I am very happy to notice that more people are willing to grow species listed in the Grasses & related genera category, which contains various grasses per se and sedges, most of them unrepresented in our gardens for no good reason.

Eriophorum virginicum on the shoreline of Lake Huron, ON.

Eriophorum virginicum, Tawny cottongrass, Rusty cottongrass, or Hare’s Tail cottongrass has been added, mostly by mistake, from my desire to use a few seedheads in a vase.
The whitish fluffy seeds-heads, contrasting with the first fall colors of surrounding landscapes are always very attractive. Of course, I should have known better…. they disintegrate easily at maturity.

So, those with possibilities, meaning a wet area (which doesn’t have to be very large) and acidic substrate, have something new to grow and add to their collection of native plants.

The scientific name of the genus Eriophorum derives from the Greek words erion (cotton or wool) and phoros (bearing). The common name is a reference to the cottony nature of the fruiting heads.
All species have +/- the same cotton-like fruiting heads and they are mostly white color. In case of the Tawny cottongrass they are brownish-yellow in color (at full maturity).

Tawny cottongrass can be found in open areas in bogs, conifer swamps, low, wet depressions on rocks, wet meadows.
This species is easily distinguished from other North American Eriophorum species because it is flowering and fruiting later in the season; the spikelets are usually maturing in August and have a rather brownish color. There are of course other methods of ID, but we can keep it simple in this case.

It is a sedge, with slender, grass-like leaves; rhizomatous. The fruiting heads are covered with a cottony mass, and the fruits are 3-angled, brown to black achenes with silky, tawny, hair-like bristles longer than the achenes; one of those situations when the fruits are commonly called seeds. The hairs help with the distribution by wind or water.

Eriophorum virginicum fruithead and achenes

Besides their ornamental fruitheads, Eriophorum species also have wildlife value, with the foliage consumed by many small and large mammals and various birds feeding on their seeds.
There are also reports of consumption by Indigenous People of the young stem bases and the roots of the Slender Cotton-grass, E. gracile (raw or cooked).
Also, the seeds hairs have been used to make candle wicks and for stuffing pillows.

 

First, Canada Post Union is in the last stages of collective agreement negotiations, and the last ‘reassuring’ update we received was: ‘no labour disruption can occur before November 3’. Take note…

Second, due to family obligations unfortunately I have to take time off starting Nov 9. The Shop will remain open for ordering – moist packed seeds excluded!

All SHIPPINGS of the orders placed between Nov. 7- Nov. 19 will be postponed until the week of Nov. 20.

In conclusion, I strongly encourage those thinking about seeds to use the last week of October to do it safely, especially when it comes to the moist packed seeds remained in stock.
Thank you –Merci.

And now the good announcements:

Seeds of various native species are back in stock:
Asclepias exaltata, Smilax herbacea, Mitchella repens and Pycnanthemum virginianum, the Mountain mint, which can be counted as new.

Iris domestica

Through the kindness of other seeds collectors, we can enjoy again seeds of:
Lilium martagon ‘Album’, Lilium distichum, Glaucidium palmatum ‘Album’ and Iris domestica

Plus a few Gentiana species, which I want to continue offering despite the low demand, like:
Gentiana lutea, Gentiana triflora and Gentiana asclepiadea ‘Alba’ – which I cannot wait to sow!
These species are actually among the easiest to grow from seed Gentiana species.

In the Paeonies section new this fall: Paeonia caucasica (seeds from garden cultivated plants).
New in the Clematis section: Clematis hexapetala.

There is plenty to choose from: The SEEDs LIST
And it is Friday, so a review for Mitchella repens:
https://botanicallyinclined.org/fridays-seeds-mitchella-repens/

Those interested can find the following native species seeds back in stock:
Diervilla lonicera, Lilium michiganense, Lespedeza violacea and Thalictrum pubescens.

New for this year:

Ageratina altissima (aka. Eupatorium rugosum)

Ageratina altissima, formerly Eupatorium rugosum, the White Snakeroot, is a plant mostly found growing in part-shaded woodland settings with conspicuous clusters of small white flowers which are very beneficial for the pollinators in late summer to early fall.

