Remembering spring – May part 1

With the Christmas holidays over we continue to remember the past spring. The month of May in SW Ontario is the “season of ten thousand flowers”.

The overlapping of early spring flowers with new species just starting to bloom results in a truly remarkable display: Helleborus, Disporum, fragrant daffodils, Hepatica, Primulas, peonies, Epimediums, various rock garden species, Trilliums, Podophyllum, Uvularia, Viola species and many others are all flowering and competing for our attention. The patch of Aristolochia steupii and Mertensia virginica had a best ever flowering (Mertensia was slow to establish in my garden).

Disporum uniflorum 2022

Mertensia virginica May 11, 2022

Daffodils

Aristolochia steupii 2022

Primula veris ‘Sunset Shades’

Viola jooi

Trillium grandiflorum 2022

Epimedium rubrum May 2022

Many plants in flower = many garden pictures  ;-) so this is just a short overview of the most significant for 2022.
It was a particularly good season for ‘little’ Irises like: Iris pumila, Iris suaveolens and the shy flowering native, Iris lacustris.

Iris pumila May 2022

Iris suaveolens ex. Dobrogea 2022

Iris lacustris 2022

In the rock garden, there were a few loses after a cold winter, but other first time bloomers took their place: Campanula biebersteiniana, Pulsatilla flavescens, Thlaspi rotundifolium and Noccaea fendleri. Also, a few Primula x polyantha flowered for the first time. All these were grown from seeds; the only way, in my opinion, to have something new and interesting flowering every year.

Thlaspi bellidifolium May 2022

Pulsatilla flavescens 2022

Campanula biebersteiniana 2022

Noccaea fendleri ssp. glauca (2)

Part 2 for May will continue next year. I know all gardeners are already dreaming to the new spring season and this will help to bridge the previous season with the new one, and maybe provide ideas for new plantings.

Best wishes to all for a healthy, happy, peaceful and full of flowers 2023!

Remembering spring – after the April snow

I will finish the review of April 2023 before Christmas, to show that just 2 days after the snow (see: Remembering early spring 2022) the sun was up, plants were flowering and the bees were happily foraging. After the storm, sun always follows…

Corydalis solida form 2022

Corydalis cava fo. alba

H. x media `Silber Prinzessin

Jeffersonia dubia

Erythronium albidum April 2022

Helleborus x hybridus Cherry Blossoms

Pulsatilla ex. styriaca

Hepatica acutiloba 2022

In summary the early spring of 2022 was challenging for many species, but a good one for all Corydalis species: they flowered well enjoying the crisp temperatures and remained in flower for a long time, well into the month of May. A few ‘special’ seedlings also flowered. As well, it was a good enough season for Hepatica, which also flowered into May. All in all, you can never have enough Corydalis species and Hepaticas for the early spring show.

I forgot to mention one more important function of the plants & garden pictures: use them to make beautiful cards for birthdays, any other occasions, calendars, and so on….
In the spirit of the Holidays, it is time to say a big THANK YOU to all our customers, friends and blog readers. You provide the inspiration and the means for this seeds business to thrive. Thank you again and have a wonderful holiday season! The greeting card is a preview for the month of May.

 

Remembering early spring 2022

A favorite winter past-time for most gardeners is to review the pictures of their plants & garden while dreaming about the new season.

It is not only about dreaming though. Keeping pictures-records of your garden can serve many other purposes: use them to compare the emergence of species over the years (so you don’t have to start scratching the ground too early looking for them ;)

Also, they help to decide planting/transplanting locations for various specie: for example, too much sun exposure in early spring will hasten some species into growth, which often is not desirable in our climate. For this reason, when you have 2-3 seedlings of the same species plant them in different locations and assess afterwards which one was best (advantage for growing from seeds!).

 

Paeonia japonica specimen with shoots growing in early April, 2022; notice the flower buds! Due to the sun angle, this garden bed receives too much sun in early spring and the snow melts faster. Another specimen growing in a different location, emerges up to 2 weeks days later.


Paeonia japonica and Paeonia mascula in particular, have the tendency to emerge in late March/early April in absence of snow cover and they can grow very fast. For this reason, they are best planted in a location that remains shaded in very early spring, if possible.

