Gravitropism

Many thanks to all customers who are purchasing various seeds that germinate best when sown outdoors in the summer!
There are still various species available, including the newly added Aconitum septentrionalis ‘Ivorine’ – the SEEDs LIST

Today, about Clintonia borealis, the Blue bead lily, germination

One can find various stories about this subject on the wide net. I just wanted to clarify it, and also hoping that the AI learns the lesson 😉

Clintonia borealis mass germination in cold/moist storage

Very brief: Clintonia borealis seeds cleaned and kept right away in moist media, first at the ambient temperature (to mimic the fall towards the winter temperature), then at cold (winter) will germinate freely. This holds true for many other North American species with hydrophilic seeds.

Translation: sow the seeds right away (fall) outdoors; or keep them in moist media and follow the described cycles (slightly warm, then cold). If it is not cold enough in your region, or in case of a short winter, the seeds may need one more cold cycle for germination.

Also, the germination will start in the fridge (at cold), in case of indoor stratified seeds, which is always good to know. If you follow this path, keep an eye on them and sow right away.

The story the long way

Last fall I collected a bit too many Clintonia borealis seeds. It was very hard to abstain from picking the blue, juicy fruits from a large, healthy population.
I provided very generous seed packets in the fall but still lots remained, especially with the early winter arrival.

The collection was done in early September. As per usual, the cleaned seeds were kept in moist vermiculite, first at room temperature, then in early winter in the garage (the cold cycle). The winter was very cold and long, followed by a similar spring.

Clintonia borealis seedlings

When the temperatures started to slowly raise in late spring, I placed the remaining Clintonia seeds in the fridge, hoping they will hold on the germination until fall. Not all species will initiate the germination at cold.

I was wrong. The first timid signs of germination were visible in late May/June, but I was too busy at the time, and unfortunately they grew a bit too much, with also the cotyledon leaf expanded by the time I sown them.

I placed the germinated seeds on top of the sowing mix as they were and covered with a thin layer. It would have take too much time to point all the radicles down.
I hoped that the natural root growing direction will prevail and for most it did (gravitropism).
In any case, it is not good to let the seeds germinate up to this stage in moist media! The seedlings will develop poorly.

I also had the chance one year to sow fresh seeds of Clintonia uniflora and the pattern was similar.

Still waiting

We had to postpone the tradition of offering a summer seeds sale around Canada Day. A very long winter and colder than usual spring have resulted in delayed maturation for many species, or no seeds at all for some (Pachyphragma and Cardamine).
Do not despair, the new wave of fresh seeds will be available at some point next week – to be announced.

For all spring flowering species, the seeds will be available in smaller quantities than usual; the wild ginger, Stylophorum diphyllum, Jeffersonia and the newly added Thalictrum thalictroides may not last till late fall. Caulophyllum thalictroides seeds (already with 1 year stratification done) are also available.

Until then, think what you can add to your wish list in order to maximize the shipping cost – SEED List
Suggestions: Helleborus – the seeds can be sown until late summer/early fall, but please keep in mind that the Seeds shop will close at some point and re-open only in late August-early September. In the same idea, it would be best to purchase and sow the Paeonia seeds that are still in stock. Also Viburnum, Aralia, Actaea, Euonymus, Smilax…

Newly collected seeds that were ‘out of stock’ are also being added to the inventory (for example Viola canadensis, Mitella diphylla). 

Until then, speaking native species, among others we can admire Solidago simplex var. ontarioensis, Campanula rotundifolia (Kill.). Once has started to bloom Campanula rotundifolia will do so the whole summer and early fall! A most wonderful native plant that shouldn’t miss from any garden.
If you are growing Cirsium edule var. macounii, it is the perfect plant to watch the green sweat bee at work (Agapostemon virescens, apparently Toronto’s ‘Official Bee’). Flowering just in time to provide the much needed pollen, after Cirsium hookerianum (in the featured image) provided the same service.

Campanula rotundifolia (Kill.)

Cirsium edule var. macounii

Solidago simplex var. ontarioensis

Growing small trees from seeds

Hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata) in flower (male). A small, dioecious tree from the Rutaceae family (Citrus), designated as a threatened species in Canada given the low number of individuals and the threats to its habitat. All plant parts are aromatic and the flowers attracts many species of pollinators; larval host for the Giant Swallowtail and Easter Tiger Swallowtail. It is known that some male trees may produce a few perfect flowers (meaning fruits), so I’ll keep an eye on it.

