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

Lindera benzoin, one-year old seedlings

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

On shipping, germination and seeds

First, an announcement about changes in the Shipping rates and destinations: Shipping and Delivery
The local shipping and handling rates have been in needed of revising since a couple of years ago. The new break-out on different rates depending on the order size aims to better reflect the time spent on packing the seeds and the materials consumed. With regret, we can no longer offer free shipping.

Germination talking, I would like to share a chance finding, which also opens a new subject of conversation regarding germination inhibitors contained in fleshy fruits/seeds.
A batch of Viburnum acerifolium fruits collected later in the fall had remained in a Ziploc bag awaiting cleaning. In order to avoid having them dry out to the point of being impossible to clean, I added a few drops of water in the bag. Time passed and I thought there were enough cleaned seeds of Maple leaf Viburnum for the season. The intention was to just sow the seeds from the Ziploc for myself (wanted to do it for some 2-3 years now). Busy times passed again, winter came and a few weeks ago what did I noticed in the purple mush from the Ziploc? A few roots! I placed the germinated seeds in vermiculite and in the fridge for their cold cycle required.

We know that Viburnum species do germinate at warm (roots only) and the shoots will grow after a cold period: Friday seeds and germination requirements for Viburnum species.

The surprise came from the fact that it is well known that the fleshy parts of fruits/seeds contain germination inhibitors. Something new to think about…

Viburnum acerifolium fruits kept moist in plastic bag

Viburnum acerifolium germinated seeds

Seeds talking, there are still few moist packed species available. The restart of shipping was promised for February, then March…. Unfortunately, night temp. are still too low to expose ‘active’ seeds to various shipping routes. There is hope than in 1-2 weeks the weather will look more promising. The restart of moist packed seeds delivery and the available species will be announced.

Overall, there are signs that we can hope for the spring to arrive. Indoor seedlings are growing, birds are singing, and the first snowdrops are peeking up timidly from the ground.

New seedlings March 2022

After-ripening

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There are so many interesting seeds-related subjects that sometimes it is hard to choose what to write, or the time is too short.

An email arrived yesterday saying:
“I thought I’d better drop you a line before I forget. Have been now been giving most of my north american seeds at least a week of moist and warm temps before chilling. Today, after less than a week of 65 to 70 degrees f I have 25 yellow asclepias germinated and now in cells. I have had such luck with Asclepias tuberosa that I have collected and germinated so I am not shocked but especially since these are the yellow form, I did not expect such germination.
Most impressive, Thank you, Regards Catherine”

My answer was, besides thank you and so on… that the very good germination at room temperature may be due to the ‘older’ seed lot from 2020. (Last year there were no fruits on the yellow Asclepias). Maybe others are also familiar with the knowledge that ‘older’ Asclepias seeds germinate better than fresh ones, which could be explained by the after-ripening (post-maturation) requirement.

I don’t know for sure of this is the reason; usually I recommend to sow Asclepias species in late fall/early winter because there are some which require a cold/moist stratification for good germination (A. exaltata for example). If they don’t, it doesn’t matter, they will germinate in late spring when it gets warm.

 In any case, it is a good time to discuss a bit about the AR.
First, what is this after-ripening? Some define after-ripening (AR) as “a time and environment regulated process occurring in the dry seed, which determines the germination potential of seeds”.

Very simple, I would say that after-ripening is a process through which dry seeds are ‘preparing’ themselves to get out of dormancy and germinate, if and when the right conditions arrive. The AR involves the loss of water content of the seeds up to certain point which naturally happens in nature after the seeds ripen and fall on the ground/remain in the dry fruits.

Not all dry seeds species require an after-ripening period. It is known for sure that many many grasses require AR, but otherwise we do not have a comprehensive list of species that require AR. I only know about Asclepias, Polygala, and various Brassicaceae species.

AR is a complex process during which various physiological and molecular mechanisms are taking place within the dry seeds. If for some reason AR is not complete, the seeds will not germinate even if they are placed in proper condition (water, light/dark…); instead they will remain dormant (eventually they will germinate, but give them time…).

It would be impossible to approximate the exact duration for AR I guess, considering it cannot be the same for all species. Usually seeds collected in the summer and kept dry at room temperature should have enough time for after-ripening until late fall/early winter.

It has been shown that increasing the temperature at which seeds are after-ripened generally increases the rate of dormancy loss, but on the other hand, at high temperatures, the seed viability loss accelerate. So, it is a give and take if we want to manipulate AR or store the seeds long-term.

