pictures (wild, culture) and growing advice for various Calochortus species, please visit the PBS page: https://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Calochortus

Find the seeds on the Seeds list.

The bundle flower – Desmanthus illinoensis

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How about a perennial species with mimosa-like foliage for a cold region (zone 5)?
I bet everyone will ask you what’s that species in your garden bed and would want to touch the foliage.

Illinois Bundle flower (or prairie mimosa) is the one.

Desmanthus illinoensis, Illinois bundle flower, prairie mimosa

Unlike the real mimosa plant, the prairie mimosa leaflets will not fold inward when touched, they do it only in the evening and during very hot periods to retain the moisture.
White, globular flowers appear in June/July followed by clusters of pods, which have a beautiful flowery look early on.

Desmanthus illinoensis cluster of pods

It is definitely an interesting plant to mix in a flower bed not to mention that like all Fabaceae it is a nitrogen fixing plant and will naturally enrich the garden soil.

For those interested in the ethnobotanical aspects,  the root bark has been found to contain various substances similar to those used in mix preparation of hallucinogenic drinks (like other species from the mimosa family).

I’ll say let’s keep it for the garden ;)

Link to the shop

Single delights – Moneses uniflora

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“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
Some may argue that this famous Samuel Beckett’s quote is not an inspiration for trying and grow very difficult species, but I differ. With every failure we will, at least, learn something a bit more about them.

This long overdue post is about mycorrhizal species, included in the Orchids & other mycorrhizals shop category and especially about Moneses uniflora – the single delight. It always keeps one to want more ;)

Some people are more adventurous than others when it comes to growing from seeds – this is the reason I collect and offer, when possible, a few almost impossible to germinate/grow species. The cost of seeds is really insignificant; it’s all about the quest and desire to go beyond what’s easy.
In other words, for those loving to grow plants from seeds – it’s also fun!

Moneses uniflora is a little, evergreen species growing in shady, cool places, and not often encountered. Managing to grow it in the garden, it would be nothing short of a miracle but nothing is impossible.
Like all species from the above mentioned category, it requires a specific mycorrhizal fungus at least for germination and maybe even later for growth.

This one single delight was spotted growing on top of decaying, exposed roots covered in moss in the Lizard Mts., BC. In my opinion, this may offer a hint about the way one could go about when trying to germinate it.

Moneses uniflora, single delight (red arrow pointing)

This is my advice for sowing Moneses uniflora (Pyrola and Chimaphila as well):

Collect a piece of decomposed wood together with some moss from the woods; place them in the garden, half buried in the ground to stay moist in a shady location; sprinkle the very fine seeds on top and water well to washed them in the moss. Keep the spot moist at all the time and….fingers crossed.

Few years ago I tried sowing in the same way Pyrola elliptica (same category) with the decomposed wood/moss placed in a pot. I noticed tiny, green sprouts in late spring but then it slipped my attention and got dry at some point, so I cannot draw a real conclusion; must repeat it in the ground in a good shaded place where I water regularly (under a Chinese Epimedium, for example).

Try again :)

As fresh as they get

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Few species that have been uploaded yesterday on the shop are seeds of opportunity.
Collected by chance during a short trip to the BC mountains, they are maybe one – time offerings. Who knows if I’ll stumble upon glacier lilies in seed (and in flower) some other time?

Seeds of Erythronium grandiflorum, Anemone occidentalis, A. parviflora and even Streptopus amplexifolius are best sown as soon as possible. Otherwise they may germinate in the second spring after sowing.
I can only advise ;)

Erythronium grandiflorum, glacier lily flowering at the snow melt line; the seeds were ready at lower elevation

Anemone occidentalis, early spring flowering (meaning July at high altitude :)

Anemone parviflora

Streptopus amplexifolius

*Since there are quite a few Erythronium seeds, part of them are kept dry and offered at a lower price – Erythronium grandiflorum dry seeds; sown right away they should still germinate in the spring; sown later they will need two seasons for germination.

Not your tiny violet – Viola canadensis

Beautiful and underused in gardens, as it often happens, Canada violet can grow to 1 ft. tall with a round, bushy look habit. Vey floriferous, it looks great in combination with other shade perennials. It prefers a moist location and a few hours of sun will make it remain compact; can be sheared after flowering.

Although listed as growing throughout Canada and most of the U.S, it is rather scarce in the wild and even listed as an endangered species in the Illinois (US).
There are 3 varieties of V. canadensis listed in Flora of North America – those interested can read more:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250100903

Viola canadensis in cultivation

After a good flowering period, the capsules are starting to mature and I’ve collected the first seeds.
Viola spp. capsules display an explosive behavior, reason why collecting the seeds can be a frustrating endeavor, especially from the wild.
In the figures below you can see the way capsules signal the near (1-2 days) release of seeds.

