Green hedgehogs addendum

Dianthus nardiformis, winter look

Lacking inspiration, I thought let’s see what was published in January of previous years; and the Green hedgehogs post from Jan 2022 was just what I needed. It seems we have longer and longer snowless periods in the winter, so all perennials and shrubs that retain their ‘good looks’ all year long are now more precious than ever.
*All pictures shown in these posts are from early spring or late fall/winter.

Those who had the curiosity to open the post, noticed that I was talking mainly about perennials which have more or less a dome shaped growing habit and more or less linear/acicular leaves; usually grown in rockeries. Various Dianthus species, that many people are familiar with, are the best examples for this category.

I already expanded on the term ‘hedgehogs’ by including other types of foliage, akin more to porcupines and various other creatures, the term hedgehog being used in regards with a mounding or dome shape growth habit.

Expanding on the term ‘green’, colorful foliage will be an extra bonus. Quite a few Dianthus species have bluish foliage, in many Androsace, the rosettes will take a ‘winter mood’, in the spring reverting to green. A group of Saxifrages have silvery rosettes, also Vitaliana primuliflora ssp. cinerea (in the feature image); even Veronica incana retains a nice silvery foliage over the winter. And these are just a few examples from my small rockery.

Dianthus moravicus foliage

Androsace villosa ssp. taurica winter look

Armeria maritima Rubrifolia copy

Orostachys ‘Strawberry Spring’

Then, we can talk about individual hedgehogs or herd-like creatures, like in the case of many Androsace species, Draba and Saxifraga, Jovibarba, Sedums and Sempervivums and the recently presented Luetkea pectinata.
Size wise, we can have very tiny hedgehogs, like Kernera saxatilis and Sedum atratum to very large ones if we jump into the shrubs realm with Daphne ‘Lauwrence Crocker’ (note to myself to try again some small size Daphne species/cultivars) and Paxistima canbyi, Canby’s mountain lover (Read about it here: Winter Joys).

Kernera saxatilis rosette

Sedum atratum self-sown on Erinus alpinus

Daphne ‘Lawrence Crocker’

Other plants with a winter presence not often talked about are Polygala species.
Polygala chamaebuxus, the shrubby milkwort of European origin, which can be taken for a small Daphne from the distance ;) deserves a mention. I previously shown the beautiful Polygala major; its winter foliage also takes a purple hue (the same goes for our native Polygala paucifolia).

Polygala chamaebuxus, December

Polygala major Dec. 25, 2023

Even more, we can form green mounds in the garden by letting groundcovering species, a thyme in the picture, to trail over larger boulders. It just happened in this case, but we also can plan in the advance for such ‘accidents’.

Plus let’s not forget that rocks covered in moss also make for great green ‘hedgehogs’ (Winter joys III) and in proper conditions you can even establish other species on top of them! (see Saxifraga cuneifolia ssp. robusta).

Thyme with Dianthus deltoides on top

A mossy rock!

Again, there is so much to do in the winter time, 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!

 

Onward to 2024!

Galanthus elwesii Dec. 28, 2023, SW Ontario

Due to mild weather a particularly early snowdrop is already above the ground; on the same time, snowdrops seedlings are growing under lights! Such events need to be captured for record keeping.
So, instead of the regular year-end flowers review, I’ll write a bit about the excitement of first time collecting and sowing seeds from my own snowdrops this year.

It is not that such seeds will find their way in the Seed List in the near future (I have plenty of garden space to fill in with these treasures), but there is always something to learn from the process. I already wrote this season about snowdrops and Cyclamen capsules in this July post for those who missed it: Summertime capsules.

The snowdrops are the true spring harbingers, forget about Crocus and Eranthis. True that sometimes they are a bit too early in our climate and will spend time under snow, but snow will come and go while the flower buds remain. Under their delicate appearance, they are very tough little things.

I’ve been working hard to increase their presence in the garden: bought bulbs from the garden centers (usually low quality), received seeds from with friends, and I even bought a few seeds one year. Besides dividing the clumps every few years, sowing seeds is a good method to increase their numbers and also to obtain a good variability.