However, being extremely adaptable it can also grow in full sun, in which case it needs more moisture.
It is from such a mother-plant, growing on Killarney’s granitic shorelines, that the seeds were collected: notice how part of the foliage takes a beautiful, dark purple color in this case.

There is in fact a cultivar of this species named ‘Chocolate’ with dark foliage year- round.

 

 

 

Greater fringed gentian

I am also very happy to offer seeds of the Greater Fringed gentian Gentianopsis crinita from the beautiful garden of Anna’s  Perennials & Gardens!

The Greater fringed gentian  attracts attention with a magnificent flower display in late summer. The mauve, large flowers with fringed petals are a sight to behold.
It is a biennial species that reseeds in proper conditions (moisture needed), so do not be shy to give it a try. It is one of the first species I will sow this fall.

The days and nights are getting cooler and it feels like true fall now – a reminder that the moist packed seeds in stock will remain available until early winter only depending on the temperatures!

Alas, it is not possible at my location; or some species would need an artificially constructed bog.

Chamaedaphne calyculata, leatherleaf

Firstly, the beautiful evergreen leatherleaf: Chamaedaphne calyculata which inhabits edges of the ponds, bogs and swamps. It’s been quite a few years since I got the chance to collect a few seeds, actually 2017 when I also provided a plant portrait: Belated Friday’s seeds.
 
The sole member of the genus Chamaedaphne (Ericaceae), leatherleaf is a low growing evergreen small shrub (up to 1.5 m tall). It is native to the cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere from North America, NE Europe to N. Japan, Mongolia and Siberia, where grows in all types of bogs, sedge fens, and open wetlands.

It is characteristic of mature and late stages of moss – shrub communities, where it forms colonies, with rhizomes spreading in the sphagnum moss. It actually helps the installation of other species with whom is found growing, like: Sarracenia, Drosera, Kalmia polifolia, Oclemena, Ledum groenlandicum, Myrica gale, American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and other Vaccinium species.

For those who have proper conditions, it is more than worth to try and grow the leatherleaf from seeds (I never heard of a specialized nursery offering plants).

Drosera rotundifolia

With the same requirements, new to the Seeds List, Drosera rotundifolia, of which I never had the pleasure to collect seeds until this fall.

The seeds stock has also been replenished for Drosera intermedia – shown in the featured image. Looking at the picture one might wrongfully assume that it is a rockery plant! In fact it grew in a crack of bare rock sitting in a wet area. It can definitely fool us :) Carnivorous aficionados have the occasion now to grow a trio of: D. linearis, D. intermedia and D. rotundifolia.

Another wetlands inhabitant is the interesting bog aster which bears the name Oclemena nemoralis. Looking at the flower anyone could call it aster, while the foliage, almost linear leaves with recurved margins, tells a different story. It is a species flowering in late summer-early fall, and only a few heads were ‘fluffy’, but maybe someone wants to give it a try.

 

Exploring the nature always gives a chance to learn about new plants, you only need to keep your eyes wide open! If we have proper conditions in our garden, we can then try to recreate small ‘pieces’ of wilderness. If we don’t, at least we learned something new!

Many thanks to all shopping seeds from the Early fall BotanyCa Seed List!

With the bulk of the orders coming in the first day after Shop reopening, there was a slight delay with shipping the orders, my apologies; new seeds collections are also in need of cleaning and files prepared for upload.
Orders are processed in the order they were received. However, I had to give a slight priority to those containing moist packed seeds, Actaea, Aralia and other such ‘emergencies’.

Firstly, seeds of Clintonia borealis  and Hypericum kalmianum are back in stock!

Plus, we have new additions which require immediate attention.
Often I get questions I cannot answer because I really cannot know if there will be a chance to collect and/or a good year for various species, especially when it comes to wild collections. It doesn’t mean I don’t listen; if possible, I always try to fulfill the wishes.
Without further ado, I bring to your attention:

Maianthemum canadense, the lovely Canada Mayflower;

and Cornus canadensis, the bunchberrynot in the moist packed category, but very fresh and small quantity (not a good year for the bunchberry like it was two years ago). For those unfamiliar, a plant portrait for bunchberry here: The cure for insanity.

