Summertime capsules

A reminder that the Seeds Shop will close on July 15th for the summer – and reopen in late August/September!

I have just collected new fruits from the garden. And, it is equally exciting to have them as it was to see the new flowers, or maybe even more!? Just because it brings the possibility of even more flowers. It also gives the occasion to observe the fruit types & dehiscence patterns.

The fruits I am going to show belong to ‘catch them if you can’ category: dehiscent capsules that open suddenly to release the seeds, which are often equipped with appendages/coated in substances that attract ants, or they have a certain morphology which allows a quick dispersal.

The little Cyclamen coum, flowered for the first time at the end of March! This is a naturally early hardy-flowering Cyclamen species. The flowering stems will coiled down after the flowers fade, and if pollinated, round capsules will develop. If you miss the right moment when the capsules open, the seeds will be carried away by ants (or other insects). One tell-tale sign is that they became soft right before opening.

Cyclamen coum March 30

Cyclamen coum seeds July 5

In May I proudly shown a Castilleja coccinea, Indian paintbrush starting to flower; a little success with this hemiparasitic species. The fruits, also dehiscent capsules, start to mature gradually on the flowering stems as the flowering goes on. After opening, the seeds are easily dispersed due to the particular honeycomb pattern of the seed coat outer layer; more on this here: Gone with the wind

Castilleja coccinea mid- May

Castilleja cocinea June 29

Castilleja coccinea seeds July 5

In mid-June, I also had the chance to collect snowdrop seeds (Galanthus). If pollination is successful, large fleshy capsules develop; they start turning yellow just before opening to release the seeds, which are equipped with very large elaiosomes and are carried away fast by ants. It is good to collect and sow these seeds in a proper way, when possible.

Galanthus seeds, June 12

Crocus banaticus October 2022

Crocus banaticus seeds June 10, 2023

Another interesting case is that of the fall flowering Crocus species (Crocus sativus, C. speciosus, C. banaticus – shown in the gallery…).  Around mid-June is the time when they will ‘display’ their seeds, if any – it is quite a phenomenon. These Crocuses are flowering in late fall and shortly after that the winter arrives; so, what happens? The thing is that these flowers have an inferior, subterranean ovary with only the showy part of the flowers above the surface. The fertilization is actually happening underground, and later in the spring the capsules emerge above ground (in very simplistic terms). After a while, they mature and split open to release the precious seeds.

Look around your garden this summer and not only at the flowers. There are always various plants setting seeds; collect a few for the seeds exchanges offered by your local Horticultural Society.

On BotanyCa seeds and costs

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We will soon mark the beginning of the summer seeds season with various Helleborus, Asarum canadense, Sanguinaria, Jeffersonia diphylla, Stylophorum diphyllum, and few other species.
The summer sale begins tomorrow, June 29 – lasting until July 15. Another post will follow with more details.

The costs have greatly increased for everything lately and I know that everyone is trying to keep their expenses low, especially on non-essential items.
For those species collected in the wild and the moist packed seeds there may be small cost increases in the fall, depending also on the quantity of seeds available, but otherwise the seeds prices on BotanyCa Shop will remain affordable for everyone and in line with our initial goal: that more people are able to find good quality & affordable seeds for many species, especially of North American native plants.

It is troubling to find on the web offerings of seeds for various native species at what I would call ‘speculative’ costs, especially for species with hydrophilic seeds which we all know by now will germinate poorly, or not at all, if kept dry (a subject which has been emphasized a lot on this blog, some would say maybe in excess). Many North American spring wildflowers are included in this  category actually.

I will not name names, but this is going on since last year, so everyone should know that there are various Etsy sellers and no less an Ontario based! Seed company asking, for example:

21.76 CAD for 10 seeds of Uvularia grandiflora, respectively
6.99 CAD for 5 seeds of Uvularia grandiflora!

One can also purchase 10 seeds of “GREAT WHITE TRILLIUM Grandiflorum” for 7.99 CAD and
Asarum canadense 10 s – 7 CAD

Never mind that these species have hydrophilic seeds, all will be well if you “Obtain a planting container that has holes in the bottom for excess water to drain….”