One particular Galanthus elwesii (or a hybrid?) is the earliest among all other snowdrops every year. It is fascinating to see any flower buds in the winter in our climate! Only Helleborus foetidus, H. niger and Cyclamen coum can also claim this status.
Here it is pictured last year on January 1 2023, then at the beginning of February, beginning  and ending of March!

Galanthus elwesii Jan.1, 2023

Galanthus elwesii Feb. 8, 2023

Galanthus elwesii March 1,2023

Galanthus elwesii March 26, 2023

With the exception of years with heavy snow and extreme temperatures, by late February other snowdrops will start to peek through the snow, or leaves (depending on the sun exposure), and by late March more will be in flower. After emerging they will often spend time again under the snow, but they always rebound; nothing beats these little snowdrops.

Galanthus 2023

Galanthus nivalis 2023

Galanthus April 2023

Having had a very nice spring in 2023, meaning no late snow or frosts, some flowers were pollinated and fruits developed. By mid-June I was going around collecting fatty, yellow ‘drops’. The fruits (fleshy capsules) will lay on the ground when mature and open to release the seeds which will be carried away by ants attracted by their elaiosomes. For this reason, it is best to collect the capsules gradually when you see that they start turning yellow.

Galanthus green capsule 2023

Galanthus mature capsules 2023

Galanthus seeds June 15 2023

Galanthus seeds are hydrophilic and they will germinate best when sown soon after collecting, just like it happens naturally. Dry kept seeds sown later, will also germinate but usually in the second spring after sowing (depending how dry they get and maybe not 100%).

Due to the very large squirrel population in our neighborhood, which are going through the garden beds like wild boars, especially in early spring when young seedlings show up, I sowed some of the seeds in pots somewhere towards the end of June to give them a better chance. You can see the results!

There is no other better message of hope for 2024 than newly germinated seedlings!

We can start dreaming about a more peaceful year, with all people being able to enjoy a garden, the flowers and all other beautiful things that nature offers to us!

Onward to 2024 and don’t forget to sow a few seeds in the New Year!

 Last seeds of the season

We somehow arrived at the last seeds announcement of the year!

As it happens, all species are warm germinators or require first a warm/moist stratification period. Because someone once told me that he couldn’t grow a certain species from lack of indoor lights – I should, once again, write an explanation.

All species indicated as warm germinators, including those that require first a warm/moist stratification, can be started by:
Sowing indoors at any time (some may require cold/moist stratification in the fridge afterwards);
OR by sowing in pots outdoors in early spring or summer and allowed to follow the natural variations in temperature (my preferred method for Lilium and Paeonia).

On to the last seeds in alphabetical order:
Bukiniczia cabulica  (yes, I finally sorted them out)
Lilium martagon ‘Album’
Maackia amurensis
Pinus parvilfora ‘Glauca’

                                                                     Examples for warm germinators:
Buckiniczia cabulica –  the seeds germinate at room temperature without any additional treatment.
Sow indoors in late Feb-March if you want to gain a bit of extra growing time;
OR sow outdoors in late April- May (depending on location).

Lilium martagon ‘Album’ – the seeds require first a warm/moist stratification followed by a cold/moist stratification for complete germination.
Sow indoors at any time – preferably in a Ziploc bag with moist media to easily notice the bulbils formations (+/- 2 months,) and then provide cold stratification in the fridge;
OR sow outdoors in pots in late summer, and take care of the pots as usual.

Processing and sorting out newly collected seeds is always slowed down during the high selling season – both time-intensive activities happening simultaneously during the fall.

Therefore, double thanks to all the customers who not only purchased seeds this season, but also patiently waited for new species to be added to the Seeds List, placing successive orders.

Bukiniczia cabulica flowering/fruiting stems




 

 

Pussytoes and winter sowing

Winter has arrived and with it a bit more time to look after a few postponed seeds. There were a couple of wild collected Antennaria species put ‘on hold’ for good reason. They are difficult to identify, sometimes even specialists may encounter problems because of the widespread polyploidy and apomixy among them.

Erythranthe lewisii

Most Antennaria species are excellent plants for rockeries, especially due to their silvery foliage and we cannot pass the occasion growing them from wild collected seeds when they are available.