Conclusion:

Just like many seeds require to be sown right away (those recalcitrant ones), others require a ‘quiet time’ by themselves :) in a dry state, to be ready for the germination.
For gardeners and small operations, after collecting the seeds it is best to let them dry in paper bags in the house until late fall (in contrast to putting them in the fridge right away!). Exception: fleshy fruits/seeds which need to be cleaned first.

And yes, the after ripening requirement could be another reason that sometimes we stare at an ‘empty’ sowing pot wondering what went wrong.

Not one boring minute when dealing with plants and seeds :)
*I am always happy to receive good/interesting germination updates about the seeds you received. If you have bad news, it is fine as well. Maybe we can figure what went wrong together.

Something old & something new

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Sowing too much already, haven’t we? Well, there are much worse vices than this one. The indoors sowing is almost done and a few species are starting to germinate already.

I always try to test some of the new seeds additions, which I suspect by association with similar species, to be warm germinators.
And indeed, Silene turgida, Ziziphora clinopodioides and Gypsophila patrinii have germinated after about 10 days at room temperature.

Ziziphora clinopodioides seedlings

Reminder: if you try to germinate something at room temperature and nothing happens after 3-4 weeks, move the pot in a cold location for 1-2 months and then bring it back to warmth.

Also, I just sowed, as usual, a small batch of Aquilegia species with GA3 treatment (and a few others like Thalictrum petaloideum). Many Aquilegia species are short lived by nature and not always manage to reseed by themselves. But they are so easy from seeds!

Aquilegia flavescens, yellow columbine; a species not as often cultivated like A. chysantha, that can be found in the subalpine meadows of the Rocky Mountains.

Aquilegia flavescens, wild habitat

Aquilegia chaplinei, cultivated

Re-sowed:  Aquilegia chaplinei, Chaplin’s columbine, another yellow flowered species of North America. This small, delicate species grows well in a moist location and I don’t seem to find a good place for it. Plus, it has been devoured by the columbine sawfly so I am trying for a larger population (meaning 3-4 plants).

Thinking long spurs, Aquilegia Origami white is a very good substitute for the long spurred native Aquilegia coerulea, the Colorado blue columbine.

And something blue for yet another snow day: Salvia nutans, the nodding sage. A most intriguing and rarely cultivated Salvia (seeds were offered 2 years ago) which unfortunately had suddenly perished last summer after flowering (I suspect a soil born infection based on the symptoms). Just when I thought I found a perfect companion for the gas plant (Dictamnus albus). Both enjoy a full sun, well drained location & calcareous substrate.

 

Salvia nutans and Dictamnus albus

Salvia nutans, Nodding sage

Salvia nutans seedlings

Advice:
Always collect and keep a back-up reserve of seeds from your most cherished plants, you may never know when you need them.
Always try to grow 2-3 specimens of your favorite plants; take action and propagate them before is too late (seeds, cuttings, division).

Playing the epigenetics: Helichrysum arenarium

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Epigenetics is a scientific field in high fashion and moving fast nowadays. Although the term was coined in 1942 by C. H. Waddington and scientists have been working since to elucidate the mechanisms involved, it is only recently that the mainstream media has been inundated by articles on epigenetic themes.

Very concise and without details, the field of epigenetics deals with the modifications induced by various external factors on any given organism and their consequences. The actual genetic making of the organism is not changed; epigenetic modifications only affect how various genes are expressed and are switch on or off  (“epi” means “above” in Greek hence the epigenetics = factors beyond the genetic code. Most importantly, some of these changes can be inherited from a generation to another.

Referring strictly to plants, the study of epigenetics is underway and there is still much to learn.
I’ve read that “Plants are masters of epigenetic regulation” and it is not hard to understand why: they cannot move, so they have no choice but to adapt continuously to the changing environment and other stimuli.

Silene compacta in habitat

On a practical level, we can speculate that the epigenetics explains why some species and especially those living in extreme habitats (alpine regions, deserts…) are some of the hardest to adapt to garden cultivation even when provided with close by conditions.
Also, epigenetics might explain the differences in germination patterns of a given species, in case of mother-plants originating from different geographical areas.

It is already known by gardeners that the more different your climate & garden conditions are than the ones where a species grows wild, the more difficult it will be to ‘tame’ it into cultivation and hardiness is not the only factor.
The first generation of seedlings express the traits inherited from the mother-plant and they react accordingly in relation to seasonal temperatures, substrate, light intensity, water regime…..