I pondered if to write about this or not, but the thought of people being scammed by unscrupulous sellers, resulted in this rather unpleasant post. Plus, there is one more angle to this….

That’s all I’ll say ‘in public’, and I would like to emphasize, once again, that our seeds are intended for gardeners and small size specialized plant nurseries, and not for reselling!
Therefore, starting this year, in the eventuality that I consider necessary, we’ll reserve the right to refuse certain orders.

Spread the word about this situation, as a favor to your friends and all other people thinking to purchase seeds of native species this season and stay tuned…

Growing Helleborus from seeds

This is yet another subject that I have written about here and there; time to have all info in one place for the Germination page.

First, to emphasize again that all Helleborus are great additions to the garden: cold-hardy, reliable flowering, most are drought resistant, a variety of flower colors, evergreen foliage, plus long lived. Quite an impressive list, isn’t it?! Ah, forgot to say that they are rabbit proof, which is very important for many of us.

Considering perennial plants in general, the most ‘perennial’ among them are the Helleborus and garden peonies.  It happens that they are also the most ‘worry free’ plants when planted in the right location; coincidence?!

Back to the seeds: they mature around mid-June and belong to the category ‘catch them if you can’. Even if you walk around the garden every day, they can still take you by surprise, reason why it is best to use organza bags for capture.

Some will still ‘escape’, fall on the ground and by next spring you will be presented with many ‘baby’ Hellebore seedlings. I missed to collect the seeds from the large, purple Helleborus last year and this spring there was a carpet of seedlings underneath it! Luckily, that I found an adopting parent for them :) otherwise they would have been wasted.

This is just to emphasize that Helleborus seeds germinate easily and in high percentage – when sown at the right time!  i.e. in the summer (or fall depending on the region/country you live in).

Reason for this is that Helleborus is a member of the Ranunculaceae family (like Hepatica, Aconitum…).
All these species share the same seed characteristic: when the seeds are ripe, the embryos are immature. Germination can happen only after the embryos reach a mature stage, requiring specific temperature cycles, usually a sequence of warm/cold moist periods.

Helleborus self sown seedlings close to the mother plant

Helleborus x hybridus large, purple seedlings transplanted at cotyledon stage

Helleborus x hybridus large, purple true seedlings a few weeks later

Direct sowing
We imitate nature with this well- known sowing method:  work in a fresh layer of good soil mix in the area where you want to sow (close to other plants or you can have a special garden bed for sowings), press the seeds in the soil, add a bit more soil on top and water well. That’s it.

Considering that during the summer we cannot count on rain too often, you will have to water the sowing area, otherwise do not expect any germination!

Somewhere in the spring the seedlings appear. Grow them in place for one season or more (depending on space), then move them to the desired location. They can also be transplanted at a very early stage (cotyledon stage) if needed; I did it many times and it works well.

Sowing in pots

If you have just a few seeds it is best to maximize your chances and sow in pots.
Sow the seeds like for any other species (I only recommend using a bit taller pots), and keep the pots in part-shaded or shaded location; water as needed and protect from critters. For the winter, either place the pots in a cold frame, or ‘plant’ them in the ground – an easy method for ‘winter storage’ about which we discussed many times.

Over the years I sowed various Helleborus seeds until September and they have germinated well in the spring. It means that the warm/moist period from September-late fall was long enough for the seeds requirement (embryo growth); followed afterwards by the cold/moist period (winter). Of course that this will vary depending on your location/region and where you keep the pots. In some cases sowing the seeds even later in the fall may be OK. In most parts of Canada by early November winter can arrive, reason why sowing later than September may not be a good decision.

Buying/Receiving seeds from seeds exchanges in ‘out of sowing optimal time’.
Choices are:
– Sow in pots and be patient, allowing them to naturally undergo the warm/cold periods required for germination; it may take 2+ years and certainly the germination won’t be 100%.
– Begin controlled stratification in moist vermiculite/bags: first a warm period of about  2 months (room temperature is OK) then place the bags in the fridge and keep an eye for the germination.