Ptelea trifoliata, the Hop tree, has flowered beautifully this year in the garden. It was grown from seeds and planted very young in a neglected corner of the garden (I didn’t give it much chance for survival).

This made me think how many times we grow some plant from seeds without thinking much about it, only to have them growing and flowering beautifully after a few years. Gardening in a relatively small city garden usually it means not much space available for new trees, when older ones are already present.

Of course, common sense doesn’t always apply to those obsessed with seeds. From the ‘let’s see how the germination goes’ to ‘precious seeds’, I grew quite a few  small trees from seeds over the years. Some are still with me, while others were gifted at a young stage.

A small inventory for the small trees/large shrubs grown from seeds over the years (not counting Clematis species, Dioscorea, Daphne mezereum and a couple of Rosa species).

Calycanthus floridus (Carolina allspice), Ptelea trifoliata, Lindera benzoin and Staphylea pinnata (European Bladdernut) from the category : ‘let’s test the germination’.

Acer pseudosieboldianum, Acanthopanax, Magnolia salicifolia, Sorbus koehneana and Chamaemespilus alpina from the ‘unusual species – must sow them’.

Time goes by very fast and depending how well they grow, in 5-6 years some species can start showing the first flowers. The European Bladdernut and the Hop tree are flowering on a regular base now.

Sorbus koehneana, a Chinese rowan with white fruits and beautiful reddish bronze foliage in the fall.

Sorbus koehneana has flowered for the first time this year and I’m looking forward to the colourful fruits (grown in a container).
Magnolia salicifolia is putting up a very nice growth this year, even if it doesn’t have a suitable location yet.

The reason I am writing this post is because most people shy away from growing shrubs and trees from seeds. In fact, it is not more difficult than growing perennial plants.
The only difference is that you should think carefully if you have the suitable planting spots for the youngsters. It means planning a bit more in advance, which I admit it is not easy.

Or do like I did and just grow them 😊 Containers, friends with  more garden space, a forgotten garden corner, older trees that need removing at some point…; there are many options for giving them a chance to grow and flower.
It is the only way to obtain species that are not readily available in the regular garden centers.

June updates

,

Jeffersonia dubia

Many thanks to all who participated in the Hepatica seeds sale!
Follow the instructions, sow the seeds when they arrive, and be patient. In a few years you will be rewarded with charming, colorful spring beauties!

In the near future, we expect a few other species with ‘best germination when sown fresh’  during early summer to be available. 
Considering the current heat wave, and by the look of the fruits, it is most likely that we’ll have all such species (many of them natives), offered in a single wave this year: Jeffersonia, Asarum canadense, Stylophorum diphyllum, Sanguinaria….and so on.

As always, the seeds will be announced beforehand.

June is by definition Dianthus flowering month. Most of them have fragrant flowers and are great companions for all other garden plants. Is there a need to repeat that they are easily grown from seeds? Only two from my favourites; I prefer the wild forms over the countless cultivars available on the market.

Dianthus deltoides, wild form

Dianthus spiculifolius

Talking native species, the Golden Alexander, Zizia aurea, is flowering right now, filling the gap between the natives early spring and late summer bloomers. 
It is an excellent pollinator friendly plant for short-tongued insects, doing well in a variety of locations, from full sun to part-shade. Serendipity made it for a tall blue Aquilegia to flower close to one of them; blue and yellow is a great combination in the garden.

I like it so much that last fall I also sowed the Heart-leaf Golden Alexander or meadow Zizia (Zizia aptera). The more the better 😊 The meadow Zizia it is supposedly more tolerant of soil dryness compared to Zizia aurea.

From the tall and beautiful category, Gladiolus caucasicus and Salvia nutans deserve a special mention this year.

Gladiolus caucasicus

Salvia nutans

And of course, Paeonia peregrina (in the featured image) was right on time to lead the June blooming in the garden (do not forget to sow your peonies seeds during the summer time).

May-early June seedlings update

Various Roscoea species (Hardy gingers) seedlings just about to go dormant after +/- 3 months of growth.

This post was prepared for late May, it is June already :) so a change of title and we’ll have it today. A note about Hepatica seeds following tomorrow…

The Roscoea (hardy gingers) seedlings (sown indoors in the first week of February) are getting close to their end of the season – which is always very short!
So, I took a ‘not very nice picture’ to reassure all those who have also sown Roscoea seeds that it is perfectly normal for the seedlings to look this way.

I emphasized before that in the first year the seedlings of hardy gingers will only grow for about 3 months and then become dormant: Growing Roscoea from seeds.