By growing a second generation seedlings from the first ones, and then a third one and so on….we have increasingly higher chances to obtain better ‘tamed’ plants for our specific garden conditions. They will look exactly the same as the original mother-plant, but their adaptation to the local variations in temperatures, water regime, humidity and so on, will be improved.

To exemplify:
Last summer, Helichrysum arenarium (sandy everlasting) successfully flowered in my rockery and set a few seeds; later in the fall it ‘disappeared’ despite growing in a very well drained spot.

Helichrysum arenarium ex. Dobrogea,  flowering in August, 2021

The species was grown from wild collected seeds in the Dobrogea region of Romania, which has a very different climate than we have in SW Ontario, so it was no big surprise that it didn’t last long.

It is a very lucky situation when a few seeds are available to obtain a second generation of seedlings. There is hope that they will adapt better to the new environment in the next generation.

Other species also managed only a first flowering: Paronychia cephalotes, a couple of Minuartia and Centaurea jankae.

But others grown from seeds from the same trip adapted well: Dianthus nardiformis, Centaurea orientalis, Alyssum borzeanum, Aurinia saxatilis, Sedum urvillei, Silene compacra, Ephedra distachya and Iris suaveolens.

Virtual traveling to the region in question available below:
Winter getaway  – Dobrogea I
Winter getaway – Dobrogea II

Dianthus nardiformis, garden

Hedysarum grandiflorum, garden

Allysum borzeanum

Iris suaveolens, garden cult.

Sedum urvillei, garden cult.

Centaurea orientalis

And/or read more about epigenetics in plants (there are many other articles available).
Epigenetic Regulation in Plants

Ready, start, go – 2022!

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February has arrived (with a vengeance) and I hope many are preparing to start their indoor sowings.

Silene suecica

I have written about indoor sowing before, but maybe is good to mention again the ‘warm germinators’.  This is the term used in the catalogue to describe the dry seeds that will germinate at room temperature (+/- 17-21C) after a certain (and variable) period of time.

I think it is a very good method especially for rockery species which always benefit from being planted in the ground at a young stage (Dianthus, Draba, Silene, Anthemis, Hedysarum, Oxytropis, Papaver….).

With so many light systems available nowadays, it is worth giving it a try. It is most rewarding and also therapeutic to grow something new during the winter months!  Start with just 3-4 species if you are new at this. They will be perfect for a small trial-out container planting.

Draba haynaldii grown-up seedlings

You know the concept of going to do the grocery when you are not hungry, right? Your ‘plants budget’ will certainly improve when the garden centers start offering perennials in late spring!

Also check out the Germination guide of the Ontario Rock Garden & HP Society page: Here
Advice on using acid gibberellic: Here
Hot water treatment: Here
Advice for sowing small/fine seeds: Here
Soaking and nicking the seeds: Here

 

 

*It can happen that species given as ‘warm germinators’ to not ‘comply’ to the rule, and vice-versa, ‘cold germinators’ starting to germinate at room temperature.

Echinops crispus seedlings

The source of seeds: wild coll. versus garden coll., growing conditions of the mother-plants and other factors, all can influence the germination pattern. When it happens, place the pot in cold location for 3-4 weeks. And, no matter what, it is best to keep your pots for 2-3 years if possible; some seeds can enter a second dormancy and will need multiple alternate cycles of cold/warm for germination.

The list below is not exclusive and it includes only contains cold hardy genera/species that I have personally germinated over the years at room temperature. I made notes for the species that I have started using GA3 (by habit) and those that will germinate best and faster if using a HWT (hot water treatment).

Acinos alpinus
Allium thunbergii and few other Allium
Aquilegia canadensis and most other Aquilegia – with GA3 treatment
Amphicarpaea
Arenaria
Arabis species
Androsace some species
Anthemis carpatica and other Anthemis species
Arisaema triphyllum and other Arisaema
Artemisia
Astragalus (with HWT)
Asphodeline lutea, A. taurica
Aurinia saxatilis
Alyssum
Baptisia australis (using the HWT)
Berkheya purpurea
Bukiniczia cabulica

Campanula, many species
Caragana (HWT)
Carlina acaulis
Calycanthus floridus
Centaurea triumfettii, C. orientalis, and other Centaurea species
Cerastium alpinum ssp. lanatum
Cercis canadensis
Cirsium
Clematis alpina and other Clematis

Draba species
Delphinium grandiflorum and other Delphinium species
Dianthus nardiformis
Dianthus superbus ssp. sajanensis, most other Dianthus species

Echinops crispus and other Echinops
Edraianthus graminifolius and other Edraianthus (not all species though)
Erinus alpinus
Gypsophila

Hedysarum (using the HWT)
Hieracium lanatum

Ipomopsis
Iris dichotoma
Iris domestica

Incarvillea

Jurinea mollis
Kernera saxatilis
Lathyrus (with HWT)
Lilium formosanum var.pricei
Linaria spp.
Lychnis ssp.