Yes, when grown from seeds most Helleborus cultivars or species will not all come true to the mother-plants, but the fast flowering allows selecting the best specimens, not to mention the very nice surprises that often wait for us!
They do delight us with their flowers in the spring and seem to remain in flower forever, but I really appreciate the most their foliage, so I will end the post with a picture of Helleborus purpurascens ex. Carpathian Mts. taken this month and the pot of seeds starting to germinate in 2015 (a bit of topsoil was removed to ‘see’ the seeds germinating). They turned out really nice!

Helleborus purpurascens ex. Carpathian Mts., June 2023

Helleborus purpurascens ex. Carpathian Mts.seedlings 2015

Flowers & seeds of June

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Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot), first seeds of 2023

It is already mid-June, wow! This is the time when various spring flowering species start to mature their seeds; soon there will be a wave of native species seeds one after another starting with Sanguinaria canadensis, Asarum canadense, Stylophorum diphyllum, and Jeffersonia diphylla…to mention just a few.

Various other species mature their fruits gradually, and also the collecting is done in the same way. For most Viola species, Silene pusilla, Saxifraga cuneifolia, Capnoides sempervirens…this involves seeds collecting every day now. Plus, Helleborus caucasicus seeds are being captured by organza bags, and others will follow shortly.

As soon as there is a larger batch of species collected, there will be another call for seeds, probably in late June – stay tuned.

The regulars of June garden are in flower now: Dictamnus albus, Baptisia australis, Clematis integrifolia, various Dianthus, Salvia, Aconitum moldavicum, with Asphodeline lutea in top bloom. While we all rejoiced in few rainy days, it was not very inducing for taking many new pictures. There are also new garden friends this year, like Glaucium aurantiacum and Gladiolus tenuis.

Silene pusilla

Aconitum moldavicum

Incarvillea delavayi

Paronychia cephalotes

Glaucium aurantiacum

Gladiolus tenuis

This is also a good time for planting 2 years-old seedlings of various bulbous species in the ground, as they enter their summer rest period.

Erythronium sibiricum 2 years-old tubers before planting in the ground

Species like Corydalis solida and allies, Erythronium, Fritillaria, Adonis, Crocus species, Galanthus…you can plant them in the ground after the second year of growth. They can also be grown further in pots, but honestly, I have obtained better results for  such species with this method then by growing them longer in pots. The Canadian plant trade is lacking diversity for these species, so what can we do?

We grow from seeds!

What’s next?

With most of the Hepatica seeds ‘out of the way’ (thank you!), we are preparing for the next wave of seeds that are best sown during the summer to ensure proper germination.

These are the Helleborus, maybe a new species this year -Pachyphragma macrophyllum, plus various native species like Sanguinaria canadensis, Asarum canadense, Erythronium grandiflorum and Jeffersonia diphylla.
All these species mature their seeds in mid to late June, and will be offered right away. I should also add to this group Pulsatilla styriaca, which in my experience also germinates best when sown fresh.

A short garden survey revealed seed pods on Helleborus ‘Cherry Blossoms’, Helleborus caucasicus, Helleborus purpurascens, Helleborus foetidus and few others H. x hybridus. Helleborus are easy to grow from seeds and start flowering in 3-4 years, your only worry will be having too many seedlings (not to mention the price of a potted plant at the garden centers nowadays!).

Helleborus caucasicus 2023

Helleborus x hybridus Cherry Blossoms

Helleborus purpurascens 2023

Helleborus x hybridus (2)

Helleborus ex. ‘Cherry Blossoms’ 1

Stay tuned…

From the flowering front, two nice surprises: Castilleja coccinea (Indian paintbrush) is flowering for first time in the garden (seeds were sown ‘in situ’), in sync with those in the wild. Sisyrinchium mucronatum (Needle tip blue eyed grass) is no surprise, but it has a nice flowering this year, and makes a nice pair with Castilleja just like in nature.

Castilleja coccinea garden, June 2023

Sisyrinchium mucronatum

The second flowering surprise is Delphinium nudicaule, the orange or canyon larkspur, hailing from the foothills and canyons of Sierra Nevada! Yes, it is possible. The seeds were offered in 2019, I probably sowed them in 2020/21, and here it is, flowering to the delight of the resident hummingbird and not only.
We only need to dare to grow plants from seeds!