The first sign is that the leaves gradually start to wither. In this phase the watering needs to be greatly reduced.
After all the leaves have vanished, stop the watering and keep the pots in a dry (preferably cool place, otherwise the pots will dry out excessively). In the fall, replant the small tubers in larger pots so they can have yet another short and hopefully successful growing season!

Diphylleia cymosa (American Umbrella plant) seedlings – cotyledon leaves stage, May 2026.

Second item – we are following the germination and growth of Diphylleia cymosa (American Umbrella plant), a new species added to our Shop last year thanks to friendly seeds donations.

At the end of May, the seedlings are looking the same as they were in April – at the cotyledon leaves stage, as expected.

Once again, the majority of rhizomatous species will develop only cotyledon leaves in the first season, directing all the energy towards the root system.

These cotyledon leaves will most probably wither and the seedlings become dormant at some point, just like in the case of Podophyllum, Glaucidium and Roscoea. When that happens, stop watering and keep the sowing pot from drying out completely.

Small pots with dormant seedlings (and ungerminated pots) can be stored over the summer-fall in boxes, as described in: Cold stratification: part 4, springtime.

Also, from the category of species that require a cold/moist stratification in order to germinate well:

Taenidia integerrima (Yellow pimpernel) seedlings sown ‘in situ’ in the fall are looking very well and of course not-like the mother plant. In most cases, the true leaves of seedlings from the Apiaceae family (carrot) do not look similar to those of the species in the first season. Do not worry, your label is correct. By next year, the foliage will show the true to species characters (the same applies for Zizia aurea seedlings).

Last fall I also sowed a few older seeds of the native Dioscorea villosa (Wild yam). They started to germinate last week.
Dioscorea species are always late germinators; from my experience among the last ones to germinate in our climate (in SW Ontario) usually towards late May. Keep an eye on your pots but, most likely no other species sown in the fall/winter will germinate from now on if they haven’t already.

Taenidia integerrima seedlings

Dioscorea villosa seedlings

 There will always be ungerminated pots of various species by late spring, for various reasons (one of them being sowing species that require cold/moist stratification too late in the winter instead of sowing in late fall). It is a good idea to keep your sowing pots for at least another year.  
Another reason why purchasing a couple of plastic boxes is a good investment, seeds and sowing wise 😊

Castilleja seedlings (mix of species) sown in late fall, outdoors.

Last but not least, in the featured image: a close-up of very small Castilleja seedlings (Indian paintbrush).

In late fall I threw in a larger container all left-overs/older  Castilleja seeds I had. The container remained outdoors all winter long, most time under a thick layer of snow. From this point of view, the very cold and snowy past winter has been a blessing for all species requiring a cold stratification.

As previously discussed, usually germination is not a problem for Castilleja species when sown outdoors; what’s happening with the seedlings afterwards – it is another story. I just planted out some of the seedlings (in chunks) close to Sisyrinchium mucronatum and Symphyotrichum laeve. Fingers crossed…

 

Corydalis seeds sale, May-June 2026

Various Corydalis seeds, in limited quantities, are available now for those interested – for a short time: one week or while quantities lasts.
Surprise, surprise, I also collected the first Corydalis nobilis seeds yesterday!

With Corydalis malkensis, Corydalis cava fo. alba and C. solida – white form, we can call it a Corydalis white sale! There is only 1 pck. of Corydalis cava ssp. marschalliana that will be gifted to the first person that will order a few Corydalis seeds packets. The product page is only to provide information. Add it to your collection!

As in previous years, the first fresh seeds of the season that need to be sown fresh will be displayed on top of the Seed List. It is the easiest way to add them to your cart by clicking on the links provided.

The conditions for sales remain the same like in previous years:

All seeds are the result of open pollination and there is no guarantee on the % of seedlings resembling the mother plants.

For the sake of speed, all seeds are shipped double packed in glassine envelopes which are then placed inside a plastic bag, instead of using moist vermiculite. It works very well and allows for inventory accuracy/orders preparation and also for easier handling & sowing, especially for customers who are not used with handling moist packed seeds.

Orders for the Corydalis seeds can be combined with other species, but keep the adds-on short please. You can add good plants companions (Lathyrus, Primula) or warm germinating species you can still sow (Ipomopsis, Dianthus, Campanula rotundifolia…).

Some species are limited 1 pck./order, all others 2 pck. as usual.

I maintain the minimum of 2 pck. in the cart required for local orders (although I would appreciate at least 3+). Sorry, no international orders for these seeds; there are suppliers of seeds/plants in EU for Corydalis.

