Instead of getting warmer the weather seems to go backwards. Good news is that in the cold frames things are definitely moving in the right direction. I noticed the first little red shoots of Paeonia japonica on April 1st. The seeds were sown last late summer: hypogeal germinators, forming roots during the warm period and […]
How can one offer unusual seeds/species on a constant base? Well, by first growing and establishing mother plants from which to collect the seeds, of course. So, three years ago I engaged in growing from seeds various Chinese Podophyllums (which actually I promised to call Dysosma). The protocol I use works wonders (see the related […]
Spring has arrived; officially. We know that it will arrive, eventually…Except for snowdrops and few early crocus not much is moving. Few of the newly planted Iris reticulata hybrids have started to flower though (protected at times with a light fleece). They are early and certainly a bit affected by the weather. All the result […]
When I embarked on my seeds adventures few years ago, I’ve decided that there will be no DOD’s offered by BotanyCa (DOD = dead on delivery). Sometimes seeds won’t germinate from unforeseen reasons, abnormalities and so on… Offering seeds that you know from the beginning won’t germinate or will germinate in very low percentage is […]
The first Helleborus plants grown from seeds are set to flower this spring; knowing the ‘parents’ I cannot help having great expectations. I started to grow Helleborus from seeds just by accident really – read about the beginning in Helleborus journeying. Considering their high price on the market, it is something worth to grow yourself, […]
Growing Syneilesis from seeds is a straightforward process if the fruits are OK. The problem of empty fruits it is most likely due to repeated clonal propagation. Syneilesis it is mostly propagated by division which is a much faster method of propagation; however, we end up with large populations having the same genotype. Syneilesis has […]
I knew this it will happen sooner or later and I knew it will be a damn comp – running short on seeds for an order. Luckily there are many other species that I can make up with for the missing Aster alpinus seeds. The embarrassing moment put behind, let’s have a look at a […]
Call them as you wish Initially I wrote a short post for Growing Syneilesis from seeds for the germination page, and then I thought, wait a minute, it is not the only Compositae with fruits/seeds related problems. So, I wrote a longer post on the subject and then thought, who’s going to read all this? […]
Well, not quite seedless – here’s one image. I didn’t have time to finish what I wanted to do for the Compositae family and, taking into consideration the weather here, maybe it is for the best. We can really use some colours at this time! So, just a gallery with mostly Centaurea and few others […]
I only have a small collection of genera/species from the Boraginaceae family. I must work better at this family, that’s for sure. Here they are for now: Onosma, Omphalodes, Pulmonaria and something a bit more rare, Craniospermum. And because species placed formerly in Hydrophyllaceae are now included in Boraginaceae, there is also Hydrophyllum. For names, […]
While in the Berberidaceae realm, here’s a post where I outlined as best as possible, the process of growing Podophyllums from seeds from A to Z. The Chinese Podophyllums (syn. Dysosma), share similar seeds and germination requirements as our native Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple). In all cases, the seeds are enclosed inside fleshy fruits. After the […]
This Friday I indulge in one of my favourite plant families; say it out loud – Berberidaceae! It is a large family and here I emphasize of course, the ornamental side of it. Many known and beloved garden perennials (usually for the woodland gardens) belong to this family: Epimediums, Vancouveria, Achlys, Podophyllums, Jeffersonia, Ranzania, Diphylleia […]
I don’t remember if I’ve already done a Friday’s seeds about Pulsatilla; in any case this is more to draw attention to the Pulsatilla species from the shop. There are not many, but all are fresh of this year and this is the best time to sow! See them here in the Pulsatilla category. I […]
Continuing the Dobrogea I with other species which call this particular and beautiful region home. I hope you already got a taste of it; this should make it easier when growing some of these species from seeds and also help selecting the garden location. First a mention for two endemic species: Campanula romanica: Centaurea jankae: […]
I wanted something special for this arctic day and the woolly seeds of Strophostyles helvola are just perfect; I will stress again the woolly :) Strophostyles helvola, trailing wild bean (or amberique bean) is an annual vine native to eastern Canada and the US; the pea-like flowers are light pink/lilac and they form pods very […]
Well, the trip interruption was a bit longer that I would have wished, but here we are on the road again (see first part of the trip here). In order to beat the polar vortex that descended upon us we need sun & flowers! As I said, the drive from Southeastern Carpathians to Dobrogea region […]