Delphinium nudicaule flowering in June, 2023, SW Ontario

 

Short garden walk

Just a few pictures for today. The collection of Corydalis seeds is on-going ;) and with the current heat wave it will be finished fast.
For the same reason, Paeonia japonica and Paeonia mascula are suddenly in flower and I’ll hand pollinate them to ensure the best outcome from seeds.

Various species are in flower now and it would be hard to name or show them all. Native and non-native, in harmonious combinations: Lathryus vernus in pink and violet which were shown many times, various Primula and Viola, Dicentra, Epimediums, Glaucidium…Trillium grandiflorum and Uvularia grandiflora.

A few, like Callianthemum coriandrifolium, Fritillaria collina and some Primula x polyantha of Violet Victorians strain are in flower for the first time; others are well known garden inhabitants. Helleborus purpurascens foliage has developed overnight (a very companion for ephemeral Corydalis) and Pulsatilla ex. styriaca pink is reflowering (only the seeds from the first wave will be collected).

Enjoy the spring colors!

Callianthemum coriandrifolium

Primula x polyantha ‘Violet Victorians’

Fritillaria collina

Helleborus purpurascens new foliage

Odontarrhena obtusifolia (syn. Allysum borzaeanum)

Pulsatilla ex. styriaca pink

Viola labradorica

Epimedium hybrid

Aristolochia steupii

Trillium grandiflorum

Primula veris ‘Sunset Shades’

Corydalis nobilis

 

More on Jeffersonia germination

Just a quick post to show the start of Jeffersonia germination. There were never leftover seeds of Jeffersonia until last year; the slightly larger seed quantity and early cold arrival in late fall of 2022 contributed to this (we know by now that moist packed seeds cannot be shipped when the temperatures fall too much below zero). So, the leftover seeds were kept in moist vermiculite in the fridge.

Pictures taken today: Jeffersonia dubia and Jeffersonia diphylla seeds showing emerging radicles of various sizes.

Jeffersonia dubia germination 2023

Jeffersonia diphylla germination

For those who purchased seeds last year – this should also happen in your pots, or they should be even more advanced. Don’t start scratching the pots! – it takes a while for the shoots to appear from the soil. First thing first – the roots!

It is always interesting to note how long various seeds kept in moist/cold stratification will ‘wait’ in the fridge before starting to germinate. Most species will start to show protruding radicles somewhere in March-April; others even later. Sometimes there is no germination until they are taken out of the fridge and places at warm temperatures.

Until Friday…

Corydalis 2023

We shouldn’t let the spring go by without admiring and talking about Corydalis species.
Last year’s drought coupled with an April brief surge of temperature resulted in a not so great display of Corydalis solida. Few other species, like Corydalis malkensis (in the featured image with Helleborus caucasicus) and Corydalis paczozkii weren’t bothered as much. Corydalis nobilis is just starting to flower now, as usual.

Every year has its lows and highs in term of flowers display. Even so, the colorful masses of spring Corydalis can hardly be equaled by other ephemeral species. There are a lot of pictures already uploaded on this website (scroll to the bottom of this writing for related posts) so just a few for this spring.

Corydalis paczoskii, 2023

Corydalis solida 2023

Corydalis cava fo. alba 2023

Those new to this website and to the ephemeral Corydalis species can read about Growing Corydalis solida & allies from seeds by clicking on the link.

There is always looking forward to growing more Corydalis species, and early spring is a good time to also boast about our seedlings, thanks to attentive friends :) These were all grown from fresh seeds following the same sowing recipe as described above.

Corydalis ambigua seedlings 2y

Corydalis turtschaninovii seedlings 2y

Corydalis vittae seedlings 1y

The following article about Corydalis ambigua, also remarks the similarity in the germination pattern between various bulbous Corydalis species of temperate climate regions (link) – Ecophysiology of seeds dormancy and germination in the mesic woodland herbaceous perennial Corydalis ambigua in Japan: Tetsuya Kondo, Nori Okubo, Taku Miura, Carol Baskin.
Even more, Corydalis nobilis, albeit not bulbous, also germinates in the same way. Remnant seeds in the fridge have their seedcoats split and would germinate if/when moved outside of the cold storage.