Erythranthe guttata
Matthiola
Minuartia, some species
Monarda
Papaver species
Paronychia
Phyteuma orbiculare and others
Platycodon

Primula japonica and other Primula spp. (some exceptions)
Pulsatilla vulgaris, other species, hybrids,
Rhododendron species
Roscoea species

Salvia
Sedum ssp. and Sempervivums
most Silene species
Scabiosa caucasica, other Scabiosa spp.
Scutellaria pontica
Syneilesis

Thermopsis (using HWT)
Thalictrum cf. foetidum, few other Thalictrum with GA3 treatment
Thymus species
Viola – some species

 

 

So, get ready: wash your pots, have handy sowing mix, labels, the seeds and then go! Start first with those species which take longer to germinate (or unknown) and leave the very fast germinators for mid-February, early March. Good luck!

Delphinium grandiflorum

Silene suecica

Centaurea orientalis

Echinops crispus

Papaver chakassicum

Aquilegia olympica copy

 

Friday’s seeds: Phacelia sericea

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It is always exciting to find Phacelia sericea (Silky Phacelia, blue alpine phacelia, silky scorpion weed) in flower when hiking up in the mountains in mid to late summer (various mountain ranges of Western North America). It grows on dry, rocky slopes, near avalanche chutes and rocky forest openings, often in small groups or as single specimens. It is not difficult to recognize it after the deep-blue, violet flowers with exerted stamens and silvery aspect of the foliage (pinnatifid leaves with a covering of short, soft hairs).

Phacelia sericea in late July, Lizard Ranges, close to Fernie, SE BC

I had the luck to catch it in flower twice in the Rocky Mts. in SE British Columbia, and I even found older capsules with few seeds, which were preserved under the deep layer of snow.
I managed to grow a seedling which has developed nicely but then disappeared suddenly in the summer. As I understand, many others tried to grow it with the same outcome; even with a stellar drainage provided, muggy weather pose a big problem.

I will give it one more try this year. It is a warm germinator and the seedlings are not very difficult (it forms a taproot so it is best to plant the young seedlings in the rockery fast).

Phacelia sericea seeds aspect; the fruit is a capsule with 2 chambers

For other awesome species from the same location have a virtual weekend getaway – Weekend getaway: Lizard Ranges revisited.

 

*AN ILLUSTRATED KEY TO THE HYDROPHYLLACEAE OF ALBERTA
https://anpc.ab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Hydrophyllaceae-2019-09.pdf

**Interesting read on Phacelia (don’t grab your shovel to go looking for gold :)
https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2018/04/04/silky-phacelia-handsome-wildflower-special-talent

Forward with Campanulaceae!

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As the extreme cold goes on we will push forward with a few species from the bellflower family. This family includes a lot of species with flowers in various shades of blue: from a light, soft blue to deep blue and blue-violet.
Besides Campanula (it would be very hard to enumerate all species), a few of the most cultivated genera in cold climates are: Edraianthus, Asyneuma, Phyteuma, Jasione, Platycodon, Lobelia, Codonopsis…(and possibly I forgotten some).

Most species are easy to grow from seeds and adaptable in cultivation, and you can find suitable species for a variety of locations, like rockeries and flower beds, woodlands; from sun to shade, and dry to moist.

As it happens, they are not yet well represented in my garden and one of my garden-goals is to try and do better in regards to the Campanulaceae. I already shown Jasione in the last post; here are a few more samples in various shades of blue:

Campanula alpina ssp. orbelica, Pirin

Campanula alpina var. bucegiensis, Bucegi Mts.

Campanula cochlearifolia, Carpathian Mts.

Campanula carpatica, cultivated

Campanula serrata, Bucegi Mts.

Campanula glomerata, in wild habitat

Campanula, Pirin

Campanula jordanovii, Pirin

Campanula abietina, Carpathians

Campanula rotundifolia, Bruce pen.

Lobelia spicata, Bruce pen.

