It’s Friday again so I continue the discussion (or better said monologue) about fruits versus seeds with Morina longifolia, commonly called Himalayan whorlflower. If someone missed the Triosteum, see here. What we call ‘seeds’ for Morina longifolia are also fruits (achenes). Morina is considered a warm germinator with the note that sometimes the hard teguments […]
Images from out in the woods, from the garden and even along the margins of the roads, all reflecting the harmony of colours, shapes and textures that autumn brings, were flashing through my mind when cleaning fruits today. Such an easy way to go into a lyrical mood…(I’ll keep it short ;) “O Autumn, laden […]
Sometimes we refer to ‘seeds’ without actually realizing that we are talking about the fruits. This is the case of dry fruits like achenes, caryopses, samaras…, which tightly enclose the seed(s) and it would be practically impossible/or at least highly impractical to try to ‘extract’ the seeds. So, why do we care if we sow […]
As I was packing seeds today, I thought that maybe some people who never bought or they buy for the first time moist packed seeds may wonder what they would get. Sometimes I get questions as well, so although I have shown pictures in previous posts, it is good to tell again. There is no […]
In this part of the world, the heat & humidity combined together can be quite unbearable. Today, we reached around 38C, with the humidex! Even the little Roscoea tibetica f. atropurpurea couldn’t take it anymore and the first capsule bursted out in desperation. Two more to follow… I talked about this Roscoea a few times; […]
Back to the Friday’s seed with an ad-hoc seeds photo session up in the mountains. I. ruthenica has a relatively wide distribution from Eastern Europe to Asia, growing usually at subalpine and alpine elevations. I particularly like it for the fragrant, deep blue/violet, flowers and the narrow leaves which form tufts of grassy ledges on […]
During a visit to the Aspen Groves Gardens to leave a few of my ‘precious’ seedlings for babysitting, I have also been ‘presented’ with nice, fresh and fat seeds of Jeffersonia diphylla :) The seeds don’t keep very well in moist storage and I will be trying a new method this year, but you may […]
One little species I’ve just managed to collect seeds from, although not an easy task, is the Goldthread – Coptis trifolia. A member of Ranunculaceae with circumboreal distribution, Coptis enjoys cooler, moist conditions in deciduous or coniferous forests and often grows on mossy bumps on the wetland edges together with other species like Medeola, Clintonia, […]
White on blue is a refreshing combo. Yesterday, amidst the heat wave I took few pictures of Aconitum ‘Ivorine’ just starting flowering. Pure white, tinged with green flowers on sturdy stems make this Aconitum very appealing. The bluish background provided by Juniperus ‘Wichita’ is pure serendipity – most of my plants were planted where I […]
Growing annual plants is very satisfying – they germinate, grow, flower and set seeds in one season; some will also self-seed themselves for the next year; nothing to worry about throughout the winter…I can understand the attraction. But I still like to grow perennials ;)) Sometimes I make exceptions – and Sedum atratum is one […]
I’ve been watching out for Lindera germination on a regular base and had started to think about what could have been wrong: I collected the seeds myself, cleaned the pulp by hand (the seed coat is very thin), kept them moist and warm in late fall and then provided winter cold outside. It seems nothing […]
More updates on germination requirements It seems that Medeola virginiana seeds don’t follow the traditional double morphophysiological dormancy (MPD). Unlike most species with this type of dormancy, which require a cold-warm-cold cycle to germinate and produce roots in the warm period (2 years seeds), M. virginiana seeds do not form a root during this time; […]
Most probably the first plant I grew successfully from seeds (that is, which I saw it flowering :) was an Aquilegia. I don’t remember precisely which one and it doesn’t matter; I like them all very much. They are easy to grow, provide a whole array of heights/colours and are good pollinator plants. Yes, some […]
Slowly, as I have the chance to try more species myself, and/or find reliable info, I work on making updates for the germination requirements on the Seeds shop. I already mentioned about Sanguinaria canadensis. It is easy to ‘get lost in translation’ when reading about various types of morphophysiological dormancies, but a short summary for […]
Easy to grow in the garden and from seeds, this North American Geum is an absolute a delight! An unpretentious, care free plant in most locations; sun and good drainage required. Best when planted in large numbers for the ‘smoky’ effect of the feathery seed heads (Prairie Smoke ;) in the summer. Propagation from seeds: […]
…is that the seeds can have two types of morphophysiological dormancy (after Baskin & Baskin): In the first case the roots will emerge in late fall after a warm stratification and the shoots growth will begin in the following spring (= after cold stratification); deep simple epicotyl dormancy. In the second case (said to occur […]
