Catch them if you can II

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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 always exciting when you collect seeds from a plant that was grown from seeds. The circle is now complete :)
Our native Jeffersonia diphylla (Twinleaf) also flowered and now has a first capsule (yet to mature) – to many more next year!

Jeffersonia fruit is a green capsule which only changes to light yellow-green at maturity at which point the suture near the top opens like a lid. After opening, the capsule dries out fast and it turns downwards spreading the seeds on the ground. The seeds are equipped with elaiosomes, which you can notice that in case of Jeffersonia dubia have frilly appendages. The purpose of the elaiosomes is to attract the ants which help with the seeds dispersal.

Jeffersonia dubia opened capsule and seeds

Jeffersonia diphylla capsule

Do not expect your friends to gift you small divisions of these species because, like other species from the barberry family (Berberidaceae), they grow from a tight rhizome which is difficult to divide. Some specialty nurseries are selling them, but otherwise one has to grow them from seeds.
Luckily they are easy to germinate from fresh or moist packed seeds and not difficult to grow.

The beautiful Helleborus caucasicus is also close to ‘throwing out’ its seeds; same for Helleborus purpurascens and Stylophorum diphyllum.

Soon enough a new ‘wave’ of species from the category “best results when sown fresh” will be posted on the inventory. They will be announced. The on-going seeds collections are now posted on the front page on the Announcement corner (bottom, right corner).

Jeffersonia dubia

Helleborus caucasicus, April 2022

Helleborus caucasicus seeds

Helleborus purpurascens, April 2022

Getting ready for Hepatica acutiloba

Collecting and processing Hepatica acutiloba seeds is done! (June 2022)
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 one plant. Either way, it is a lot of work involved, from trying to catch the seeds to selecting the good ones.

Hepatica acutiloba seeds after collecting

Hepatica acutiloba selected seeds

Wishing good success with the seeds for all  BotanyCa customers, I will repeat myself again:  Hepatica acutiloba seeds seem to germinate reliably in the first spring after sowing, and the seedlings are easier to manage & grow faster. Seeds of Hepatica americana may germinate entirely only in the second year after sowing (or even third), and the seedlings usually have a slower growth.

For this reason, I advise those who have never tried to grow Hepatica from seeds to start with Hepatica acutiloba. In the picture below there is the right example of what I’m trying to say: to the left – seedlings from ‘Purple Star’ and to the right – seedlings of H. americana, all 3 years old (some are 4 years-old, considering 2 years necessary for germination in case of H. americana).
No matter what  seeds you choose to purchase, expect variation in seedlings (‘Purple Star’ seedlings came pretty good true to name). They would all enchant you with their flowers in a few years coming spring!

Recommended reading: Hepatica acutiloba 2020 and a checklist, Notes on Hepatica acutiloba, Growing Hepatica from seeds.

Hepatica acutiloba fo. rosea2

Hepatica acutiloba blue flowers

Hepatica acutiloba – white

Hepatica acutiloba ‘Purple Star’

Hepatica acutiloba pastel mix(1)

 

 

Trillium grandiflorum 2022

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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 flowering (spring beauty), which usually flowers earlier in the spring.

These are some of the most wonderful moments of our brief springtime, enjoy them while they last!

Trillium grandiflorum and Claytonia virginica

A last flower of Hepatica americana, notice the fruit heads

Trillium grandiflorum (2)

Trillium grandiflorum, Podophyllum peltatum, Waldsteinia

Trillium grandiflorum

Trillium grandiflorum

Uvularia grandiflora

Viola labradorica

Amelanchier laevis, Allegheny serviceberry

Carya ovata, Shagbark hickory

Thalictrum dioicum

Pileated woodpecker

Less is more

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 :)

Erythronium grandiflorum seedlings, 2022. The seeds were sown in early fall last year (2021). For sowing directly in the ground it is best to sow closely so you can keep an eye on the seedlings; replant them in other locations  if necessary after 3+ years.

And, the second easiest method: germinate/grow them in a pot for one season, then ‘plant’ the pot in the ground (it works great for species that need 3+ years to develop): 4 years old P. tenuifolia seedlings in the image waiting to be separated and replanted.