Also, the pictures will show which of the early species are most resilient and useful for an early spring show; make a list and gradually add more of them to your garden.

For ephemeral species like Corydalis, Eranthis, Galanthus… it is good to take as many pictures as possible; they can later help with identification if problems arise and keeping track of interesting variants.

 

Castilleja applegatei – good germination in very early spring, after cold/moist stratification (outdoors). Later the seedlings vanished (slugs, too much or too little watering or absence of a host…).

 

When it comes to seeds germination, the pictures will serve as proof that germination occurred. It often happens that the seedlings will perish afterwards, from various reasons, and we’ll forget about them only to wonder later if they had germinated.

For gardeners in a cold, temperate climate the first timid signs of spring could appear somewhere in late March. Species with the flower buds already formed are only awaiting for a bit of warm up and the snowmelt to burst into flower: Galanthus (snowdrops), Crocus, Adonis, Iris reticulata, various Helleborus, Scilla…

The true spring only starts in April though. Even in April (and also May!), snowfalls and sudden drops in temperatures are common and unfortunately will catch various flowering species by surprise.

A few garden mementos from late March until April 20 of 2022 (on 19th it got colder and a heavy blanket of snow covered the garden).  Corydalis packzoskii, Corydalis malkensis and Corydalis solida, which also flower early, were shown with many other occasions, including in Corydalis Easter Edition 2022

Galanthus – a specimen with very large flowers, up to 3 cm long! April 9

Very robust Helleborus x hybridus specimen grown from seeds, early April

Adonis ramosa

Iris reticulata 2022

Crocus 2022 early April

Corydalis marshalliana first time flowering, April 14 2022

Hepatica japonica, among the first to flower April 2022

Helleborus caucasicus, April 2022

Primula sibthorpii, April 2022

Hepatica transsilvanica ex. ‘Winterfreude’ 2022

Helleborus purpurascens, April 2022

Jeffersonia diphylla April 14

Jeffersonia dubia, April 16 2022

Corydalis malkensis, Primula 2022 April 19

Helleborus caucasicus April 19 2022

Primula amoena, April 2022

 

 

More on gibberellic acid

As mentioned, gibberellic acid (GA3) it is now available for purchase in portions of 1g.
I brought it in only in the idea of helping BotanyCa customers and it is available only coupled with purchases of seeds. It certainly makes no sense to use envelopes and have trips to the Post Office to ship only 1 g of GA3.

The gibberellic acid is a plant growth regulator with various applications; here we only discuss its usage for improving seeds germination. Keep in mind that it is not a ‘miracle treatment’ in regards to germination. But of course in some situations it provides good results and can be very useful for people who don’t benefit of a cold winter. In most of Canada we could actually get by germinating most species without using GA3.

The main usage of the GA3 in seeds treatment is to improve the germination for hard to germinate species, older seeds, and to speed up the germination for other species.
It usually replaces the seeds need of a cold/moist stratification period (but not always and not for all species).
It can also be used for species which have seeds with immature embryos (mainly Ranunculaceae); it has been found to promote embryo growth, so indirectly it will improve germination.

The GA3 provided has the aspect of a crystalline powder and is supposedly 90% pure.

Because I never used it in powder form, and I actually never had this type of GA3 90%, I decided to give it a try before sharing it, by using it both ways: as powder and solution.
I used Gentiana lutea 3 years old seeds and Aquilegia flabellata var. pumilla older seeds (both hard to germinate, especially if the seeds are not fresh).

Preparing a GA3 solution the easy way (you can use a plain sheet of paper and a regular small bottle; use the kitchen measuring cup for the water amount)

All the steps required to prepare a solution using high purity GA3 were described in a previous post. Following the method described to prepare a solution, I made 250 ml solution of ‘less than 1000 ppm’ (because the GA3 is only 90%). It is fine as we are not doing scientific experiments that require precision.

A picture is worth a thousand words so I illustrated in the plate how to prepare the solution without the need of a fine balance to weight the amount of GA3.