Prosartes lanuginosa, Yellow mandarin garden cultivated

I will also mention Prosartes lanuginosa  although the seeds (from plants growing in my garden which were grown from seeds!) have already been ‘taken’ by someone before I got the chance to announce them.

This is to emphasize the fact that it was the first time my small garden patch produced enough seeds to be worth collecting them. A step forward in propagating this quite rare Prosartes, and the only of its kind growing in Ontario – conservation through propagation in action!

Non-native wise, in limited quantities:
Disporum uniflorum –  the beautiful Korean yellow bell, in case it was missed last year;

and
Daphne tangutica – new to the moist packed seeds category because dry stored seeds have a terribly bad germination. I don’t always collect them, but it is a very nice semi-evergreen Daphne in our climate and very resistant to drought, which makes it even more valuable.

Stay tuned for more…

Just a few more words about the importance of growing plants from seeds, even if a lot has already been written about this subject.
Leaving aside the fact that one can obtain plants not offered in regular garden centers – we all need them to show off our skills and knowledge, don’t we?, the most important reason of growing plants from seeds, is that they will be genetically variable.

Even if the seeds of a certain species look the same, they each contain a different DNA. Same like the children of a couple being  different, seedlings from a mother-plant, even if they look the same, they are different at the genetic level.

One seedling may grow faster and be more adaptive, one will remain shorter, one will have slightly larger flowers, and another one may get different flower colors! It is called genetic variability, a trait that it is nowadays more important than ever.

Genetic variability allows for a better adaptation to climatic variations, various soils, and a better resistance to pests.  

Most commercially produced plants are vegetatively propagated. They all LOOK and ARE the same, aka. they are clones; in case of adverse conditions, they will all react the same.

Propagation by seeds will always help the conservation of biodiversity, not only of plant species, but of all other life forms with which they are tightly interconnected. For this reason, we have to persevere, even if we are not successful all the time.

Over the years, I personally failed to germinate many species, or lost seedlings in the first stages. But, the essence of all ‘seedholics’ is that we remain optimists and always hope to do better next time!

All this being said, many thanks again to all passionate gardeners who continue growing plants from seeds. I also extend my many thanks to the few friends contributing with seeds for our Shop.

I’ll end quoting the chief of worldwide ‘seedholics’, plantsman Panayoti Kelaides from his last article in the ORG&HP Journal on the importance of seeds:
“Let’s reverse the clonal tsunami, please!”

Thank you all again – to the seeds and sowing!

Latest seeds collected in the wild: Caulophyllum thalictroides (Blue cohosh) and Arisaema triphyllum (Jack in the pulpit). Next: cleaning and sorting of the seeds…

While growing Jack-in-the-pulpit from seeds is an ‘easy breezy’ task (the seeds can be sown in late spring in pots or directly in the garden), the blue cohosh seeds have an underdeveloped embryo and require 2 years for germination (alternate cycles of cold/warm). It is a subject that has been discussed at length on this blog over the years.

These fruits/seeds are usually collected in September but this year there is an advance of about 2 weeks on all species.

Latest seeds collected in the garden: Paeonia mlokosewitchii and Kniphofia hirsuta ‘Fire Dance’.

Upon the Shop re-opening, I recommend to focus on the moist packed species category, Helleborus, Aralia, Actaea (baneberries), species peonies, which require immediate sowing.

For customers new to growing from seeds, especially moist-packed species, there is plenty of time to review this post:
FAQ – moist packed seeds.

And don’t forget to check out the Germination page.

Actaea pachypoda (White baneberry, doll’s’eyes) in the garden, growing in an extremely dry location.

 

 

Well, I don’t like it but I should write something about this Campanula, which is offered in the Shop (seeds).

Once upon a time, when life was easier, Campanula rotundifolia L. was considered a single species with a widespread distribution and with many variable forms depending on the geographic range.

The situation is reflected by the many synonyms accumulated over the years for this species including: Campanula alaskana, C. arctica, C. gieseckeana, C. intercedens, C. petiolata and so on….

Time has passed, and like with many other things in life, people from various parts of the world started to look more closely at the harebell, with newer tools and fresh eyes. It is an extremely variable pretty plant, so we cannot blame them.