Paeonia tenuifolia young plants – notice the rim of the pot which was ‘planted’ in the ground in a sunny position, close to other perennials (still dormant). The plants will be separated and replanted.

Indeed, less can be more, sometimes….

A last look at few Corydalis, it’s been a wonderfully cool spring keeping them in flower longer together with a couple of their companions.

Corydalis caucasica

Jeffersonia dubia

Lathyrus vernus

Hepatica americana Easter Edition

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 happiness to all!

Corydalis Easter edition 2022

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 uploaded on the website so we can have a colorful Corydalis view for our cold Easter weekend ahead.

Corydalis marschalliana (C. cava ssp. marschalliana) and Corydalis cava are also set to flower soon, for the first time. We’ll talk about them in a next post soon and have a comparison, also in relation with C. solida. Sometimes C. solida and C. cava are mistaken, although they are easy to distinguish.

Corydalis solida

Corydalis solida red

Corydalis solida purple

Corydalis solida and Dicentra

Corydalis malkensis with Lathyrus vernus

Corydalis solida ‘Wild heart mix’

Corydalis paczoskii

Corydalis marschalliana

Corydalis bracteata

For those unfamiliar with these delightful ephemeral species please read: Growing Corydalis solida and allies from seeds. Using the Search tab you will, of course, find more writings on Corydalis. There is no point to repeat things already written.

Some call them weedy. We know better… We also know that some species, especially Corydalis solida, don’t come true to color/form when grown from seeds. No matter what seeds you sow there is a good chance to obtain a nice range of colors and even some hybrids.

To those celebrating this weekend, a Happy Easter with hope for peace, kindness and good understanding among all people!

*I cannot know if/what Corydalis seeds will be available this year. As usual, “a call for seeds” will be made in June, if any available.

Conservation through propagation

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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: Conservation through propagation

Hydrastis canadensis seeds aspect after warm/cold moist stratification, April 8, 2022

Every time I look at goldenseal and/or its seeds, the motto: “Conservation through propagation” comes to mind.
Driving through the outskirts of any city, you will probably notice large areas ‘cleaned’ up, leveled and ready for more buildings: homes, shopping plazas….True that they are necessary ‘evils’ but we are steadily pushing away, sometimes into oblivion, various plant species, invertebrates and all others living things related one to another.

Trillium erectum growing in a small woodland corridor in a nearby neighborhood a few years ago. Vanished by now….

Some may argue that Canada is a large country with a fortunate expanse of territories. However, many species are particularly adapted and grow only in certain regions/specific habitats.

What we can do is to offer refuge in our small urban gardens to as many native species as possible; at least to those that adapt well to garden cultivation. From personal experience, it is possible to harmoniously grow native and non-native species together, without having to give up your collectable, or ‘rare’ garden treasures.

Growing them from seeds involves more work, but preferable because it sustains the genetic variability. This is very important for their long-term survival and adaptation.  If not a seeds officionado, this spring look at your garden centre for offerings of native plants. Every little bit helps.

*Bloodroot seedlings from few years ago shown in the featured image. How long until we also declare Sanguinaria, Trillium erectum (and other species) endangered?

 

How it begins

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 so we now have the answer. In some species of Aristolochia (birthworts) the seeds present an aril on the dorsal side, practically a ‘strophiole’ (see the note).

Aristolochia germinated seed

Aristolochia steupii germinated seed, dorsal side showing aril

Apart the nerdy seed stuff, I am glad to announce that ahead of the new season I managed to revamp a bit the front page. I hope the new look brings more to ‘front’ and into focus, the wealth of information that has been gathered on the website about seeds and germination and particularly about the species with hydrophilic seeds = moist packed seeds category, and how to handle them for the best outcome: https://botanicallyinclined.org/

Many North American wildflowers are included in this category and, despite the huge amount of work, we remain committed to providing good quality seeds to ensure the best possible germination. No DOD’s from BotanyCa!

Don’t forget, there is also the Search button which can be easily used to retrieve info about a particular subject. For example, writing Aristolochia in the search tab on the front page/blog will bring out 12 results (meaning Aristolochia name was used in 12 writing/products).