Campanulastrum americanum

Phyteuma scheuchzeri

Phyteuma orbiculare in wild habitat

Platycodon ‘Sentimental Blue’

And my only Edraianthus graminifolius (not from lack of trying), probably one of the easiest to grow.

Edraianthus graminifolius

 

Green hedgehogs

Another cold winter day, so let’s continue the revision of genera/species that maintain a nice aspect year long.
Most of them have a very appealing aspect of cushions or domes, with a ‘hedgehog’ appearance. I think this is the most attractive aspect of a rock garden*, having these tiny, or not so tiny, green ‘hedgehogs’ which at some point in the spring will start sprouting stems and multicolor flowers. Some can be more or less ‘spiny’ and have other colors. How can we resist them?!

In this category we have: various species of Armeria, Dianthus, Draba, Gypsophila, Minuartia, Arenaria and Eremogone, Lewisia, Phlox, Silene, Acantholimon, Saxifraga, to mention just some of the most common and hardy genera for cold regions. As always, nature provides the best inspiration but it is much easier to show a few images from the garden.

Dianthus petraeus

Draba lasiocarpa

Minuartia

Silene suecica, fall-winter

Silene suecica spring

Dianthus ssp.

Then, let’s not forget all the Sempervivums, Sedums, Jovibarba, Orostachys, and the biggest of the ‘hedgehogs’: the hardy cacti species. These should rather go into the category of porcupines though :)
Very easy to grow with proper conditions. Even in the smallest of the gardens one can have a container with Sempervivums.

Sempervivum ‘Golden Nugget’

Orostachys spinosa

Jovibarba globifera

If I wet your appetite, there is a unique garden center/family nursery in Lindsay, Ontario: Anna’s Perennials, that offers a large variety of hardy cacti (and many more others).

Also, you will find a wide variety of ‘hedgehogs’ at Wrightman Alpines (mail-order business) and they have just published their spring catalogue!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even more, on the subject of succulents, the North American Rock Garden Society, presents tomorrow (15 January) a Zoom webinar with the theme: Succulents on the Rocks.

So, there is a lot to do in the winter, both plants and garden-wise: learn about new species and how to grow them, make new plans for your garden and, of course, don’t forget to sow more seeds! I just sowed one more small batch for cold/moist stratification (out in the snow they’ll go) and the warm germinators are in line for February!

 

 

If you feel like trying to grow you own ‘hedgehogs’, please visit the Rock Garden plants category

*Note that by rock garden in this case, I meant a well-drained, sunny location; some rocks for visual impact are nice, but you don’t really need to go crazy on them; don’t feel intimidated.

 

Gaultheria procumbens ‘fruit’ revealed

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Later than expected, the seed stock for Gaultheria procumbens has been replenished. Some seeds are more difficult to extract and sort out than others, but speaking of the wintergreen, it is one of those species that I always postpone to start cleaning. And there is a good reason for it.

Everyone is familiar with the lovely urn-shaped white flowers of the wintergreen (rarely pink).

For those unfamiliar with the wintergreen, a presentation of this species was done a few years ago: Shining. The red, shiny fruits are commonly called berries. In more botanical inclined resources they are described as “berry-like capsules”. So, what is what?

Looking or opening a fresh wintergreen ‘berry’ will only reveal the seeds enclosed in a highly aromatic, white, mealy mass, which gives off a nice winterberry flavor (methyl salicylate), much stronger than the crushed leaves would. It is almost impossible to remove and sort out the seeds when they are fresh (at least by hand). The trick is to let them dry in a paper bag for a while, until the capsule gets differentiated from the mealy mass.

A picture will explain better what’s happening: the ovary gives rise to a small capsule and the calyx forms the actual red, edible covering/white, mealy underneath and will enclose the capsule, leaving a small opening (when dry). Hence the berry-like aspect of the ‘fruit’, that theoretically is a capsule, accompanied by a fleshy calyx (click to open the gallery).

Gaultheria procumbens fruits

Gaultheria procumbens fruit and seeds

Gaultheria procumbens seeds

*The genus Gaultheria comprises many species growing on various continents and besides fleshy calyces, some have real berries as fruits, while others present dry capsules. It has been suggested that the type of fruit in Gaultheria species has evolved in connection with their habitat. Species with fleshy calyces or berry fruits tend to occur in the forests/margins and clearings and may depend on the brightly colored and fleshy calyces or berries to attract animals, which act as dispersal agents by eating the fruits. Species with dry capsules often grow on more exposed sites and rely on wind dispersal. 