Viola canadensis seeds maturation

The next stage that follows:

A bit too late ;)

Other Viola species can be monitored for seeds collecting in the same way.

Spring and fall

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Quite a few species that flowered in the spring are opening (or will do it shortly) their fruits to release the seeds.
The fall blooming Crocus species does the same thing. Interesting, isn’t it?

Many of these species are in the category I once called ‘notorious seeds defectors’ :-)
Hepatica, Corydalis & Pseudofumaria spp., Stylophorum spp., Helleborus, Asarum spp. (gingers), Saruma, Viola ssp., Epimediums, the recently added Dirca palustris and so on… (hover over pictures for the names)

Stay tuned…

Asclepias exaltata and other happenings

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A couple of days ago I found seeds of Asclepias exaltata germinated/overgrown within the moist towel I used for cold/moist stratification; reason why I don’t like to use this method too much (a great space saver though). When using moist vermiculite the roots have the possibility to grow in/attach and even feed a bit from the vermiculite.
 Of course it is my fault I didn’t keep a good eye on the seeds. I managed to gently extract a few of the seedlings and planted them right away.

Asclepias exaltata germinated seeds

Asclepias exaltata seedlings

I probably showed this woodland Asclepias before, but the milkweeds are never enough :) and this one is indeed scarce in my region (SW Ontario). For this reason, I always collect selectively only few seeds and there are never enough for sale.

I am trying to produce more for my native woodland corner to address the issue, plus, to keep the pollinators happy! They are easy to grow, my 3 years old plant (grown from seeds) will flower this year. Meanwhile for those that need a remainder, this is the Poke milkweed.

Asclepias exaltata, Poke milkweed, flowering usually in late June

Speaking of something else, Hydrophyllum virginianum has a nice show in the woods right now, and also in my garden. The bumblebees are happy. Also flowering, Conopholis americana while Viola pubescens capsules are getting closer to maturity.

Hydrophyllum virginianum

And, Erythronium americanum capsules have been collected; this is one of the best collections  I’ve done so far. The seeds will be available in the Seeds Shop next week.

Erythronium americanum capsules

Out in the world

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At the same time Trillium grandiflorum is flowering in the woods, I planted my 3 years old seedlings in the garden (in bunches of 2-4 seedlings).

I don’t have enough space to keep seedlings growing in pots for more than 1 – 3 years (to the extreme). For some it is more than enough, others might like a bit of pampering, but it is what it is – they have to go out and face the ‘world’ :-) : T. erectum, M. stellatum, Allium tricoccum, Asarum canadense (1 year), Lilium canadense, and L. michiganense, Prosartes lanuginosa and probably few others.

Trillium grandiflorum 3 years old

Trillium grandiflorum 3 years old

Maianthemum stellatum, Asarum canadense (wild ginger) and Allium tricoccum (wild garlic) are very tough and I’m sure they’ll do well. For Lilium canadense and Lilium michiganense it will be an experiment to see how it goes if planted in the ground at an early age. Pictures taken before planting out:

Asarum canadense seedlings

Maianthemum stellatum seedlings

Allium tricoccum

Lilium canadense

One concession I make is having a dedicated spot with small plants where it is easier to keep an eye on them; but there are full grown perennials there as well. Most people have a bit of empty space between some larger perennial/shrubs and can do that.

Prosartes lanuginosa, yellow fairy bells, 2 years old – easy to germinate and grow from fresh/moist kept seeds

Growing native species from seeds for your garden and planting out the young seedlings follows well the natural rhythm of nature; from a pot full of seedlings, some will perish and the strongest will survive, perfectly adapted to your garden conditions.

On the feature image: Jeffersonia diphylla young seedlings planted in the ground last year.

 

Out in the woods – Trillium grandiflorum

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The time has come to admire again the Large white-flowered Trillium in all its forms and also few other woodland companions.

Although Trillium grandiflorum takes center stage at this time, it doesn’t grow by itself and I will show just a few species that were growing beside it in one particular area: Caulophyllum, Podophyllum peltatum (May apple), Maianthemum racemosum (False Solomon’s Seal), Uvularia grandiflora, Asarum canadense, Viola rostrata, Viola sororia. Others not shown here which associate in the wild/woodland gardens: Actaea species, Polygonatum pubescens, Thalictrum dioicum, Hepatica americana/acutiloba, Sanguinaria, Arisaema triphyllum, Viola pubescens and of course Trillium erectum.
Seeds of all are usually offered in the Seeds Shop by fall.

Caulophyllum and Trillium grandiflorum

Podophyllum peltatum

Maianthemum racemosum

Uvularia grandiflora

Viola rostrata

Viola sororia

 

Hydrastis canadensis – short note

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It seems it is good, if not even required, to document the growing of Hydrastis canadensis (golden seal) with the purpose of selling seeds/plants at some point in the future.
The overharvesting from the wild coupled with the destruction of its natural habitat lead to its inclusion in 1991 on the CITES Appendix II (Convention for International Trade on Endangered Species).

