One picture: epicotyl dormancy

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Sanguinaria canadensis: seedlings of last and this year in the same pot = keep your pots for at least 2 years.

Cycles require for germination (moist at all times): W + C with about 50% of seeds with W + C + W (W- warm, C- cold). From a small sample of seeds you may never know, they can germinate all at once or in stages.
The epicotyl dormancy can be simple or double simple.

Sanguinaria canadensis 2 generations seedlings

Simple epicotyl dormancy = emergence of the roots in autumn and emergence of the shoots following spring; a germination pattern common for many species.

 

 

 

 

One picture: Glaucidium

A short series on the idea that “A picture is worth a thousand words”.

Glaucidium palmatum: last year seedlings germinated warm and seedlings germinated this spring after the winter cold. It can happen for all seeds to germinate after a cold period (always keep your pots for 2 years).

Glaucidium palmatum seedlings

Friday’s seedlings: primulas

A couple of days ago I started to prick out Primula seedlings when I realized I should take few pictures first. At this time of the year I don’t always get the chance to show the ‘before’ picture.
Featured image with Primula zambalensis already pricked out (easy, warm germinator).

Primula ruprechtii (cold/moist stratification) and Primula glaucescens (done with GA3/ otherwise cold/moist stratification)

Primula ruprechtii seedlings

Primula glaucescens

Primula amoena seedlings are still small, will have to grow a bit more (cold/moist for at least 2 months).

Primula amoena

Primulas are also flowering in the garden in all shapes and sizes & colors. It is good to adopt a relaxed attitude when growing Primula from seeds.
They are among the easiest to grow but keep in mind that some species hybridize easily in the garden; also the cultivars may not be stable (for ex. Primula ‘Sunset Shades’). But they are all wonderful.
Aquilegia nigricans just starts flowering – a reminder that early flowering columbines always make for a good combination with the primulas (A. canadensis in flower as well).

Primula veris ‘Sunset Shades’

Primula veris

Primula elatior hybrid

Aquilegia nigricans

Satisfaction

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It is always a joyful moment to see various species grown from seeds flowering for the first time. No matter if they are common or ‘rare’ species, natives or not, they bring a different feeling than those acquired from a garden center.

Flowering first time from the shaded side of the garden:

Podophyllum hexandrum (syn. Sinopodophyllum)

Podophyllum hexandrum, Himalayan mayapple

Triosteum pinnatifidum, a species grown for its beautiful foliage and fruits; the flowers are not showy but without them we wouldn’t have fruits ;)

Triosteum pinnatifidum

Lathyrus vernus, grown from own wild collected seeds, which adds to the satisfaction!

Lathyrus vernus

Other species that flowered for the first time in early spring in the shade were: Helleborus purpurascens and Pachyphragma macrophyllum.

Helleborus purpurascens (from wild collected seeds, Carpathian Mts.)

Pachyphragma macrophyllum

More to come. And let’s not forget the sunny side!

Fridays’s seedlings: native species

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The germination of various species is slower than usual due to the cold spring we have. Of course the native species are among the first to germinate.
Some were sown because I need more plants: Anemone quinquefolia, Asarum canadense, some to test the germination for older seeds: Dodecatheon hendersonii (2016 seeds) , or first time offered species: Zizia aurea.

Anemone quinquefolia seedlings

Asarum canadensis seedlings

Dodecatheon hendersonii seedlings

Zizia aurea seedlings

For Lilium philadelphicum I wanted to test the germination on smaller than usual seeds we obtained in the last 2 years due to drought conditions. I used the ‘freezing’ method described and it seems – size, it does not matter. All germinated!

Lilium philadelphicum seedlings

In the the featured image: Strophostyles helvola, the Amberique-bean; I found 3 leftover seeds, what else to do with them?

Going native: to each its place

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I am not among the people who say that we should grow only native species in our gardens. I think it is extreme and unrealistic. Not all native species are easy to grow and adaptable to garden cultivation. You have to study them first in their wild habitats, understand their needs and determine if these needs can be met in a garden situation. There are many factors involved.

But it is true that everyone can accommodate quite a few of them, and not just because they are hardy and good for pollinators (so are many others), but mainly because they adapt wonderfully in so called ‘difficult locations’ which resemble their native habitat.

To cut a long story short, I was facing a steep slope underneath an old spruce; the soil, or what was left of it, wouldn’t allow digging decent planting holes. The area gets sun in the spring and it becomes more shaded in the summer.
Trying to establish native species on it made sense; entirely. And starting with young plants grown from seeds also made sense: they establish much easier.

This is one part of the area right now: Asarum canadense and Maianthemum stellatum are 3 years old. There are various few smaller seedlings which don’t show and few young Trilliums.  With the backbones in place, I will also directly sow other seeds in late fall; particularly Thalictrum dioicum for its fine texture.

Asarum canadense and Maianthemum stellatum

Lower down, a small patch with Anemone quinquefolia, Hepatica americana – more to be added.

Anemone quinquefolia and Hepatica americana

On the reverse side, there is another small area where water pools temporarily due to a terrain depression and clayish subsoil. I’ve tried a few things which never performed well. Then I switched to Primula mistassinica, Viola nephrophyla, Sisyrinchium montanum, Parnassia, and all is well (the area still ‘under construction’, Viola nephrophylla in the featured image).

It all makes sense.

 

 

Viola jooi

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A picture with Viola jooi from last week to keep us going through another cold & rainy day.
Viola joy!

Viola jooi, the Transilvanian violet: an acaulescent, limestone loving species, endemic of the Carpathian Mts. (Romania, Ukraine); a new population was also described from NE Serbia

Hepatica americana colors

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The colder than usual spring this year (2019) has had one advantage: both Hepatica acutiloba and Hepatica americana have remained much longer in flower which allowed me to have a better look at various populations from which I collect seeds.
I followed few previously known specimens from buds to full flowering and then to fading; this allowed me to understand more about their colors in particular.