Despite the weather, the spring is here and more and more seeds, seedlings and plants are realizing this.
So, there will be less writing and more ‘doing’. Short announcements will be made about flowering and other spring happenings (what seeds will be available we can only know much later into the season).

*Strophiole: http://www.mobot.org/mobot/latindict/keyDetail.aspx?keyWord=strophiole

 

Seedlings awards

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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:

The unexpected: Androsace carnea
A whole tray with sowing pots was waiting in the garage in late December for the first snowfall before being taken outdoors. Luckily, I noticed the tiny green specks in the Androsace pot before doing so.

The cutest: Campanula alpina var. bucegiensis
I am partial toward this little bellflower from the Carpathian Mts.; maybe cuteness is also in the eye of the beholder.

The most repeated: Anthemis carpatica var. pyretriformis
I’ve tried growing this species at least four times. Easy to germinate and grow, hard to find a suitable location in the garden…I will persevere.

The most reliable: Aquilegia species
Aquilegia formosa, recently transplanted, receiving the prize for all other Aquilegia species sowed this year.

The desirable/2 years germination: Degenia velebitica
Degenia velebitica is an endemic species from Croatian mountains. The germination is problematic; please see the *note at the end of this post.

The desirable/fast germination: Phacelia sericea
After encountering the silky Phacelia flowering high in the Canadians Rockies, who wouldn’t want to grow it?

The heartbreaker: Iris dichotoma
I tried the Vesper Iris in various locations in the garden, and none were on its liking long term. Even so, it is worth the effort to grow it from seeds periodically.

Best in the annual category: Orlaya grandiflora
An easy win from only 2 annual species sowed; the white laceflower is a very handsome and pollinator friendly species.

Most aromatic: Ziziphora clinopodioides

Best growth in ‘new species’ class: Gypsophila patrinii

We thank you all for following the seeds & seedlings show here at BotanyCa and for your support. Looking forward to celebrate new seeds, good growing, the beauty of nature and of our gardens in the 2022 season!

*Note: Degenia velebitica ecology germination.
I sowed the seeds last year in late summer following the findings of the article that the seeds from wild plants germinate best at high temperatures (22-31C, ie. sowing in late summer/early fall).
It didn’t work out (there was 1 seedling) maybe because the provenience of the seeds was from a cultivated plant, already adapted to different environmental conditions (the epigenetic factor). In any case, even after cold/moist stratification the percentage of germination was very low, but happy to have even just a few seedlings.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/27189176_Germination_ecology_of_seeds_of_endemic_species_Degenia_velebitica_Degen_Hayek_Brassicaceae

HWT

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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 follow the links to read more about it and to see more pictures:
Continuing the sowing: in hot water; Updates to the HWT; FAQ – hot water treatment

I am trying two new Astragalus species: Astragalus detritalis, debris milkvetch, a Colorodo native, with bright purple flowers and

Astragalus detritalis seeds aspect after a second HWT; noticed the swollen seeds which need to be sown; then repeat the HWT again

Astragalus glycyphyllos, licorice milkvetch. You need to repeat the treatment 2-3+ times, especially for Astragalus species, but otherwise all is easy and some seeds may even start to germinate in the water.

And I’ll persevere, as long as I have seeds, with Oxytropis halleri. One plant flowered from my last attempt, but unfortunately vanished. It may be that our hot, humid summers are not to its liking, but it is worth trying it again. Oxytropis species are really hard to maintain in garden cultivation.

If you didn’t use the hot water method yet, give it a try. It is one of the easiest germination treatments to apply; for sure it beats sanding your fingers together with the seeds ;)

We cannot really generalize, but the majority species from Fabaceae family are easy germinators. The HWT is working well for: Astragalus, Baptisia, Hedysarum, Lupinus,

Oxytropis halleri

Oxytropis, Thermopsis. Considering how Lathyrus vernus self-sown seeds germinate in the garden, it would probably benefit as well. However, I didn’t manage to ‘break’ the Senna seeds with the HWT.
Species that would germinate at warm even without the HWT can also benefit from it to speed up the germination (Amphicarpaea).

Aconitum and Saruma

The last two remaining species that will be available soon, as moist packed seeds, are Saruma henryi and Aconitum moldavicum.