I already showed the seeds, the germination, and here they are the 2 years old plants at the transplanting stage. I expect they would start to grow faster now that they built a little rhizome.

Hydrastis canadensis, goldenseal – 2 years old plants

For those who don’t know about the goldenseal and its medicinal properties, here’s an excerpt from an older post that I will re-write entirely at some point.

“Native Americans introduced European settlers to the medicinal properties of quite a few medicinal plants, among them the Goldenseal – Hydrastis canadensis, which is native to SE Canada and NE United States. The Goldenseal grows in shady, moist woodlands locations. Other common names include: yellow root, eye root, ground raspberry, Indian dye and yellow puccoon. It is a small perennial with a knotty rhizome and deeply divided leaves with 5-7 lobes. The white flowers appear in the spring and are followed by inedible red fruits (raspberry-like) in the fall.

The Cherokee and other tribes used mainly the roots as an antiseptic for inflammation, as a general tonic, to improve appetite, to treat skin problems and as an eyewash for sore eyes. Also they produced from it a golden-yellow dye, hence the common name ‘Indian dye’.

The medicinal properties of the goldenseal are due mainly to two alkaloids (hydrastine and berberine) which have antimicrobial properties. In laboratory conditions berberine has been shown to be toxic to fungal cells and some types of cancer cells.”

Hydrastis canadensis – Köhler’s Medizinal Pflanzen

Out in the woods – Hepatica acutiloba

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Well, I tried recently to visit the population called  Hepatica acutiloba –pastel mix (please read: Hepatica acutiloba pastel mix explained).
Even on sunny days, if it is too cold, the Hepatica flowers don’t open entirely though. No worry, there are many pictures from previous years.

So, I recycle an older post with some added notes and we can review already posted pictures. As explained in the link above, this is a localized population of Hepatica acutiloba with flowers in various pastel colors: white, lilac and pink and leaves with long acuminate lobes, mostly marbled in the fall. They all grow close together and I cannot offer seeds from individual specimens, reason why they are listed as Hepatica acutiloba – pastel mix.

Besides Hepatica acutiloba pastel mix, a specimen with star shaped flowers and narrower leaf lobes was named Hepatica acutiloba ‘Purple Star’ (2019).
Since then I also grew some seedlings from it, and the good news is that they came true to the mother plant!

Hepatica acutiloba ‘Purple Star’

Hepatica acutiloba ex. ‘Purple Star’ seedlings

As I mentioned a few times already, Hepatica acutiloba is a bit easier from seeds than Hepatica americana, plus the seedlings grow and flower faster. I say it is a good beginner’s Hepatica to try.
Prepare your hiking shoes: Sanguinaria canadensis is flowering and Claytonia virginica, Erythronium grandiflorum and Trillium erectum are also starting to flower, depending on the location!

Purple beasties – Caulophyllum

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Spring is evolving fast here in Ontario; Hepatica, Sanguinaria canadensis and Claytonia are flowering in our woods. Also, in some places blackish/purple beasties are erupting from the leaf mulch and growing with the speed of light – I am talking about the blue cohosh, Caulophyllum shoots :)

I wrote few times about Caulophyllum (referring in general to both C. thalictroides and C. giganteum) and its seeds, which are hydrophyllic and slow to germinate.
In this post I would like to bring to your attention two things:
The seeds offered up to this year were collected from a mix population of C. thalictroides and C. giganteum. Later in the season they are indistinguishable. C. giganteum is more desirable because has a deeper purple colour, purple flowers, and it gets taller. Depending on the luck, some may obtain C. giganteum seedlings.

This year the seeds of C, giganteum will be offered separate, from a localized population.

Caulophyllum giganteum in early spring

Caulophyllum giganteum, the shoots are coming up with the flower buds which open right away after few sunny days

Then, about germination: the seedlings are also appearing in my garden, and I can show two easy methods to germinate/grow it, without keeping around pots for 2-3 years until the seeds germinate.

  1. Sow the seeds into a compostable container buried into the ground (close to a large perennial, shrub) where you will water once in a while; cover with a mesh to discourage critters. A layer of leaves mulch can also be used in late fall, to mimic the natural environment.

Caulophyllum seeds sown in compostable container, which can remain in place

Caulophyllum seedlings, a bit hard to notice because of the colour

2. Sow the large seeds directly into the garden, also close to a large perennial or shrub, where you know the soil won’t be disturbed. In my picture the seedlings are growing now among Polygonatum buds.

Caulophyllum seedlings obtained by direct sowing in the ground

In a couple of years they can be dug up and planted at the desired place.

Stay tuned – Hepatica acutiloba and H. americana are in full flowering mode :)