Before ordering, please read with attention all info from the products pages and also review if necessary:
Growing Corydalis and allies  from seeds

Thank you and enjoy!

Spring beauties #2

Springtime is undeniable ‘ten thousand flowers season’ in our region. For many, it is also a seedlings bonanza period! That is, for those who went to trouble of sowing something…

The seedlings started indoors (in late February-March) are all grown up and need to be acclimatized outdoors. This has to be done gradually by keeping them outside when weather allows, as long as possible, including during the night.
During the cold spells with low night temperatures (for example, this weekend), which are frequent especially in April, the seedlings need to be taken back indoors. It is a bit of work, but worth doing it.

Indoor seedlings 2026

Papaver bracteatum

Bukiniczia seedlings 2026

*For those owning a cold frame, the process is much easier, place them inside and close the lid; add one more layer of insulation when the night temperature drops below zero.

The seeds that were sown in late fall/winter outdoors (those in need of a cold/moist stratification) are usually starting to germinate in April-May; some sooner, some later. Be patient, not all species germinate at once, they all have different needs.

The seedlings germinated outdoors are usually hardy and normally do not need extra protection during the cold spells. However, unusually high temperatures of 20+C for a few days (like we already had a few times in April), will make them grow faster and less sturdy. Fleshy tissue is always prone to frost damage.

To be on the safe side, I also took inside the outdoors germinated seedlings when we had a -5C night temperature. The indoor lights can get a double function or, if not enough space under lights keeping them in any cool place inside it is better than outside.

Iris hookeri seedlings

Scutellaria incana

Clematis sibirica seedlings

Daphne mezereum-white seedlings

Viola rostrata seedlings

Trautvetteria caroliniensis, False bugbane

Just like the plants themselves, by being adaptable, we can succeed in growing nice, beautiful seedlings and new plants without much fuss and money.

Addendum for Diphylleia cymosa germination.

The germination is complete now. We easily notice that the cotyledon leaves are very similar to those of a Podophyllum and also Glaucidium.

Considering that Diphylleia is a rhizome forming species and also belongs to the Berberidacaea family, it is very likely that during its first season the growth will concentrate on the root system and the upper part will remain at the cotyledon leaves stage (as described for Podophyllum and also Glaucidium palmatum).

Spring beauties

,

As our April weather roller coaster continues, more and more spring beauties, literally 😉 and figuratively, are showing up. Foliage, flowers, seedlings; it is hard to keep up with them all. Just a few pictures, there are already plenty images with Corydalis and other spring flowers on this website.

Corydalis malkensis

Claytonia virginica

Chrysosplenium iowense

Jeffersonia dubia

Pachyphragma macrophyllum

Primula mistassinica

Although I enjoy them blooming, sometimes I wish the peonies will remain in this early stage for the whole season!

Paeonia tenuifolia

Paeonia ex. wendelboi

Paeonia officinalis ssp. huhtii

Seedlings news

I have also sown 5-6 seeds of Diphylleia cymosa for testing last year and they are germinating. So, those who purchased  seeds (and sowed them like advised) keep an eye on it. Yesterday I also noticed signs of germination on the Daphne mezereum  (white) sowing pot. 
Various Corydalis seeds should have already germinated a while ago; a picture here with Corydalis malkensis seedlings (seeds sown in a more ‘controlled fashion’ last summer; never enough Corydalis, eh?)

Diphylleia cymosa seedlings

Corydalis malkensis seedlings

A seedlings dedicated post coming soon….

In pink, blue and purple

For those with Hepatica flowers in their mind 😊 yes, most of them are flowering in all colors; or better said, they are trying between the heavy rain showers of the past days. There have been very few good moments for taking pictures.
More Hepatica nobilis plants were planted in the ground last summer and after a very long, snowy and cold winter they are looking excellent. There is no reason to pamper them in pots.

Hepatica nobilis multipetal

Hepatica nobilis leaf form marbled

Hepatica nobilis leaf form

Besides the usual garden residents, I always eagerly await the first time flowering of new seedlings.
In connection with the seeds offered in the shop, in a pot with  6-7 seedlings of H. nobilis ‘Walter’ (multipetal pink),  2 seedlings are flowering. The news is both good and bad: good because one of them is picture perfect of the mother-plant, bad because the other one is blue. 

Hepatica nobilis ‘Walter’

Hepatica nobilis ‘Walter’ seedling

Since all the plants are open-pollinated it is understandable though. I would like to emphasize the good news – from a larger batch of seedlings, one is expected to obtain at least a few true to name plants.