With this we say farewell to 2021. Thank you to all the regular readers and occasional visitors of the website.
Growing and learning more about plants, one fruit and seed at a time!
With hope that all our seeds will germinate & grow well and our gardens will be more beautiful than ever in 2022!

Happy New Year!

 

 

Winter-joys III: out in the woods

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It goes without saying that woodlands are enchanted places year long.
In deciduous woods even when all trees have lost their leaves, we can find many green “winter-joys” during the snowless periods: moss covered rocks, moss on tree trunks and stumps, slopes and woodland floor with sedges, wintergreen (Gaultheria) and others such as: Chimaphila, Polystichum, Coptis trifolia, Mitella, and of course, the queens of the woodlands: Hepatica americana and Hepatica acutiloba.
Mosses require a specialized expertise (and a microscope!) for correct identification; therefore in most cases I abstain to provide a name because it might be incorrect.

Woodland floor moss

Rock moss

Tree moss (notice the Asclepias seed!)

Decayed wood moss

Rhodobryum ontariense

Carex pensylvanicum and moss rocks

We can admire all of them and also draw inspiration from their growing habitat. Reproducing the moss boulders in our gardens would pose serious challenges, but a decaying stump in the shade is always a good opportunity to try and establish moss and species which like to grow on it, like seen in the pictures.
Sedges (Carex) are easy to grow from seeds and establish in the garden, and there are species for almost any type of location (sun to shade and wet to dry). Same goes for others like Mitella, Tiarella (picture in my garden), Polystichum acrostichoides and many other ferns, Hepatica and Gaultheria.

Gaultheria procumbens

Chimaphila umbellata

Polygala paucifolia

Hepatica americana

Mitella diphylla

Tiarella cordifolia, garden

Polystichum acrostichoides, Christmas fern

Mitchella repens, fall

A mossy rock!

*Thanks to good weather Chimaphila seeds and Gaultheria fruits were collected (in stock after they can be cleaned and sorted out).
**Sedges (Carex) are also very difficult to identify and there are about 200 species in Ontario!

Winter joys II

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*Hepatica x media ‘Silberprinzessin’ in the feature image.

Modest snow and by the weekend back to spring-like temperatures! It seems we’ll admire for quite a while our “winter joys” in S. Ontario this year.

I will start the second part of this series with Phlomis russeliana, another underused species, in my opinion. The Jerusalem sage, a native of the Middle Eastern regions, is perfectly cold hardy and will grow well in well drained locations, sun to part-shade to form a nice groundcover of large, light green/fuzzy underneath leaves with a felt-like texture. Tall flowering stems with whorls of yellow flowers form in the summer. It spreads slowly by very tight rhizomes, so don’t be afraid, it won’t take over the garden. It grows part-shaded by a large spruce, which also ensures a good drainage.

Phlomis russeliana

Phlomis russeliana flowers

To its left,  Helleborus foetidus (Bear’s foot or stinking Hellebore), another ‘winter joy’, like all the Helleborus. The more you have, the better. One would think they are widespread in all the gardens here but actually that is not the case. Maybe too expensive? But they are so easy to grow from seeds and you will end up with seedlings to share with all the friends. You can expect the first flowers in the third or fourth year and there is usually a great variation, ie. nice surprises!

Helleborus foetidus

Helleborus x hybridus

Helleborus x hybridus double

The next best thing to the Helleborus spp. are the evergreen Epimediums (few species and hybrids). A subject dear to me, they can be expensive  but worthwhile; long lived and with beautiful foliage all year long. Just like for Helleborus, new foliage will grow up in the spring (also the best time to cut back the old stems/foliage to enjoy the flowers).

Epimedium ‘Amber Queen’

Epimedium acuminatum new foliage spring

Epimedium lishihchenii new foliage, May

I am starting to like more and more the biennial and/or monocarpic species. Many of them develop ornamental leaves rosettes in the first year and remain as such over the winter: Digitalis purpurea, D. ferruginea, some Erysimum species, Ipomopsis rubra, various Cirsiums, Symphyandra, to mention just  a few. You get to know and enjoy the flowers in the second year and then, a choice: grow them again/let reseed or move on to something else :) After all, there is only that much space available and so many other species to grow! I am looking fdw to D. ferruginea ssp. schischkinii to flower next near and will always welcome Ipomopsis rubra and Erysimum witmannii ssp. transsilvanicum.