Many people are in the habit of employing the GA3 ‘as it is’ by sprinkling the powder over the seeds. On many websites you will find various options of this advice said to be taken after Prof. N. Deno.
“A 2.5″ square of paper towel is folded 3 times to give a pad .5″ x 1″. This is moistened with water and the seeds are placed on top. Over the seeds is sprinkled the amount of GA3 that can be balanced on the narrow end of a flat toothpick. The pad is then placed in a plastic baggie. After 24 hours the seeds can be sown in the normal fashion. This technique gives a concentration of 1000 ppm.”

My observations: at least for this type of GA3, it is impossible to use the ‘toothpick’ method, the crystals are too large to be ‘balanced’ on a toothpick. Use a sharp knife blade end or something similar. Also, by sprinkling some powder over the seeds and adding water, there is no way to know the concentration of the GA3 used!

 

Step-by-step treating seeds with GA3 in powder form and solution

After about 10 days, Gentiana lutea seeds germinated very well, even when using the GA3 powder. So, Gentiana lutea is back in stock, recommended to be paired up with GA3. Only a few of the Aquilegia seeds show slight signs of germination, but they are hard to capture with my camera for now.

Gentiana lutea germinated seeds with GA3 solution

Gentiana lutea germinated seeds GA3 powder

Conclusions:
At least for Gentiana lutea, the germination percentage was better for the ‘solution treatment’ compared with the ‘powder treatment’. This is probably because by using the powder, the coverage of the seeds is not uniform. Sprinkling the powder also works, so it is anyone’s choice.

It is much easier to prepare a GA3 solution, keep it in the fridge, and then use it on seeds. On previous occasions I kept in the fridge and used the same solution GA3 for 2 years with good results. The powder will preserve its potency even longer (keep it labeled in the fridge).

You waste less GA3 by using a solution and have a relative control over the concentration used. You can treat a LOT of seeds with 1g of GA3!!! Most likely no one uses that much.

Keep in mind that after the treatment, the seeds may germinate fast, so do not start the GA3 treatment until somewhere in early to late spring, depending if you start seeds under lights indoors, or outdoors.

 

 

Plant portrait: Centaurea jankae D. Brândză

Centaurea jankae growing on the steep, rocky shore of Lake Razelm; Dobrogea, Romania.

Only about Centaurea jankae today; this species is too important to be mixed with other announcements.
Centaurea jankae is an endemic and extremely rare species, which can be found growing in steppe habitats only in Dobrogea, Romania and Bulgaria. In fact, two small populations exist in both countries.
It is a tall species with beautiful deeply-pinnately leaves and a multitude of large, magenta-red flowers, all summer long into late fall (the last flower was recorded in November).

I acquired very few, precious seeds by chance 5 years ago on the shoreline of Lake Razelm in Dobrogea, and understandably I was very happy for the chance to grow it.

Since then, it has flowered twice in my garden, every time as solitary plants. Despite the long flowering period and many pollinators visiting the flowers, no achenes were produced in both years. Self-incompatibility is often a problem in the Asteraceae family.
After flowering, it didn’t return in the spring, acting like a monocarpic species, and so the chances of maintaining it in cultivation were vanishing.

Update 2023: there are more plants now :) and of course more seeds. Not all plants behave monocarpic, it may differ if the garden location is suitable.

It is known that self-incompatibility is often exacerbated in very small populations, including for other Centaurea species, and in extreme cases it can even contribute to local extinction. In plain language, a very small population will contain too many ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ (of the same mother plant).

Luckily I had 2-3 seeds germinating every year; the germination is very easy (warm germinator) and the plants will flower after 2-3 years. This summer, 2 plants reached flowering stage. I was anxious, but…we got seeds (achenes)!

A lot of achenes can be empty and required very careful selection. However, a few seeds are all we need in most cases to perpetuate a species in cultivation.

Centaurea jankae

Centaurea jankae foliage

Centaurea jankae, June

Those having a sunny, well drained location in their garden, have the occasion now to follow me in growing the rare and beautiful Centaurea jankae! Conservation through propagation is one of our goals.

*The author of the species was Dimitrie Brândză, Romanian botanist and founder of the Botanical Garden of Bucharest.
**The specific epithet honors Victor Janka – Austrian military officer and botanist, which collected plants extensively throughout the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.

