Aristolochia (Dutchman’s pipe) hardy species are not often seen cultivated in the gardens. It is a pity since they are quite interesting. I wrote before that serepindity made it to grow successfully from seeds two such species: Aristolochia iberica and Aristolochia steupii, both hailing from the Caucasus and surrounding regions. They are both deciduous, trailing […]
and Trillium seeds It is official – the first colorful fruit of the season belongs to Hydrastis canadensis! None of the others already collected can pass as being colorful. By the way, seeds of Trillium grandiflorum are in stock, and so are seeds of a light pink form of Sanguinaria canadensis. Other species benefiting from […]
All the available Hepatica seeds are now in stock: Hepatica category. The sold out forms have been archived and can be found using the Search tab. I am very happy that this year I managed to collect more Hepatica americana seeds; last spring due to a rainy and cold spring there were just few seeds […]
While waiting for Hepatica seeds to drop into the catching bags, ;) we can admire two dwarf Polygala species. I’m a big fan of Polygalas. From the garden, flowering for the first time: Polygala amarella, the dwarf milkwort. This is a European species growing on limestone grasslands, slopes and rock ledges, up to subalpine level. […]
As soon as the rains allow, small bags will be placed to catch the Hepatica seeds; for both H. americana and H. acutiloba. I mentioned before that catching the seeds is not an easy task. This year the flowering show was partially missed and we cannot be sure about the seeds until later. I will […]
What else better on a cold Friday than to look at nice Hepatica acutiloba pictures? This spring the flowering show was partially missed, but there are plenty of pictures from previous years. What forms will be available on the shop is hard to say until the seeds start to form. We can only hope that […]
Today, I continue to record the cultivation of goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis, in my garden. A reminder that this is an endangered species in its wild habitat! Last year one plant even produced a small fruit and what to do with few seeds? I sowed them of course; now they are starting to germinate, on the […]
A brief garden ‘woodland’ walk to see various species that were basking under the sun a couple of days ago. Again, trying to use locations in the garden that reproduce the native habitat is the key to happiness. For most parts this means deciduous woods which allow plenty of sun in early to mid -spring […]
In the last few days I’ve been ‘circling around’ a garden bed which due to the natural land configuration remains temporarily wet, with gradients of wetness and sun to part/sun exposure. With the warming up I will start adding more species to this area. So let’s see a few native species suitable for such a […]
The first Hepatica started to flower a while ago bringing high hopes of an early spring. Then, cold, bitterly temperatures returned in Ontario and everything has come to a halt. Taking pictures it is always a good way to record the start of growth for various species in the garden and in the wild. It […]
Even if just for my own pleasure and occasional exchanges with friends, I like to give names to special plants that are obtained from seeds. I don’t spend time thinking for a name; they just dawn on me after a while always in relation with the person who provided the seeds, the origin of the […]
While talking Caulophyllum, here’s something I didn’t get around to show in late September last year: a bunch of Caulophyllum (most probably giganteum) 2 years old seedlings I dug out to replant. As mentioned before, the large seeds of Caulophyllum, which require 2 years for germination, can be easily sowed ‘in situ’ (in the […]
We talked about seeds and Hepatica germination – we need to have patience. Not only the seeds may germinate in the second year after sowing even if they were kept moist, also the seedlings, in most cases, are not very fast to develop. Some will remain at the cotyledon leaves stage in the first season, […]
What do they have in common? Nothing, only that both deterred me from finishing the article on transplanting Hepatica seedlings. But I don’t want to waste the occasion on showing something about Roscoea scillifolia fo. atropurpurea while I still can. As soon as possible it will be planted in the garden; just couldn’t figure out […]
We discussed last year about the hot water treatment, a very easy to apply germination method which can successfully replace the use of scarification for the Fabaceae species. However, it is hard to say if it would be effective for all species and if all species will germinate at room temperature afterwards. In addition, I […]
I recently got a question about pricking seedlings. It referred particularly to Aquilegia flabellata and Capnoides sempervirens started in early February, which are now starting to look a bit unhappy. Liz (not real name) did a very good job! and notice the coir fiber pot used for Capnoides (it can be planted as a whole […]