Digitalis ferruginea ssp. schischkinii rosette

Ipomopsis rubra

Erysimum witmannii ssp.transsilvanicum foliage late fall

Symphyandra wanneri end November

Last summer the beautiful & monocarpic Cirsium macounii var. edule also flowered and it was source of delight for all, including the pollinators, especially the sweat bees.
Being realistic I admit that I do not have the space to make it a permanent garden resident. It was fun to grow it though and I can share seeds with others more fortunate in garden space.

Other great biennial or short-lived perennials that overwinter as rosettes are: Capnoides sempervirens, Corydalis ophiocarpa, Pseudofumaria alba and P. lutea (Pseudofumaria ssp. remain perennials in this zone).  I already talked about Corydalis and aliases a few times, so will end of the post here.

There are many other plants that remain beautiful over the winter in a cold climate: various ferns and grasses (mostly Carex, Luzula), Mitella diphylla, Tiarella, Tellima, Pachyphragma, Geum triflorum….and probably more could be added to the list.

Erysimum, Geum triflorum, Thymus and Sempervivum

Corydalis ophiocarpa, late-fall winter

Asplenium scolopendrium

Dryopteris, Epimedium

 

Winter joys

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*In the featured image: Hepatica transsilvanica ‘Winterfreude’ (in translation “winterjoy”)

December sneaked in with a few flurries but usually a reliable snow cover will settle in only later in the month or in January (hopefully). It is particularly around this time that gardeners start to appreciate more the perennials and shrubs that retain their foliage (leaving aside the true evergreens).

I always use the snowless periods to count my ‘winter joys’ and thinking about adding more such plants in the garden. Unfortunately, quite a few species, even if full hardy, don’t handle well the winter desiccation in a 5-6 zone. The most common broadleaf shrubs we can use are:  Buxus, Daphne, Ilex, Mahonia, Gaultheria, Arctostaphylos and Rhododendrons/Azaleas (only some species here in ON).

But I haven’t seen Paxistima canbyi, Canby’s mountain lover or cliff green, in many gardens. Always willing to give a try to something new I acquired one a few years ago. It was planted on a part shaded slope exposed to winter sun and wind; snow cover sometimes minimal because of a nearby spruce. It defied all expectations! I already shared with a few friends (stolons; cuttings should also work well) and I highly recommend it for cold regions, zone 5-6.

Paxistima canbyi, Canby’s mountain lover. It can be found growing wild in a few localities of central Appalachian Mts. (US) on limestone bluffs and cliffs and is said to be threatened/endangered. A low growing small shrub, with narrow, glossy leaves; the flowers are tiny, insignificant. Named after William Marriot Canby,  businessman, plant collector and amateur botanist from Delaware who discovered it in the wild.

Another underused evergreen shrub which does well in cold regions is Erica carnea – winter heath, with its many varieties.
Low growing shrubs with needle like leaves and small urn-shaped flowers, usually pink or white. They grow well with good drainage, in sandy soils, in sun to part shade. Most also flower very early in the spring when not much else is available for early pollinators.

Erica carnea ‘Rosalie’ in December

Bulbs speaking, everyone should have an Arum in the garden (aka Lords-and-Ladies). They are truly wonders of the season with the way they start growing in the fall and how their foliage is bouncing back after being frozen.

Arum italicum ‘Marmoratum’ is the most common form available to purchase, but you can also procure or grow from seeds various other forms with patterned leaves. They are all beautiful. The second image is one grown from seeds as ‘Chameleon’, and there is another form nearby which I’ll have to separate.

Arum italicum ‘Marmoratum’

Arum ‘Chameleon’

Arum, another patterned leaf form

I would be interested to hear about other broadleaf small shrubs capable to withstand zone 5-6 winters.
Next, about other “winter joys”; we can have relatively green gardens even in the winter!

 

*The shipping of moist packed seeds has been suspended.
Caulophyllum thalictroides seeds will be available again in late spring.

 

Friday’s Lamiaceae: calyces & nuts

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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, Stachys, Mentha, Monarda, Monardella, Nepeta, Origanum, Thymus, Phlomis and Phlomoides, Pycnanthemum… to mention just a few.

Not that we have to go ‘nuts’ about details, but it is always good to know what we are dealing with when collecting, cleaning, sharing and sowing the “seeds”.

What many of these species have in common is the fact that their fruits, called nutlets, form and remain inside the floral calyces (with some exceptions). What we are actually sowing is these fruits; the seeds are inside and cannot be separated. A nutlet, is a small, hard walled, single seeded fruit (practically a small nut).