 

Seeds and marshmallows

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Few more species have been added to the inventory; mostly seeds that arrived from friends, with many thanks:
Dianthus deltoides, Phlomis tuberosa, Ratibida pinnata, Althaea officinalis, Primula florindae and Gentiana asclepiadea (a wonderful mix of colors :-).

Also Rosa acicularis ssp. sayi, Iris tectorum ‘Album’ and Silene uniflora ‘Compacta’, of which I forgot to post earlier. I am sure that after I finish processing all the seeds for cold storage placement, there will still be few to add to the list.

All are easily found through the Seeds List with the links leading to descriptions and all other necessary info. During our long winter we will get to talk in more detail about few of them for sure.

Right now, given the cold weather and snow, I feel like rambling about Althaea officinalis, the Marsh mallow.

I don’t think there is a medicinal garden or medicinal section of any Botanical Garden in the world that doesn’t display Althaea officinalis. The roots are rich in polysaccharides which can be extracted with cold water resulting in a mucilaginous substance with emollient and anti-inflammatory properties; the leaves are also edible and the dried flowers can be used in teas.

A group of Althaea officinalis plants. The wild form has whitish-rose flowers; there are cultivars in other colors as well.

According to various sources, the sap extracted from its roots has been used to make ‘honey candies’ since Ancient Egyptians. Romans and Greeks were also using them for coughs and sour throats. Like many other medicinal species, later it has jumped into the ornamental gardens. Nowadays it is escaped from cultivation in many regions of the world. It is a good plant for wildflowers gardens or the back of a border, with hibiscus-like flowers along the stems, enjoyed by pollinators.

An old botanical illustration showing the roots

Back to the marshmallows – you may have guessed, the real ones were made from the candied roots of this plant, hence the name.
Today in North America the marshmallow is a sweet product that only retained the former name. The composition may vary a bit but in general it reads: high glucose corn syrup, gelatin (to replace the mallow root extract), sugar, modified corn starch, dextrose, water, TSPP, Blue1, natural and artificial flavors. A few other additives are permitted in Canada since “Marshmallows are an unstandardized food, like most confectionery items with the exception of chocolate products and mixed nuts”.

Hmmm, what a ‘yummy’ sweet poison…

The French also produced their marshmallows at the beginning of 19th century under the name Pâte de Guimauve (Guimauve being the common name for Althaea in French).
The dessert was prepared from a mixture of Althaea roots sap, egg whites and sugar, beaten by hand for hours and was destined to royalties.

Good news is that Althaea officinalis is a perennial plant that it is easy to grow from seeds (or by division) and it develops a nice root system quite fast. The roots are whitish yellowish on the outside and white on the inside. It is easy to harvest a few pieces of roots, scrub them clean and process them into ‘candies’ or even easier for a non-sugar option: cut in small pieces and dry them (or process further into a powder). The extraction of the mucilage is quite simple, by maceration in cold water. Drink it up afterwards to soothe your throat or cough; there are benefits for other ailments as well. The mucilage and the leaves can also be used in external applications for skin inflammations.

PS. I am testing the GA3, stay tuned.

Friday’s updates with Amsonia

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While seeds are still collected into late fall, we continue with the updates of the Seeds List and occasional plant portraits.

I introduce two more new North American species this season:
Amsonia illustris, Shining Bluestar, Ozark Bluestar
Veronicastrum virginicum, Culvert’s root

Both of them are well known and present in our gardens, but Amsonia needs more promotion. Most Amsonia species are native in Central and SE US with only a couple species from Asia and SE Europe; all are known under the collective name of Bluestars, from their characteristic light blue, star-like flowers. Amsonia illustris and A. tabernaemontana and A. hubrichtii are probably the most cultivated species.

Ozark Bluestar takes its common name from the shiny, thick, willow-like leaves – one of its greatest feature! They persist well into late fall, with the same clean, green shiny look, before turning yellow; remarkably, with no sign of pests damage (being a member of Apocynaceae family pays off :) Clusters of light blue, star-like flowers appear in June and are enjoyed by various pollinators.

Amsonia illustris foliage

Amsonia illustris flowers

If a plant can look so healthy, and also flower and produce seeds after the dry season we have had in SW Ontario, then nothing more to be said for its advertisement.