I mentioned before that most populations of Hepatica americana where I collect seeds are not blue, there is a fair amount of purple; in ‘real’ they are in the blue-violet range (from pastel to pure). I also never liked to use the ‘pink’ name because none are really pink. Light/pastel blue flowered plants are present only in mixed populations.

Last year I postpone it but I finally made the chart seen above (using the RGB palette) which will be used from now on when talking about Hepatica americana/ and H. acutiloba flowers colors.

Hepatica americana typical for the population where seeds are collected

One phenomenon of this spring was that some plants I knew perfectly as being white, flowered with tinges of pink.
It seems that the amount of antocyanins in flowers varies with the temperature, increasing with the cold weather; this is known to happen to other species as well.

Hepatica americana multipetal white 2018

Hepatica americana multipetal white 2019

Also, in some cases there can be quite a dramatic change from bud to full flowering color – see the transition in H. americana offered as deep pink in 2018; ‘deep pink’ for sure didn’t described it well.
The buds when they open are actually deep violet and then the color fades as the flowers open. First I thought I was looking at a wrong plant, if not for my label! During flowering the color changes gradually.

Hepatica americana deep pink 2018

Hepatica americana deep pink 2019, buds

Hepatica americana deep pink end of flowering 2019

Enjoy the flowers pictures, and a new finding with larger than usual flowers. What color is it? Use the chart.

Hepatica americana multipetal large

Hepatica americana ‘Spring Dawn’

 

Thursday with Sanguinaria canadensis seedlings

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A change in the Friday’s seedlings routine.

In late fall I sowed Sanguinaria canadensis seeds directly in the ground in the idea to show how easy is to do it (like for many native species – take note if you have a large woodland garden/for naturalizations projects). To avoid disturbance by the squirrels, I sowed them underneath the leaves of an old Yucca glauca.

Sanguinaria canadensis seedlings

Sowed and forgotten. I found them the other day when preparing to dig out the old Yucca.

In the fall I forgot that the old Yucca was scheduled to be dug out this spring….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Yucca was removed and the seedlings replanted.
Happy ending.

 

Friday’s seedlings: Streptopus amplexifolius

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Quick Fridays seedlings with Streptopus amplexifolius, the clasping twistedstalk, a wonderful and rarely cultivated woodlander.
The seeds were collected last year in SE BC in the Lizards Range in mid – August and sowed in early September (they spent the winter outdoors).

Streptopus amplexifolius seedlings; looks like it germinates in waves

I suspect that those who purchased and sowed the seeds during the winter/early spring, will have to wait until next spring for germination, just like various propagation protocols suggests (germination in the second year after sowing).

Time is of the essence for sowing in most cases…

Umbrellas

Umbrellas are in high demand this spring in many regions.
Podophyllum are especially well prepared for these events; always delightful to see them appearing either in the woods or in the garden.

Podophyllum peltatum, our native Mayapple, it is the first one to show up and grows very fast. Here they are: one picture taken in the woods and one in the garden.

Podophyllum peltatum, woods

Podophyllum peltatum, garden

Podophyllum hexandrum (syn. Sinopodophyllum), the Himalayan mayapple follows closely, with the seedlings which have been in the cold frames more advanced.

Podophyllum hexandrum seedlings

Podophyllum hexandrum, garden

And, after growing them from seeds,  we can also rejoice in Chinese umbrellas :) (Podophyllum or Dysosma). The seedlings Chinese Podophyllums have their ‘umbrellas’ fully open because they were grown in the garage starting early spring.

Podophyllum pleianthum planted in the ground last year will even flower!

Podophyllum versipelle hybrid seedlings

Podophyllum pleianthum, garden

They are all so very easy to grow from seeds!

 

Spring beauties I: Claytonia and Lindera

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Besides Hepatica, quite a few other spring beauties are in flower right now.

Claytonia virginica

The one which literally bears this common name: Claytonia virginica, is a short lived ephemeral. After enchanting us with its cheerful flowers it will retreat in the ground for the rest of the season.
It certainly needs a long beauty sleep!
Others though, will remain and provide beauty, shade, shelter and food for the wildlife until late fall.

Among the first native shrubs to flower in our woodlands is Lindera benzoin, the Northern spicebush.

If hiking in the woods at this time (in the wetter sides) and notice a yellow tinge among the otherwise bare trees branches, then it is Lindera (reason why another common name is forsythia of the wilds). It usually grows as an understory small tree/large shrub on bottomland woodlands and river edges.

Lindera benzoin it is one of the first native shrubs/small tree to flower in the spring; it can be grown in a partly shaded location as a large specimen (by planting few plants together) or in small groups for larger woodland gardens

The yellow flowers which appear in small ‘bunches’ (female/males plants) are a sign of the long awaited spring and very useful to the early pollinators!

Lindera puts its best show in early fall when the foliage turns yellow; wonderful background for the shiny red, abundant fruits (female and male plants need to grow together). They provide food for countless birds but are always in great abundance and some will be left to be admired.

Lindera benzoin, September

Lindera benzoin, fall

The fleshy part of the fruits was/it is chopped and utilized as an allspice (hence the name). The foliage is also aromatic and the leaves and twigs were used to prepare a tea. Not least important, the Spicebush is a favourite larval host for the beautiful Spicebush swallowtail and Promethea silkmoth!

About fruits, seeds and germination:

The seeds are hydrophilic and need to be sown right after collecting or kept moist. After a period of cold/moist stratification they will germinate promptly in the spring (see the post: A late arrival – Lindera benzoin seedlings).

Lindera benzoin fruits & seeds