A third species put on hold until I was sure how many seeds can be offered was Erythranthe lewisii. Lewis Monketflower or Pink monkey-flower (syn. Mimulus lewisii), is a showy inhabitant of moist streambanks, seepage areas and avalanche tracks of the montane and lower alpine zones.

All species can be found in the Seed List now.

Antennaria rosea spp. pulvinata

The first Antennaria was found in a meadow at the edge of the woods along the Bow Valley in the Banff area. The silvery foliage forms mats at the ground level (see the gallery) and the flowering stems are up to about 15 cm.  After looking over various details many times, I may stand to be corrected, but all characters of the mother-plants fit in with the A. rosea group. The subspecies has been assigned considering the collection place: Antennaria rosea ssp. pulvinata.

Plants under the name of Antennaria rosea can differ morphologically because it has a wide distribution and grows in a variety of habitats. For this reason, it is best to keep in your records the collection place.

The second Antennaria species from which I collected a few seeds at a much higher altitude is Antennaria lanata, woolly pussytoes. This species belongs to the pussytoes group with erect, longer leaves, together with A. pulcherrima and A. anaphaloides.

Antennaria lanata, woolly pussytoes

It was seen in various locations, in the company of Cassiope and Luetkea pectinata, which suggests the need for an acidic substrate. Factoring in the elevation, meaning a thick layer of snow present until late spring followed by plenty of moisture, makes this species less compatible with the hot & super dry summers of SW Ontario (this will not stop me from trying it out!).

More pictures showing companion species are presented in the gallery below.

By tradition, I always sow on Dec. 1st part of the species in need of cold/moist stratification; this time the pussytoes and some of their companions.

Those who are preparing to do the same, please review this post where I briefly outlined why sowing in late Nov/December it is different than sowing in September and how to handle the sowings: Practical advice for sowing in the winter.

Pictures taken in the wild will sometimes not catch the plants at their best time, but we can always draw inspiration for our gardens from them, especially by noticing the companion species growing in the same place.

Antennaria rosea ssp. pulvinata habitat

Antennaria rosea ssp. pulvinata foliage

Cirsium hookerianum in grassland community with Antennaria rosea, Castilleja, Oxytropis monticola and other species

Luetkea pectinata with Antennaria lanata in an alpine meadow

Pulsatilla occidentalis, Castilleja, Antennaria lanata

Erigeron peregrinus mix

Erigeron peregrinus ssp. callianthemus

Plant community along an alpine stream

Leptarrhena pyrolifolia in habitat, a moist meadow

November seeds and learn to ID your Phytolacca

Latest native species added to the Seeds List: from the well-known by now Asclepias exaltata to new donations from friends, always thankful for them:
Rudbeckia maxima, Giant coneflower
Phytolacca americana ‘Variegata’, Variegated pokeweed
and Musineon divaricatum, Leafy wild parsley

I had somewhere an older picture with Rudbeckia maxima but cannot find it. If we look on google images here: Rudbeckia maxima, we see an extremely tall Black-eyes Susan, with a particular large, glaucous foliage; a truly striking species.
Musineon divaricatum, leafy wild parsley was a completely new species to me. What better occasion to learn about new plants than through their seeds?! We are always in need of hardy, drought resistant species for our gardens.

Everyone knows Phytolacca americana, the American pokeweed. It also has a variegated form, with creamy splashed foliage which adds more interest and provides a nice background for the black fruits in the fall. Back again to google images, which most times are useful: Phytolacca americana ‘Variegata’.

However, it was disturbing to see that if someone looks on google after typing Phytolacca americana, there are a LOT of wrongly identified fruits images, coming from all sides of the life: seeds sellers, images sellers, food bloggers… you name it.

Phytolacca acinosa, Chinese pokeweed

We can look at our American pokeweed as an ornamental plant, and also, as its common name implies, a weed (outside of North America). On the fact that is a native species, we accept that will reseed around and maybe spread in undesirable places, as it happens with Solidago canadensis.

However, we always have to be aware of ‘impersonators’ of the same genus which have different origins. In our regions they can easily become invasive weeds. This is not the case yet for the Chinese and Indian Phytolacca species, but we have to be cautious with all species producing abundant fruits & reseeding around easily.