Regarding Corydalis offerings for this spring
I will try my best to collect some seeds, but because the flowering hasn’t been too great, at least for C. solida, the seeds  set will also be reduced. The same can be said about our native Hepatica species; the persistent drought of past years was reflected in poor flowering.
We can only know what and how many such seeds will be available towards the end of May.

April tasks

Greetings to all and welcome to the busiest and most beautiful time of the year: SPRING!
We have waited, waited some more, we have prepared and now we don’t know what to start doing first.

For us seeds growers the priorities are: transplanting and acclimating the indoor seedlings AND  – yes, sowing more seeds!

Phacelia sericea, Ipomopsis rubra, Dianthus deltoides and other seedlings acclimating outdoors

Plus, keep an eye on the fall/winter sowings because many species will start to germinate at this time (newly germinated: Eremogone capillaris, Delphinium andersonii, Hepatica, Corydalis, Erythronium….)

Someone wrote to me once that he couldn’t buy certain warm germinating species because he doesn’t have indoor lights :-)

People have been growing plants from seeds long before the indoor lighting systems came into being!
Maybe there is this wrong perception because most plant addicts use them to pleasantly pass the winter time and get a jump on growing.

Otherwise, the time to normally sow the fast, easy germinating species in Northern Hemisphere is right now! Sow the seeds in pots outdoors and they will germinate with the raise in temperatures; or sow indoors and put the pots outside after the seeds have germinated (keep them protected from heavy rains, usually the space underneath the house’s eaves is a good place).

Also, various species, especially annuals and those resenting transplanting can be ‘direct’ sown in the ground. I have just sowed the other day a few more Papaver species (which are short lived) and sprinkled some Sedum atratum seeds in the rockery.

The Seeds Shop is open offering plenty of species that do not need a cold period for germination: Acinos, Draba, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Edraianthus, Silene, Papaver….to mention just a few. Watch for few new species in the Seeds List, like Silene turgida and Phacelia sericea. Just sow and watch them grow!

Also, the Lilium and Paeonia sections have been updated with the remaining seeds in stock (best to be sown in July/August when the Shop may be closed for fall Seeds List preparation).

In truth, the sowing never ends…in between, we stop to admire the result of our work :) with an emphasis on Helleborus, all seeds-growns!

Helleborus purpurascens, a very early flowering species Helleborus

Helleborus caucasicus

Helleborus x hybridus (3)

Helleborus ex. ‘Cherry Blossoms’ 1

Helleborus x hybridus (2)

Helleborus x hybridus (4)

Pulsatilla ex. styriaca pink

Jeffersonia dubia 2023

Pachyphragma macrophyllum

 * Fresh Helleborus seeds are provided every year, when possible. When sown during the summer (in August-Sept. at the latest), they will promptly germinate in the next spring. Your only worry will be what to do with so many seedlings!

 

Similarity

Today was a good day to watch the seedlings grow instead of looking out the window. At this time many seedlings are starting to show their ‘true face’ and you can tell, in some cases, that the name on the label don’t match it.

The cute seedlings of Phyteuma cf. nigrum are next to those of Campanula rotundifolia, and I was thinking once again how similar many seedlings of species from the Campanula family are (in their first stages).

The seeds being from a seeds exchange, it is impossible to tell for sure that what I am growing is indeed a Phyteuma nigrum. It could be any other Phyteuma species given that they are not easy to ID. But in any case, it is something from the Campanula family :)

Phyteuma cf. nigrum seedlings

Camp. rotundifolia seedlings

Campanula persicifolia – dwarf cultivar seedlings

Next to Apiaceae: Lomatium sandbergii is starting to germinate (after 2 months of cold stratification). In a couple of weeks the seedlings will be similar with those of Phlojodicarpus villosus. These are for sure what their names implies because the source is known.