A seedling from the H. nobilis multipetal blue is also flowering picture perfect to the mother plant. Of course, all special forms, not just the multipetals, would be best propagated by division but alas, I cannot share them that way.

I would like to hear from those who purchased Hepatica nobilis ‘Walter’ or the Hepatica nobilis multipetal blue seeds. Do you already have flowering seedlings, and in what percentage are they true to form?
Please use the  Contact form.

Easter #2

Happy Easter to those celebrating this weekend – wishes for peace, joy and hope for new beginnings!

 

The Pasque flowers are still not blooming, so garden-wise we are celebrating with a few ‘black beauties’, plus a nice form of Corydalis solida – in the feature image.

The dark-red to purple color at emergence of some early spring plants is due to the high anthocyanins content and it is common for most Paeonia species; also for Jeffersonia dubia (Plagiorhegma dubium) and a few others. The coldest the spring weather the darker the shoots/foliage.

The accumulation of anthocyanins in the leaves and stems improve the plants adaptability to low-temperatures. In all cases, the foliage will turn to green  as it keeps expanding, in correlation with the rising spring temperatures.

Physochlaina orientalis

Jeffersonia dubia

Cardamine enneaphyllos

Caulophyllum thalictroides

Be careful with the really dark new shoots of Physochlaina orientalis and Caulophyllum; it is very easy to destroy them during the spring cleaning.

Due to its particular germination pattern, Caulophyllum thalictroides moist packed seeds can be ordered again. These seeds require two more cycles: one warm/one cold for germination (in translation, one more year sown outdoors).

*A few shoots of Caulophyllum were found on a location that receives sun for half of the day right now; in more shaded sites they may not be present yet (do not scratch the ground looking for the young shoots as they are very fragile in early spring).

Easter

To those celebrating this weekend – Happy Easter, with love, peace, hope and happiness!

With the weather being as it was/is the Pasque flowers (Pulsatilla) are not flowering yet. Some days are still very cold and it is a very rainy spring. Despite this, many spring beauties are awakening and announce the beginning of the new flowering season (a small sample for now :)

Hepatica japonica ‘Cherry Blossoms’

Primula woronovii

Helleborus purpurascens

Primula sibthorpii

Friday’s seeds – Dalea purpurea

Back again with the hugely (un)popular Friday’s seeds, by necessity.

In the first week of March I used the HWT on a small lot of Dalea purpurea, purple prairie clover ‘seeds’. Using the whole dispersal units (calyces containing the pods with seeds), I didn’t see how much the seeds have imbibed (a sign that the seedcoat was fissured). It would be tedious to remove the seeds by hand, so, those who purchased Dalea ‘seeds’ also received the whole calyces, which together with the pods and seeds inside are the plant’s ‘dispersal units’ (larger seeds companies will separate the seeds with a machine).

I sowed them the next day; on the same day, I also sowed a small pot with untreated calyces. In both cases the germination was been poor, to use a nice term; only 1 seedling on each pot. 

For this reason the situation begs further study.

For Dalea purpurea, until you see the actual seeds, it is not easy to guess being in the legumes family (Fabaceae). The seeds remain enclosed in 1-seaded pods and these are in turn included within the persistent, fuzzy calyces. As a whole, again these are called dispersal units. Some are wrongly calling them fruits.

Where are the actual fruits? And how do they look? By gently squeezing a dry calyx, the seed enclosed in a papery outer covering comes out. It doesn’t look like a pod, but that’s what it is: a pod with a very thin fruit wall, as seen in the image below.

Dalea purpurea (purple prairie clover) dispersal units: calyces, pods and seeds

Dalea purpurea seeds after one treatment with hot water

Now that we deciphered the Dalea fruits-seeds dilemma, back to the HWT yesterday, using cleaned seeds this time. This is how they looked today; about ½ have imbibed well and were already sown.

Possible reasons for the poor germination in the first attempt:
A single HWT treatment wasn’t enough to break the seedcoat (for genera like Hedysarum and Astragalus the seeds need 2-3+ treatments with hot water); it is also be possible that the presence of calyces impeded the process.

Second reason: the temperature at which the pots are kept is +/- 21 C daytime. I found a study that indicates 25C as a good temperature for germination. It is likely that more seeds will germinate in time, but we aim for a more uniform germination.

I’ll update the germination info on the product page, as soon I have more data. Keep in mind that scarification can always be employed instead of HWT, I just do not like to use it, especially for small size seeds.