Phytolacca acinosa, a Chinese species, is morphologically very similar to the native Phytolacca americana. The most visible differences are the erect inflorescences and the fruits.
In Phytolacca acinosa the carpels are free, and thus the fruit looks deeply furrowed when ripe; the seeds are reniform, ca. 3 mm, 3-angulate and smooth.

In Phytolacca americana, the carpels are fused, and therefore the fruits are round berries (at maturity) with the seeds lenticular, about the same size, black and shiny. Go Botany (https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/) is a website that you can always trust to provide true images for NA native species.

Phytolacca americana shown on Go Botany website

The differences in fruits between P. americana and P. acinosa (and probably others) are very easy to observe in my opinion. Negligence, copy-paste from one site to another without discernment may be the cause of so many mistakes.

I don’t have the intention to openly bash other websites, but mistakes have to be shown in order to learn from them. Open and browse the gallery where I give just a few examples and notice the label ‘wrong’, meaning ‘not Phytolacca americana’ (probably P. acinosa or P. polyandra?).

The conclusion is: google images for plants is usually useful, gathering info from many educational or other purposes websites, but never take for ‘true’ everything you see. Try to do more research and, in general, be cautious about websites that try to sell you something.

New seeds and Glaucium flavum portrait

I’ve been busy preparing the garden and seedlings for the winter, so only two new species, both drought resistant, were added to the Seeds List this week.
Campanula alliariifolia – a vigorous and floriferous bellflower with large white flowers. I intend to grow it for the edge of the woodland beds.

Glaucium flavum, the Sea poppy, or Yellow horned poppy – a biennial or short-lived perennial for sunny, dry areas of the garden.

Glaucium flavum, sea poppy in wild habitat (Spain) showing mature fruits

And because there is a story behind the seeds of the horn poppy, a short portrait for it.
Glaucium flavum has a large geographical distribution from N. Africa to Europe and Caucasus, and it is also naturalized in other regions, but has become endangered in many of its native habitats on the shorelines and coastal cliffs of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

I had the occasion to see it growing wild years back, on the shorelines of the Mediterranean Sea in Cabo de Gata, Spain.
Glaucium flavum wild type displays rosettes of blue-grey, deeply sectate leaves covered in long, white hairs, an adaptation to the harsh, dry and windy conditions it grows in, like many other species that occur in the same habitat.

The flower stems are erect and bear bright, yellow flowers, which are followed by narrow, 20-30 cm long capsules – the ‘horns’ from the common name, horned poppy.

I collected a few seeds but didn’t try to germinate them for a few years thinking that due to the origin, it would have no chance of surviving in Ontario.

But two years ago I gave them a try during the winter sowing experiments time. The germination was easy, the seedlings grew well, and were successfully transplanted in the garden.

Winter came, then spring arrived and the rosettes were still OK; I even transplanted a couple (it forms a taproots, I recommend to plant it in the final location).

Glaucium flavum December 2022

Glaucium flavum

Glaucium flavum, 25 Sept. 2023

It started flowering in the summer and it continued sporadically into the fall. It grew taller and a bit more sprawling, as opposed to its mother-plant. This can be explained of course by the different climate here, with more rain during the summer, plus that it hasn’t been too hot this year and it wasn’t planted in pure sand.

Glaucium flavum is an interesting addition for a xeric garden, standing out the whole season due to its beautiful silvery foliage and bright, yellow flowers. Even if biennial, it is worth to repeat the sowing because it is very easy to grow, plus, it can also reseed by itself. In out climate although it formed many capsules, they didn’t contain too many seeds.

Propagation by seeds
It is easy to germinate after a few weeks of cold/moist stratification in the dark at 5-10 C; after the first signs of seedlings, bring the pot under the lights. Or you can germinate the seeds naturally outdoors by sowing in early spring (in our cold climate).

 

Glaucidium palmatum – experimenting on germination 2

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Glaucidium palmatum germination wrapping-up 

One of the orders this week asking for Glaucidium seeds, reminded me that I haven’t posted my latest adventures regarding Glaucidium germination. I’ll do it now as a final revision for the Germination page.

