Last spring I stumbled upon a most beautiful Hepatica acutiloba population I called pastel mix based on the fact that, on a relatively small area, many plants with various flower colours were growing together: white, light pink, pink striped and lilac/light-purple. Because the specimens are mixed it would be almost impossible to collect seeds individually, […]
Not many seedlings remain under lights indoors at this time; most were taken out for acclimation. Calochortus leichtlinii was taken out from the fridge late and this are the seedlings after about 1 week under lights. I learned my lesson and sow it thin since it will grow in the same pot for 2 years. […]
There is an innate sync between species emergence/flowering and their seeds germination. For most spring flowering species the seeds start to germinate around the time the mature plants are flowering/ emerge from the ground. It is almost sure to happen in case of a mother plant and its seeds sown in the same location: for […]
Same of the readers may remember that last fall there was a little ‘accident’ with some of the skunk cabbage seeds: they have started to germinate unexpectedly in the moist vermiculite in October (without a cold period – Friday’s-germinated-seeds). I was planning to return them to their muddy place but cold weather settled in very […]
A bit of everything today from the indoors seedlings; the outdoors sowings usually start to germinate with the increase of temperatures in late April/May. Just pricked out: Thermopsis villosa (syn. T. caroliniana, Carolina lupine). I thought to give it a try this year with the hot water method. Super-easy, some seeds will even start to […]
This is the question….Delphinium nudicaule and Iris suaveolens B17Dob make an odd pair for a post but the germination info has to be updated for both. Delphinium nudicaule: I wrongly assumed it would be a warm germinator last fall; sorry about this. My little pot sat under the lights for a few weeks with no […]
Every year I sow a few Aquilegia species indoors to give them a bit of extra growth time. New species, some to repeat, there are always plenty of seeds to choose from. It is always good to go back to basics. 1. Aquilegia canadensis – short form: I need a new one; last year I […]
The repotting of Chinese Podophyllums and Roscoea always brings to mind the contractile roots, and Jules Verne’s story ;) It is time to talk about them. So, what’s with these contractile roots? Many species from various families and growing in a whole range of habitats are equipped with such roots. By contracting they pull down […]
An update to the first notes on Erythronium germination from Feb. 9. Erythronium grandiflorum seeds have started to germinate in moist storage (fridge) last week; they were kept moist through a warm, then cold cycle. I have another pot sown outdoors in late summer; a small sample of seeds was kept on purpose in the […]
The first seeds of Calochortus leichtlinii (moist/cold stratified in the fridge) are emerging the radicles. I noticed them since last week with a magnifying glass and they are big enough now for a picture. I don’t know if they really have to be kept at cold until the radicles start growing but best to be […]
For those who purchased seeds of Calochortus tolmiei, and are keeping them in moist storage (vermiculite or moist towel) – please don’t forget to check on them. Seeds kept in moist/cold stratification (fridge) from Jan. 4 – showed roots on Feb. 26 (well maybe few days earlier). So, they need 7-8 weeks of cold/moist for […]
Before the FAQ on pre-ordering, mea culpa for providing wrong advice regarding Paeonia brownii germination. Seeds arrived at a very busy time last fall (not that this should be an excuse), and after a quick search I wrongly assumed they require a warm cycle for root protruding followed by a cold one for shoot growing, […]
Many NA native species, especially spring flowering, are included in the ‘moist packed seeds‘ category (see also Corydalis & allies). By late spring this category is almost depleted of available seeds (with exception of Caulophyllum sometimes) because the seeds not sold out during the fall/early winter season, will start to germinate in moist storage. You […]
Yes, it is possible especially if you don’t pay good attention in late fall. Somehow I didn’t notice the first fruit produced by Calycanthus until last Saturday! It flowered beautifully last spring and then a few green fruits were aborted during late summer. I thought that was it and didn’t pay attention afterwards. A nice […]
I don’t aim to repeat here everything written about the gibberellic acid; most is easily accessible on the wide net. Anyone interested in plants knows that gibberellins are plant hormones which control various processes and the synthetic forms of the gibberellic acid are used in the horticultural industry for various purposes: from seed germination to […]
A very good day for updates to the hot water treatment (howling winds, blowing snow and ice pellets…). The first seedlings resulted from the hot water treatment are basking under the lights right now and I can draw the conclusion that although it is necessary to repeat the treatment because not all seeds will imbibe […]