Saruma henryi, the upright wild ginger is a nice, foliage-wise perennial species complemented by yellow flowers in early summer. It goes well with various Arisaema, Aconitums, Podophyllum, Glaucidium, Deinanthe…to mention just a few.
A tough plant, perfect in a part-shaded location; with too much shade it becomes leggy (it can be sheared). It will self-seed in a proper location, just like Stylophorum and I recommend to always keep 1-2 seedlings as a reserve.

Saruma henryi

Saruma henryi

Saruma henryi seeds

Aconitum moldavicum

Aconitum is the main subject of this post though.
Only seeds of Aconitum moldavicum A. lycoctonum ssp. moldavicum) will be available. But regular readers of the blog may remember that few years ago I embarked in a journey regarding Aconitum germination. Just few years later, I ended up with too many young plants that I could deal it!

See the link: Aconitum germination revised.

The conclusion remains: Aconitum species have very good germination when fresh or moist packed seeds are sown.
Most species will germinate to some extent from dry seeds (kept for 6-12 months), but in low percentage. Some may not germinate at all.

All this being studied and repeatedly mentioned, it is a surprise that not many people take advantage when fresh and /or moist packed seeds are offered. I consider most Aconitum species wonderful garden plants (wolf’s banes by general common name): they come in a wide variety as flowering time, growth habit, and flower color. Yes, they are toxic/also medicinal when used properly, but animals know to stay away from such plants. Only having very young children around the garden might pose a problem.

Aconitum moldavicum (syn. A. lycoctonum ssp. moldavicum) is a beautiful species native of the Carpathian Mts. with purplish, long hooded flowers on tall flowering stems. Usually found growing on siliceous substrates but it adapts well in cultivation. Habit and flowers wise it is similar with the widely cultivated A. lycoctonum. On a superficial look can also be mistaken with Aconitum vulparia (open the gallery to see pictures from the wild and also from cultivation).

Aconitum moldavicum, garden

Aconitum moldavicum, Fagaras Mts.

Aconitum vulparia maybe, cultivated

Aconitum vulparia, Carpathian Mts.

Aconitum lyctotonum, garden

Aconitum 2 years-old plants

It is always a good idea to double check your Aconitum at flowering/fruiting time, especially if grown from seeds; proper identification is not an easy task, to say the least.

Lindera and the blue cohosh

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Lindera benzoin, Northern spicebush, Forsythia of the wilds

Early in the spring (mid-April in some years) the flowering of Lindera, which grows as an understory, lightens up the deciduous woodlands. The small, abundant, bright yellow flowers are a sign of the long awaited spring and very useful to the early pollinators! The species it is also a favorite larval host for the beautiful Spicebush swallowtail and Promethea silkmoth.

Later in the fall, the foliage turns yellow providing a wonderful background for the shiny red, abundant fruits (female and male plants need to be grown together). They provide food for countless bird species.

The fleshy part of the fruits was/it is chopped and utilized as an allspice, hence the common name.
Read more about it and its fruits, seeds and germination: Here

Lindera benzoin, early spring

Lindera benzoin, fall

Caulophyllum thalictroides, Blue cohosh

How many times I have written about Caulophyllum? One of my favourite wildflower because of the purple shoots that emerge in early spring and the beautiful foliage: a well grown plant of Caulophyllum can be easily taken for a peony. It is also an important medicinal plant.

The desire to grow it from seeds for my garden lead to an in depth study on its seeds and germination pattern. The seeds are hydrophilic to extreme! I repeat it, because people are still trying to grow it from dry seeds = dead seeds.

Caulophyllum giganteum, early spring

Caulophyllum thalictroides, early spring foliage

Caulophyllum thalictroides, summer

Caulophyllum and Trillium grandiflorum

Caulophyllum thalictroides seeds

Caulophyllum giganteum seedlings

Few other posts on Caulophyllum: Purple beasties, Berberidaceae seeds and embryos, Caulosaurus

I will end with a picture taken last year in the garden. One more writing tomorrow and we’re done, spring is nearing and there are so many things to be done seedlings wise, before the purple beasties emerge :)

Caulophyllum giganteum garden grown, about 5 years old