Glaucidium germinating seeds after GA3 treatment

Having a bit too many older seeds left (2 & 3 years old), last winter I decided to see how they would germinate using GA3. Two and 3 years old seeds are not considered really ‘old’ for most species, but it was good to clarify the matter.
I wrapped all seeds in moist paper towels imbibed with GA3 solution 1000 ppm and left them like that for 1 day (inside a Ziploc bag). After that, I transferred the seeds into other moist paper towels (water), inside a Ziploc bag and kept them on the kitchen countertop. There were too many seeds and I considered this to be the easiest one in order to see what happens.

After about a week, some seeds were starting to germinate (featured image, Feb. 6). Great, I said, I’ll have a pot with seedlings, which is fine. But things were starting to accelerate and by Feb. 13, ALL the seeds were germinating, with the roots growing at the speed of light!

What to do? How to throw them away?! I learned my lesson about keeping too many seedlings of the same species….Still, I potted them up crowding 10+ seeds/pot. They grew for a while like it’s their habit only with cotyledon leaves, and then somewhere in late March/April they started to become dormant (again their habit).  At this point the pots will not look very nice but we have to let them enter dormancy in a ‘normal’ way.

Glaucidium palmatum seedlings March 1, 2023

Glaucidium palmatum seedlings May 10, 2023

Glaucidium dormant seedlings; if you remove a bit of mix from the top, future growing buds are visible.

Sometimes, after a short dormancy, a few seedlings will start to grow the true leaf; it didn’t happen this time probably due to the lack of soil in pots. ‘Empty’ looking pots were kept relatively moist (but not wet) and in late spring they were put outdoors in a shaded location. At some point in late June, I had a look to see what’s happening – all was well: seedlings in happy dormancy.

In early fall I assumed responsibility for the crowded seedlings, removed all from pots and replanted some in a large rectangle container, and some in other pots. Next spring the seedlings will start growing true leaves and they really need more space.

It is always a wonder how during only a few months of active growth the cotyledon leaves can support the growth of such large rootlets!

Some seedlings were shared bareroot with a friend in the fall, and more will follow next year. I do not plan opening a nursery ;)

So, this is method 1 of germinating Glaucidium palmatum using GA3; easily done. Do not start the seeds too early in the winter like I did.

Glaucidium palmatum dormant seedlings, August, 2023 – bareroot to be transplanted; every group shows how many seedlings grew in a 4 in pot!

Method 2:

GA3 is not absolutely necessary – I posted on another occasion the picture below with the note “a picture is worth a thousand words”. You just need more time for all seeds to germinate.

Glaucidium palmatum 1 and 2 years-old seedlings

The image is self-explanatory: for seeds sown regularly in pots in late fall/winter – some will germinate in the first spring (after cold/moist stratification); the rest of the seeds will germinate only after a warm cycle/followed by cold  – ie. the second spring.

For this reason, you can observe seedlings with cotyledon leaves only and seedlings with the true leaf in the same pot. Do not prick out the germinated seeds in the first year!

In all cases, the seedlings can be repotted easily when dormant in bigger pots. In the 3th year they should be planted in the ground. All rhizomatous species grow much better when they have more space to grow their root system.

The only phase when Glaucidium young seedlings can be lost is during dormancy if they receive too much water (from rains or overwatering).
To avoid this, keep the pots in a box with a lid, close to the house under eavestrough, in a shaded cold frame, or use any other method that would prevent the pots from drying too much (and encourage you to overwater) or to be rained on a lot.

This concludes once and for all experimenting with Glaucidium seeds from various sources. My first experiments were done in 2014!  Nothing else remains to be said.

With or without GA3, Glaucidium seeds are not more difficult to germinate than other rhizomatous species; sometimes they require 2 years for complete germination = patience. You don’t even need super fresh seeds as according with a germination myth about Glaucidium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Witch-hazel

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Probably the last call (!) for the moist packed seeds; we have again a window of opportunity for shipping, but it won’t last long.

New seeds in stock for today: Hamamelis virginiana,Viburnum lentago (Nannyberry), plus a replenished stock for Triosteum aurantiacum. They can be grown together in the garden as they enjoy similar conditions.