Acinos alpinus nutlets

Clinopodium arkansanum nutlets

Salvia daghestanica nutlets

The calyces vary greatly in size from small ( Acinos, Clinopodium, Thymus), to medium (Salvia daghestanica, Stachys) and very large (Stachys inflata), and in some cases they can be quite ornamental (Stachys, Salvia species); some can also remain on the stems for a long time: Phlomoides, Monarda, Pycnanthemum.

Stachys inflata nutlets

Stachys inflata calyx, nutlets

Phlomoides tuberosa

Practical point of views:

The collection of such fruits can be more or less difficult. In the case of species with very small calyces, most times nutlets will be retained inside, and by collecting the calyces, one will also collect the fruits. The larger the calyces, the more likely is for the nutlets to scatter on the ground when ripen. This is a game changer: waiting too long and the seeds are gone, not waiting enough, and they are immature.

Most often, the calyces get dry/brownish and this is a sign that the nutlets are ready. They can be collected by striping them from the stems/or cutting off the upper portion of the stems. But in cases like Stachys inflata, the calyces remain the same silvery color and it is very hard to guess; periodical checking the fruits status is the only solution. Then, portions of the stems are cut and placed in paper bags.

Cleaning, sorting out: small size calyces usually only require cleaning the debris and will be shared as such.

Origanum calyces with no “seeds” from a seedex

For larger size calyces:  most often the fruits will fall out by themselves after the calyces dry out completely (if there are some left inside!). Let them stay in a paper bag for a while. If you were too late to collect, then no nutlets will be found!

 Make sure that you don’t share empty calyces instead of “seeds”! (this is the most common situation with the Seeds exchanges).
For species with medium to large size calyces – ONLY the nutlets should be shared.

 

                                                                            

 

This post has gotten long enough; part 2 may follow with Scutellaria and a few other Lamiaceae which differ in the fruits aspect.
Few more pictures for a cloudy day; the first couple with a trio of success from my rockery: Acinos alpinus, Stachys inflata and a thyme: beautiful and green all year long.

Acinos alpinus, Thymus, Stachys

Acinos, Thymus, Stachys, late fall – winter

Clinopodium arkansanum

Salvia daghestanica

Stachys inflata

Salvia verticillata close-up

Monardella odoratissima

Pycnanthemum virginianum

Phlomis russeliana

In the featured image: late fall aspect of Pycnanthemum virginianum (mountain mint).

What’s for sowing? and Ramps galore

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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.

Allium tricoccum (ramps, wild leek) germinated seeds

I cannot throw away Allium tricoccum in any form because it is an almost endangered species now due to over collecting in the wild habitat (never collect ramps bulbs from the wild). I am sure I will find a home for the baby ramps in the spring.

No ‘crying wolf’ next year for the ramps seeds please. Here’s the method for easily obtaining ramps galore, which will be posted on the Germination page:

Watch carefully for the seeds to reach maturation; hurry up to collect them before falling down (late August-early September depending on the region).
Clean, sort out and sow right away, or
Pack the seeds in slightly moist vermiculite; keep them at temperatures that mimics late summer/early fall.
Periodically check the bag for moisture levels.
Plant the germinated seeds after the roots emerge.
Keep the pot in a cold location (or ‘plant’ it in the ground for the winter).
Watch for the sprouts in early spring.

Use them to flavor a spring salad or,
Grow them further to obtain adult ramps.

Curious what’s on my winter sowing list?

Well, a few new species for this year available in the Seed List such as: Primula nivalis and Anemonastrum sibiricum, Primula maximocwiczii, Lomatium sandbergii (from Mt. Baldy, BC), to mention just a few.

In general, I also sow more species from previous years, they are always behind due to lack of space (Cirsium hookerianum from the Rockies, Mimulus lewisii….). Furthermore, I sow previous species for which I lost the young seedlings, most often due to slugs (like in the case of Veronica schmidtiana).
Few new species in too small quantities to share with everyone, like Dodecatheon frigidum and Arnica lessingii from Norther BC and Gentiana dschungarica from Altai are also on my fall/winter sowing list.

And with the sowing, also the virtual traveling begins! Everyone has their own desires and choices; the important thing is to keep on sowing! and keep on dreaming!
Cirsium hookerianum and few of its companions growing in wild habitat (mountains of SWAlberta and SE BC).

Cirsium hookerianum

Aquilegia flavescens

Mimulus lewisii

Erythronium grandiflorum