Amsonia illustris fruits & seeds

The slender fruits are somewhat hidden among the foliage and mature in late October. The fruit is a type of dry capsule called follicle (drooping in this case) and contains 6-9 brown, textured seeds – so we also had a Friday’s seeds!

This Amsonia will get larger in size from one year to another – think of Baptisia australis and Dictamnus albus and you will understand what I mean.
It can be grown in full sun to part shade locations and it is drought resistant after it gets established.

Also, the seeds stock has  been replenished for:
Hibiscus moscheutos
Penstemon digitalis
Smilax herbacea

 

 

 

Veronicastrum virginicum

Penstemon digitalis

Hibiscus moscheutos

The Buttonbush & companions

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I haven’t collected buttonbush seeds in many years. Most people prefer to purchase already grown shrubs and it is understandable. However, after seeing how nice and floriferous a small group of buttonbushes were looking despite the terrible drought, I had a change of heart. After all, most sources indicate that it is an easy to germinate species.

Cephalanthus occidentalis is a deciduous shrub with a rounded, open habit that can reach 3+ m (in optimal conditions), ie. wetlands, ponds and lakes edges, other wetland habitats. The more moisture it gets the larger it will grow.
The Buttonbush takes its common name from the round flower heads formed from many, small tubular flowers with exerted stamens. They flower gradually over a long period and are very fragrant! They attract many insects, especially long-tongue pollinators like bumblebees, butterflies, hummingbirds. The buttonbush is also categorized as a ‘honey plant’.
The fruiting heads take an attractive red color in late fall before seeds maturation; the fruits are 2-seeded nutlets (used as food by various waterfowls). So, it is one of those cases when we are actually sowing fruits, not seeds.

Cephalanthus occidentalis flowering in July

Cephalanthus occidentalis, fruiting heads before maturation

Good news is that the Buttonbush adapts well to growing in regular garden soil, except very dry locations. It just won’t grow that tall, which is actually a good thing for our gardens.

Teucrium canadense in early October

Another species recently added to the inventory that also prefers wet places but grows perfectly well in regular soil is Teucrium canadense , the American germander.
Same like the Buttonbush, it performed well during a very dry season, so we shouldn’t be afraid to grow it. I failed to take a picture at its peak flowering time, but believe me that the long flower spikes (light to deep pink) are attractive and good for pollinators. It does well in sun to part-shaded locations; some also call it Wood Salvia.

Speaking about wetland species that perform very well in regular garden conditions, the Carex grayi seeds inventory has also been replenished.

For the last species, Wild Calla, we would really need a small pond or other water feature to be able to grow it. Calla palustris is a great addition to a wetland area due to its handsome foliage, long flowering period and bright, red fruits in the fall. Most years the fruits are hard to reach, so I took advantage of the receding water on the margin of a pond this fall; those interested can now grow their own wild ‘exotic’ Calla! The seeds are kept moist to ensure  good germination.

Calla palustris (Wild Calla, Water Arum)

 

Back in stock, again

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As announced, we travel local this weekend trough Eastern and Central North American woodlands with:

Amphicarpaea bracteata, American hog-peanut
Asclepias exaltata, Poke Milkweed
and Aronia melanocarpa, Black Chokeberry – counting as new for this season, so we’ll stop for a few seconds to talk about it.

The Black Chokeberry is a great shrub for the wildlife garden, with white flowers in the spring, glossy green leaves which turn red in the fall and black/blue edibles berries. It usually grows as a shrub and it also spreads by root suckers.

Black Chokeberry is a very tough shrub that can be grown in full sun or part-shade, and adapts well to a wide range of soils; the more moisture has the more vigorous will grow.
Usually seen growing/sold as a medium size shrub, in less than optimal conditions in the wild, it can be dwarfed by the winds and snow. So, we have the option to keep it pruned and use it as a featured shrub in a large rockery, for example (or other garden situations).

Mitchella repens (Partridge berry) stock was almost depleted, and more seeds are also now available. The same goes for Lilium michiganense. The partridge berry (in the featured image) is a hard to beat evergreen, very low groundcover for rather moist locations.

The Seeds List

Happy Thanksgiving to all celebrating!