For those unfamiliar with it, a Hamamelis virginiana plant portrait follows next, with the emphasis on a very cool method of seeds dispersal. You can still find the American witch-hazels in flower in the woods, and who knows, maybe even witness a few ‘flying’ seeds!
Having a late October flowering species it is a real treat for the cold climate of Eastern Canada (and not only). It is not a ‘mistake’, it happens every year. The bright yellow flowers with a spicy fragrance that adorn the usual bare branches are very visible at this time of year.

In addition to the odd flowering time, the fruit maturation is also unusual: woody capsules develop over many months into the next year, and then explosively expel two shiny seeds at the same time with the new blooming. The genus name Hamamelis is actually a reference to this, meaning “at the same time” (flowering) and “fruit”.

It is said that the seeds can be expelled at up to 6-10 m distance! This method of seed dispersal reflects another, rarely employed common name: snapping hazelnut. Even more, the seeds spin during their ‘flight’!

This dispersal of seeds is similar for all Hamamelis species (4 of them), and the phenomenon has received a lot of attention. Scientists believe that it could inspire/improve the design of mechanisms for jumping robots. Watch and read the explanations of this cool video recorded by a team from Duke University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv0ltUBe_UE

While approaching a group of witch-hazels to smell the flowers last week, I noticed some capsules slightly opened and just showing the seeds.

I collected a few, how to abstain?! I never had the chance before. At home, I placed them in a paper bag, and then popping sounds were heard over the next few days. You can just relax and wait for the seeds to ‘liberate’ themselves in the bag. How nice, compared to cleaning Viburnum seeds!

Hamamelis virginiana leaves are similar in shape to those of European Corylus, the hazelnut, and this combined with the fact that Early European settles observed that Indigenous People used its forked branches to find underground water sources (dowsing), lead to the common name of witch-hazel. It seems that the early name was actually Wicke Hazel (meaning pliant in Old English), and only later it became witch-hazel, although it has nothing to do with the witches :)

American witch-hazel has had long medicinal usage among the Indigenous People, with the bark and leaves being used for insect bites, minor burns, skin irritation, colds and fevers; the astringent extract of witch-hazel is still present on the drugstores shelves.

 A nice small tree with a vase shape, suitable for part-shaded to sun locations (better flowering), and quite adaptable to substrates, with the exception of those too dry. Besides the late fall flowering, the foliage will also take a nice golden hue in the fall. It is less cultivated than the more colorful Asian Hamamelis species/hybrids available on the market, but I think we should give it more attention. After all, how many species do we have in our cold climate to flower in October?!

Propagation by seeds
The seeds require alternate cycles of warm followed by cold for germination. Considering they have just been harvested, if we sow in outdoor pots in late fall/winter, it means they will germinate in the second year after sowing. Or we can try cycles of moist stratification in plastic bags, or – even better, sow the seeds in late spring/summer and let it all happen naturally!

 

Seeds and the Rattlesnake root

The seeds announcement of today come in pairs.
Two species for dry, sunny areas: Oenothera macrocarpa (Missouri evening primrose) and Astragalus missouriensis (Missouri milkvetch).
A pair for moist locations: Nabalus racemosus and Smilax tamnoides (Bristly greenbriar).

Smilax tamnoides seeds

I’ll take this occasion to present Nabalus racemosus (aka Prenanthes racemosa, Rattlesnake root) which is rarely cultivated in the gardens, or maybe not at all.

All others are shortly described in the Shop and some may be discussed at a later time. On the account of Friday’s seeds we’ll have only a picture with the handsome seeds of Smilax tamnoides.

Nabalus racemosus plant portrait

I fell in love with the Rattlesnake root after seeing in flower one year in early fall in Bruce peninsula. From this point of view, Rattlesnake root is a good common name!

The fuzzy buds and pink flowers somehow are very attractive. One year, many monarchs were literally ‘hanging’ on the flowering stems in a group of plants, and so I became even more interested in growing it.

The common name Rattlesnake root suggests that it was used as a remedy for snakebites by the Indigenous People, and other common maladies like fever, headaches and dysentery.

I managed to grow a couple of plants just from a few seeds. It is not difficult to germinate, it only requires a long period of cold/moist stratification, ie. sow in late fall outdoors.