Lomatium sandbergii seedlings

Phlojodicarpus villosus seedlings

Things are even more difficult within certain genera. Let’s take Draba for example: look at them – they are all Drabas. I am sure about 2 of them (from my own mother-plants). The other two, I won’t write the names to avoid the confusion, may not be true to names and will need careful ID later. At this stage the leaves are showing all characteristic of the species. If they don’t match, we have to wait for the flowers and sometimes even for the fruits! for correct identification. So, we have Draba #1 and #2 for now…

Draba haynaldii seedlings

Draba dedeana seedlings

Draba #1 2023

Draba #2 2023

The same goes for many other genera. Can you tell what Aquilegia you are growing from seeds in early stages? (unless it is very particular, like Aquilegia scopulorum in the feature image, + that I know the source).

Besides showing more seedlings (true images with seedlings are not easy to find), the message of this post is: please take time to confirm/identify your grown-from-seeds plants at the flowering time (before placing a final label close to them).
Always take into account that “to err is human” and that particularly species received from seeds exchanges could be wrongly identified.

HWT remainder

I had a look at what I was writing in March a few years ago, and in a few years it was about the Hot water treatment. I usually do a few species using this easy germination technique in March; it is a good time for a remainder.

Astragalus purshii ssp. tinctus seeds

If you have species from the Fabaceae family that you want to try, most of them are easy to germinate using the hot water treatment (HWT). The seeds have a simple physical dormancy, but their very hard seedcoats inhibit the water imbibition, which is crucial for the germination initiation. See all the links below.

This time, I will be trying the new Astragalus purshii ssp. tinctus (Woolly-pod milkvetch); it is hard to resist the woolly foliage aspect, plus a redo for Hedysarum grandiflorum, which I had, and it even flowered before I had the unfortunate idea to move it to a ‘better’ place… Most of these species do not enjoy transplanting, regardless if young or mature plants.

Continuing the sowing: in hot water
Updates for the hot water treatment
FAQ – hot water treatment
HWT

Garden wise, it is snowing, again…Despite this, more and more snowdrops tired of waiting for the spring are flowering (or trying to do so).

March & August

March marks the arrival of spring in many regions of the world. Here, the arrival of more snow…True that there are few snowdrops in flower – partially under the snow!
However, no matter how much snow is falling, the daylight is getting longer, new seeds are germinating, and the seedling are growing :)

Not so long ago, I gave an update on Jurinea germination; right now the seedlings are already pricked out. Same goes for Polygala major and Ipomopsis rubra. Various others will follow shortly.

Jurinea mollis seedlings

Polygala major seedlings

Sanguisorba canadensis seedlings

Glaucidium palmatum seedlings – first stage growth with cotyledon leaves

The last experiment with older Glaucidium seeds have gone extremely well and now I am looking at 10 pots with seedlings! I didn’t have the heart to throw away the germinated seeds. I am sure ‘adoptive parents’ will be found.

I never want to hear again about Glaucidium seeds being hard to germinate…

Note: Some of the seedlings will remain at the cotyledon stage during the first year, and some will put up true leaves. They are best NOT to be pricked out; keep them growing well as long as possible because during this time they mostly ‘work’ on growing their roots. At some point the cotyledon leaves will vanish (the seedlings are not dead!). After a short ‘pause’, some will grow true leaves, some may wait until late in the season or next year.

 

Remembering the last year garden –

Last time we started to remember August 2022, with Eupatorium & the solitary wasps. Other species to note from August, this time on the disappointing side, Sanguisorba canadensis, Canadian Burnet, which had an outstanding flowering, but alas, no seeds were formed. But do not despair, from a stash of older seeds, a few have germinated and I will try to add another plant with a different genotype to the mix. I don’t understand why this lovely, native species (in Eastern Canada) is not cultivated more, and/or seeds collected.

From the featured top picture, we have the positive side with the hybrid Gentiana paradoxa x septemfida smiling. There were even a few seeds (for friends), hopefully more will be available this fall. Most likely there is cross pollination with a true Gentiana paradoxa which is growing nearby, but even so, for the better. It is a great Gentiana to have for late summer flowering. The hybrids are very vigorous and take well our hot & humid summers.

For those feeling blue – don’t forget this is a great time to start indoor various easy to germinate species. Time will fly taking care of the seedlings and when spring arrives they will be large enough for outdoor acclimation. Plus, you won’t start roaming the garden centers with a hungry heart  ;)