Seeds traveling

For this weekend we do an imaginary travel to Japan for the elegant Sanguisorba tenuifolia ‘Alba’, with a stop in the Caucasus for the robust Dioscorea caucasica, and we return via some of the European alpine meadows where the gorgeous Anemonastrum narcissiflorum thrives (syn. Anemone narcissiflora, Narcissus anemone).

Sanguisorba tenuifolia ‘Alba’

Anemone narcissiflora (Anemonastrum)

Dioscorea caucasica (2)

Salvia viridis (2)

Given the cool nights, I added a warm, violet splash of the Mediterranean Salvia viridis (annual clary), which is still ‘flowering’ in my garden (the colorful ‘stuff’ are bracts not flowers; the flowers look like any other Salvia flowers, are small and light purple in color).

A ‘seeds/flowering weekend escape’ at its best!

Later next week we can hope for more local traveling with few native species (Amphicarpaea, Asclepias exaltata, Asclepias tuberosa…); the arrival of cold nights has slowed down the seed maturation.
*Disappointingly, Sanguisorba canadensis, despite a beautiful flowering did not set seeds; there may be self-incompatibility involved.

Fairy bells

Disporum uniflorum

Disporum uniflorum, Korean Fairy Bells, had a good season despite the drought – and the seeds were just placed in the inventory!

We already had a plant portrait for this species: Korean Fairy Bells, plus a Friday’s Seeds, so there is no point for a whole new discussion. I found this Disporum to be a particularly handsome plant. As the saying goes, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder…

The same can be said for Uvularia grandiflora, our North American Fairy Bells.
Both species actually flower at the same time, usually at the beginning of May, to the delight of the early bumblebees! Easy to germinate (sown right away or moist packed seeds) and fast growing, they are great species for the spring garden and not only, the foliage remains beautiful until fall.

Disporum uniflorum, even if not as drought resistant as Uvularia grandiflora, certainly beats many other woodland plants in this regard. You cannot go wrong with adding these two yellow bells to your garden!

Talking about fairy bells, few seeds of Yellow Fairy Bells, Prosartes lanuginosa (formerly Disporum) are also available for a limited time – being particularly sensitive to moist packing, they are kept dry and should be sown asap.

Disporum and Uvularia flowering in May with few companions:

Disporum uniflorum, May 2022

Uvularia grandiflora

Corydalis nobilis

Lathyrus vernus, Primula sieboldii

Stylophorum diphyllum

Jeffersonia dubia

More seeds announcements on Friday; hint for those who want to wait to combine in one order: Gillenia, Maianthemum racemosum and M. canadense, Euonymus obovatus.

Carnivorously fragrant

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I am always on the lookout for carnivorous plants seeds for the small but dedicated group of ‘carnivorously inclined’ that follows the blog/seeds offerings.

Drosera intermedia; great idea for a ‘moist crevice’ garden!

This late summer I was pleased to find a Drosera intermedia population with seeds at the right moment, growing together with Utricularia cornuta, Horned bladderwort, also with seeds at the right moment!
Once in a while I have the occasion to witness mass flowering of Utricularia cornuta but I can rarely be there at the right moment to collect seeds. Last time they were offered about 6 years ago.

The Horned bladderwort is a species found growing in various regions of North America, curiously enough, in colder and also warmer regions (warm like in Cuba!).
As opposed to Drosera, the mechanisms for catching the prey (traps) are situated underground; above the ground we can only notice its presence during flowering when thin flowering stems adorned with large, yellow flowers appear; sometime in large numbers (depending on location).
The flowers are also very, very fragrant! It is no wonder that various pollinators are attracted to them.

Utricularia cornuta, Horned baldderwort

Utricularia cornuta with Drosera linearis

You can read more about the Horned bladderwort by clicking on the links provided. As well for Drosera intermedia.
This year, despite low expectations, there are also good amounts of Drosera linearis and Pinguicula vulgaris seeds.
All you need is a moist location (a pond edge would make a wonderful place) and the will to grow them! And don’t forget to also add Sarracenia purpurea to the group!

Pinguicula vulgaris

Drosera linearis with Pinguicula vulgaris

Sarracenia purpurea pitchers

Word goes around that we should also consider Triantha as being a ‘partially carnivorous’ plant, but seeds-wise we have to wait till later in the fall to see if they will be available.