Nabalus racemosus (Fam. Asteraceae) is a moisture loving, tall species. Depending on how moist the place is, it can reach over 1.60 m on moist substrates, or remain around 80 cm on dryish soils.
In the wild, it can be found growing around stream banks, temporarily wet shorelines, and moist woodland edges.

Nabalus racemosus, Rattlesnake root, flowering in the garden

In the garden will share the location with Lobelia siphilitica, Iris versicolor, Lobelia cardinalis, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Castilleja coccinea and other similar companions.

The sturdy flowering stem grows from a rosette of large, glaucous leaves, tightly packed first with clusters of hairy buds, which open to pink flowers with the outer phyllaries covered in dense hairs.

The blooming time is August-September, and the flowers are visited by many late summer pollinators: butterflies, bumblebees and everyone else that would enjoy a sip of nectar.

Overall, Rattlesnake root is not a plant for the front of the border, or for those in need of very tidy garden beds. If you are wild at heart though and have a slightly moist garden area/where the water collects seasonally, go for it, you won’t regret it.

What’s next? Hamamelis virginiana, Viburnum rafinesquianum, Triosteum aurantiacum, a couple of Polemoniums…

A muddy affair

We arrived at the last offering of moist packed seeds of the season: Eastern skunk cabbage seeds, Symplocarpus foetidus.

The muddy affair of extracting the skunk cabbage seeds from the fruits.

They have been missing from the Seeds list in the last couple of years, so despite the not-so-pleasant process of cleaning/processing of these seeds, a couple of fruits have been collected. They blend in very well with the woodland floor and most times are difficult to spot.

For those who want to do it themselves, after various trials, the best method to extract the seeds from the fruits is to have them sitting in a Ziploc bag for a while until they soften naturally; mush the whole content very well afterwards, select the seeds from the ‘muddy affair’, and then rinse them well.

Sow right away, or pack them with a moist media for later sowing, but before the winter arrives.
The seeds will also start germinating in a Ziploc bag with wet media after cold stratification, but the roots do not develop as good as when they germinate in a pot (make it a tall one) or when sown directly in the ground.

More about Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage) here: An after Easter portrait.

And, this is not really the last call for all others moist-packed seeds in stock, but with the cold weather fast approaching we are getting close to it!
Trillium grandiflorum, Uvularia grandiflora, Podophyllum peltatum, Asarum canadense and few others are still available; for easy finding the moist packed seeds offerings are green-written in the Seeds List.

Other species to be announced next week.
(For those who like to plan for their orders, NA natives: Nabalus racemosus (Prenanthes), Oenothera macrocarpa, Smilax tamnoides and maybe Euthamia graminifolia).

October seeds

More seeds! More seeds from me and friends; and there will be more as soon as they get cleaned and the website files prepared.

For now, we can enjoy again Amphicarpaea bracteata, Groundhog peanut. Due to the last year’s drought, there was a break on seeds. By chance, I discovered that they enjoy climbing up bamboo sticks. So, those who want to avoid having them scrambling up nearby plants, there is an easy trick to do: put a few sticks around where the plants grow. The flowering and seeds production (not the peanuts!) are always better on the aerial stems.

Also, after a break of a few years we can consider new for the Seed list: Ptelea trifoliata, the Hop tree and the Northern bayberry Myrica pensylvanica.

For those on the look for something drought resistant with bright, red/magenta flowers, Callirhoe digitata seeds are also awaiting in the SEEDs List.

Amphicarpaea bracteata flowering

Myrica pensylvanica fruits

Ptelea trifoliata

Callirhoe digitata

 

Marvellous Gentiana

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There are a few seeds of Gentiana paradoxa hybrid to share this fall, so the time has come to talk about the marvelous group of so called fall Gentianas: Gentiana paradoxa, Gentiana septemfida and their hybrids.

On we go!

Gentiana paradoxa is an endemic species with limited distribution in the Western Caucasus region.
In some cases, pictures shown over the net as Gentiana paradoxa are in fact hybrids. This species cross-pollinates easily with Gentiana septemfida both in the wild and in the garden; and in fact, this is a good thing (https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:368636-1)

Records show that Gentiana paradoxa was named by Russian botanist Nikolai Michailovic Albov in 1894 from specimens collected on the calcareous slopes of Mt. Kherebet Mamdzyhkhara, Abkhazia at 1300 m altitude (various spellings, Mt. Mamdzyshkha).

