Cleaning and sorting out the fruits/seeds in preparation for cold storage is always a good occasion to ponder on their characteristics. It is time to discuss a bit the Lamiaceae family, which has so many genera and species well-known to all gardeners for their ornamental or/and aromatic, culinary & medicinal qualities: Acinos, Clinopodium, Lamium, Salvia, […]
At this time I am sowing not only seeds (giddy up sowing species with cold/moist stratification requirements!) but also germinated seeds (roots only) of species kept in moist storage. If they are not purchased before the roots emerge, of course, there is nothing else to do with them. I cannot throw away Allium tricoccum in […]
There are a few more new seeds for the start of November: Allium pseudojaponicum – an excellent small size Allium for early fall flowering. Allium victorialis – one to enjoy and also made it into a salad. Liatris microcephala – the dwarf and beautiful Appalachian blazing star. A couple of species that produced very few […]
Arisaema ciliatum var. liubaense Arisaema cf. amurense Silver leaf form (explanation about this offering on the product page) and Asclepias exaltata recently added to the inventory. The Arisaema sp. germinate at room temp., so there is no hurry for them, but Asclepias exaltata will benefit from a healthy period of cold/moist stratification (like many other […]
Between rainy days, various native species were collected and placed in the inventory. At the same time, some seeds arrived from kind contributors. Those interested can find now in the Seeds List some of the NA native species offered almost every year like: Amphicarpaea bracteata, Triosteum aurantiacum, Euonymus obovatus, Smilax herbacea and Lilium canadense. Also […]
I blame the lack of sun for doodling with Dioscorea caucasica capsules recently (they were collected after a rainy day, otherwise when completely dry, they break easily). Dioscorea caucasica has established happily in the garden and is easy to germinate and grow. Same goes for our only native species: Dioscorea villosa, which would happily climb […]
I thought I’ll write about a triad but almost a week has passed by and it has become a quartet! The following species, all good in part-shaded locations, are in the inventory: Gillenia trifoliata, Spigelia marilandica, Glaucidium palmatum and Trautvetteria caroliniensis. The first 3 need no introduction for the garden aficionados; who doesn’t know about […]
More and more, after trying various unsuccessful methods to germinate this species, I wonder why some people would bother to attempt growing it from seeds; except perhaps from curiosity. The latest update (#3) on Rubus chamaemorus germination was added in the same post with update #2 and can be found HERE. I hope that one […]
To state the obvious, it is already September! With the attention on the Seeds List directed toward the species which need to be sown in the fall/early winter, I feature the buffaloberry, Shepherdia canadensis, which is a most valuable shrub: spring early flowering sustaining the first pollinators, edible berries, drought tolerance, nitrogen-fixing…. I never had […]
Select a large container (preferably a rectangular one), add a good potting soil mixture, press firmly and add: 1/2 tbs Trillium grandiflorum seeds (+/- 50 s) 1 tbs Uvularia grandiflora seeds (+30 s) 1/2 tbs Clintonia borealis seeds (or other Trillium species) 1 tbs Caulophyllum thalictroides seeds (+/- 14 s) Cover with 2+ cm of […]
The well-rooted habit of sowing seeds mostly in very late fall and winter has unfortunately given rise to misconceptions about the germination requirements of some plants, claiming that they need 2 seasons for germination (or that they are very difficult to germinate in case of hydrophilic seeds). The truth is that they only need to […]
The latest seeds collected: Uvularia grandiflora, Trillium flexipes, Paeonia officinalis, Paeonia mascula and Delphinium fissum. The first seeds are also ripening on Roscoea schneideriana – in the image above; the green capsules of Roscoea will split up unexpectedly, watch them closely if you need to collect the seeds. Speaking about species which need to be […]
August and September are the best to admire and/or collect many colorful fleshy fruits. These are some of the latest waiting to be processed. All beautiful and requiring much more work for extracting and cleaning the seeds than the dry fruits. *Actaea pachypoda fo. rubrocarpa fruits were collected from a garden-cultivated plant grown from seeds; […]
First of all, seeds of Erythronium americanum are in stock, in limited quantity. The spring weather wasn’t favorable for the early flowering species pollination. Then, a few Helleborus are already in stock: H. x hybridus ‘Cherry Blossoms‘, H. niger, H. foetidus and in limited quantity – H. purpurascens! How rewarding to see the Helleborus purpurascens […]
In the last few weeks I have been under the spell of peonies. Every time they flower, the wonder is anew. Their flowers are most times fleeting (especially when we get 30C in May!), and there is little time to enjoy them. Most Paeonia species have flowered already, and I have had two very nice […]
Do you need ideas about NA native woodland species to introduce into your garden? Take a hike into the woods; nature is the best expert in providing answers ;) Trillium grandiflorum, the large white trillium and some of its companions are in flower right now and, with the current summer-like temperatures will not last long. […]
