For those in need of ideas for companion plants, I will show a few other native species growing together with Zigadenus elegans ssp. glaucus in my garden bed. You can attempt to grow them from seeds or source the plants from a specialized plant nursery. The garden bed has a natural grading which allows the […]
Various berries and capsules have been collected lately: Podophyllum hexandrum (light pink flower), Clintonia borealis, Hydrastis canadensis; Aristolochia (iberica and also steupii!), Roscoea scillifolia fo. atropurpurea, Trientalis borealis and Trillium grandiflorum (few, smaller fruits due to the drought). I mostly wanted to write about Zigadenus elegans ssp. glaucus (Mountain death camas), a beautiful NA native […]
As we enter the second part of July, the drought is still here, give or take a few ‘rain drops’. But life goes on, plants are flowering and fruits/seeds mature day by day. A few species have been flowering since the beginning of the month and I want to particularly mention, the tall and gorgeously […]
The Seeds shop is closed now for website maintenance, seeds inventory and most important seeds collections. Re-opening in late August, I hope. But no worry, you will be kept up to date on flowering, fruiting & seeds happenings. The first fleshy fruits are here! Yes, Actaea rubra (wild) and Triosteum pinnatifidum (garden) were just collected. […]
Various species recommended to be sown fresh like: Pulsatilla styriaca and its beautiful color variant, Helleborus caucasicus, Helleborus purpurascens, Helleborus x hybridus ‘Cherry Blossoms’, Jeffersonia dubia are in the inventory. But, wait ‘a minute’! We are preparing a small ‘Canadense’ celebration with the very fresh seeds of Asarum canadense, Aquilegia and Stylophorum diphyllum. These fresh […]
I finally had the pleasure a couple of days ago to collect seeds from my own Jeffersonia dubia! I knew that it is part of the ‘catch me if you can’ club, so I was prepared. There are not too many (hopefully we will get ‘help’ from someone else with more seeds) but it is […]
Collecting and processing Hepatica acutiloba seeds is done! Those interested can head to the SEED LIST to see what will be available and there are explanations for every offering on their page. As usual, there are more seeds when it was possible to collect from a larger population, and limited seeds when collected just from […]
As mentioned, Corydalis seeds have been collected, also most of the Hepatica acutiloba seeds (as of today). By next week we should also know what Hepatica americana forms are available. What we need to know: All species will be made available at once, as soon as all Hepatica seeds are collected. They will be available […]
While we bid adieu to Hepatica flowers, many other spring delights are awaiting for us in the forests and as well in our gardens. One of the most important events for all woodlanders – the flowering of Trillium grandiflorum, is starting in SW Ontario! The cool, late spring makes it to coincide with Claytonia virginica […]
Less is more when it comes to writing during May: there are seedlings to be taken care of, planting beds to be rearranged and new ones to be built. Today I will show THE easiest method to grow plants from seeds, i.e. plant them in the ground, in an appropriate location :) And, the second […]
In the woods and in the garden Hepatica are flowering. There is a whole page dedicated to them: Hepatica – queens of the woodlands, and there is nothing else new I have to say. Every spring my admiration for them grows more anew! To those celebrating this weekend – Happy Easter, with love, peace and […]
I cannot envisage springtime without Corydalis flowering. Usually around Easter they are in bloom or just about. The first to flower this year is Corydalis malkensis, a species with large, white-cream flowers. Corydalis paczoskii followed closely, while Corydalis solida and Caucasica caucasica are just beginning. Until I can take more pictures, there are plenty already […]
A short note for those who purchased Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal) seeds last year and kept them in moist storage, as advised: it is time to sow the seeds! Then, put the pot outdoors and the seeds should germinate sometime in May. You can read about the goldenseal and why I recommended this method below: Goldenseal: […]
Theoretically, we know that during germination the radicle emerges at the micropylar end of the seeds; in practice, it is not that easy to figure out where that would be, especially for Aristolochia seeds which look a bit peculiar. Just few seeds of Aristolochia steupii remained in moist storage (it happens in many cases) and […]
In a blink of an eye the spring will rush over us with its myriad of gardening tasks and enjoyments; Hepatica will also start blooming :-) So, it is time for the 2022 indoor seedlings wrap up and awards presentation. First prize in the following categories:
I am doing a last few sowings using the HWT (hot water treatment). As explained and shown in previous postings, the HWT applied for Fabaceae species (and not only), causes fine fissures in the seed coats and allows for water imbibition, eliminating the need for the cold/moist stratification period. Those unfamiliar with this method can […]