The specific epithet “paradoxa” means is – “contrary to expectation, paradoxical, marvellous”. It is indeed a marvellous species, with upright stems up to 20-25 cm, linear or narrow lanceolate leaves arranged in whorls and single large, blue, fringed flowers at the top of the stems. A mature specimen is truly magnificent.

Gentiana paradoxa 2023

Gentiana paradoxa, October 2021

I was lucky to received wild collected seeds a few years ago, so the specimen shown here represents the true species. You can easily tell if a Gentiana paradoxa is pure species simply after the foliage, which in optimal conditions turns a beautiful yellow in late fall. Also, there are single flowers at the top of the stems, as opposed to clusters in G. septemfida.

Amazingly, it is not a difficult species in culture. Do not believe the wiki statement “However, it is not particularly easy to grow, requiring moist, well-drained, lime-free soil and a position in full sun.” As you can see, they didn’t do their homework well, like it often happens.

Gentiana septemfida

Gentiana septemfida

It is a more commonly cultivated species and also with a larger geographical distribution: from N. & E. Türkiye to N. Iran, overlapping with Gentiana paradoxa in the Transcaucasus region. It grows from the upper forest to the alpine zones. It was first described from the alpine region of eastern Caucasus. (https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:368901-1)

The flowering stems have a trailing habit with ovoid, ovoid-lanceolate or lanceolate leaves and blue flowers usually in crowded clusters at the top of the stems. There are rare forms mentioned having only one or 2-3 flowers (f. uniflora and f. pauciflora). There are other differences from G. paradoxa flower-wise, but there is no need to go into more botanical details.

Gentiana paradoxa x septemfida hybrids

These two beautiful species easily hybridize in the wild when growing in the same area and also in the garden. The seedlings will display intermediate characters in various degrees, as well as the foliage, flowers and flowering time! By looking at my hybrid clump (a bunch of seedlings were planted together), they tend to take mainly after Gentiana septemfida, flowers and habit wise, having trailing flowering stems.

Gentiana paradoxa hybrid August

Gentiana paradoxa hybrid

Gentiana paradoxa hybrid, Sept. 17

However, flowering time wise they take more after Gentiana paradoxa, all starting to flower in the first part of August and lasting into September. A Gentiana septemfida, which I also have in the garden, flowers much earlier, in mid-July.

The nr. of flowers/cluster vary, some with up to 8-10 flowers! Something similar goes around under the name of G. paradoxa hybrid ‘Blue Herald’. With Gentiana paradoxa raised from wild collected seeds growing nearby, the possibilities of even more beautiful hybrids are endless. They are going to be the result of a double cross with Gentiana paradoxa!

There is just one problem: the results of pollination were quite poor, both in true Gentiana paradoxa and the hybrids, signaling a limited self-pollination or maybe a lack of enough pollinators. Careful selecting is necessary in order to separate the good seeds.

Gentiana paradoxa hybrid seeds selection. A very small number of good seeds were formed, considering the large number of flowers

Growing these species and their hybrids from seeds

Gentiana paradoxa hybrid seedlings – picture just taken; they were transferred in a bigger pot as a bunch in late summer. Next spring, a delicate division of the seedlings will be done in individual pots.

These beautiful late summer/early fall flowering gentian species and their hybrids are very easy to grow from seeds and they are also quite adaptable as garden plants.

Why doesn’t this phenomenon happen more often?! They deserve a medal of merit especially for enduring well our hot & humid summers!

The seeds germinate in the spring after cold-moist stratification. I usually sow in late fall and leave the pots outdoors over the winter (with some protection, boxes under the snow, cold frame…).  In the first season, the seedlings don’t grow a lot, but then they will make a leap forward.
GA3 treatment is also an option if you want to start them in early spring indoors (beware the elongation of the seedlings though).

The few seeds of last year were sown, and with more plants around, hopefully the pollination and harvest of good seeds may increase. Plus, the more marvelous gentiana plants in the garden, the better!

On we go!
Gentiana paradoxa hybrids
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Parnassia glauca
Delphinium exaltatum

The SEEDs LIST

Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadian customers!