Among other articles, I also managed to find on-line, a partial treatment for Campanulaceae for Flora of North America, which I recommend to be read entirely.
https://inaturalist.ca/posts/86696-campanula-partial-treatment-for-flora-of-north-america

For those who want a very short resume:
Firstly, it seems that the species has colonized NA in a single event from European ancestors, then it diverged into separate morphotypes.

Campanula rotundifolia populations in North America are represented by diploids, tetraploids and hexaploids which occur in a ‘matrix’ according with S. G. Shetler who studied C. rotundifolia in North America and is of the opinion that “the tetraploids form a ‘groundmass,’ and the others might turn up anywhere”. (!)

He has been able to differentiate four ‘races’ in NA based on plants morphology: the “Alaskan Race”, the “Arctic Race”, the “Eastern Race” and the “Cordilleran Race” (please follow the above link for more explanations and relative descriptions).
Very important I think is this note: “in any particular location plants may be found with any combination of morphologies mentioned above, or populations with the features of one or more “races” may occur together or in the same general area”.

If all these ‘races’ will be formally recognized as distinct species, I don’t know. I notice that on WFO C. rotundifolia and C. gieseckeana are listed as accepted.

Campanula rotundifolia L. in Bruce pen., likely what is given now as Campanula gieseckeana

I will personally wait for a general consensus and a complete treatment of Campanulaceae published in Flora of North America, so we can follow the traditional keys for identification. We will follow closely this ‘story’ of and wait for the ‘happy ending’.

With this in mind, it is important to note the seeds collection locations.

Regarding the seeds offered in BotanyCa Shop – all seeds offered as Campanula rotundifolia, of any year, were collected in Ontario on the shorelines of Lake Huron (Bruce peninsula and Killarney).

I also grew plants from the latest collection and after a very close look with the measuring tape in hand out in the garden, our current plants/seeds qualify ‘somewhat’ into to the “Eastern race” as described by S. G. Shetler, with the decumbent stems and very particular ‘ribbonlike leaves’  (currently presented as Campanula intercedens on iNaturalist).
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=905640

I would also note that height and vigor will vary greatly depending on the garden location: shorter, more upright plants in a full sun/dry location versus a much taller plant in part-shade and more moisture.

So, for now I changed the title in the Shop to:
Campanula rotundifolia L.– Killarney, ON
somewhat equivalent to Campanula intercedens Witasek
If you grew plants from seeds purchased in the last two years from BotanyCa Shop, please mark this change in your labels/records.

 

Happy Canada Day!
To our local customers, and a kind reminder that orders will be accepted only until July 15th.

The Seeds Shop will reopen as usual in late August/September when hopefully more species will available for the Early fall Seeds list.

Lilium philadelphicum, wood lily

Thank you all and best wishes for an enjoyable summer!

 

The new wave of seeds has landed. What has become a tradition around Canada Day continues: offering seeds of Sanguinaria canadensis, Asarum canadense, Stylophorum diphyllum and few other native and non-native species which require sowing during the summer. All these are listed in the top section of the SEED LIST.

All seeds (except Jeffersonia dubia and Corydalis nobilis, which have been moist packed) will be shipped doubled packed in glassine envelopes/plastic bags.

Some of the remaining seeds will be moist-packed and available for the fall-winter sale (where enough seeds).

Helleborus seeds can be sown until late summer/early fall, but please keep in mind that the Seeds shop will close for the summer and re-open only in late August-early September. So, I recommend those interested to purchase them now.

Pseudofumaria alba, P. lutea and Capnoides sempervirens newly collected seeds were added to this list because by sowing in the summer you can obtain established seedlings before the winter. Of course, other seeds in stock can be added to your order (keep them in the fridge for fall sowing).

As mentioned, Epimedium seeds are complimentary offered for any order (while quantities last, ask in the note if interested). Likewise, the seeds can also be purchased (1 pck/order).

Helleborus purpurascens ex. Carpathian Mts.

The SEEDS Shop will close for orders around mid-July.
Afterwards, it is time for a short vacation and as always seeds collecting, inventory freshen-up and website work before re-opening in late summer/early fall.

Many thanks again to all who support BotanyCa in the endeavour of offering fresh seeds of various native and other plants species. We can all make a small contribution to sustain the biodiversity simply by growing a few plants from seeds!

Mid-June is by tradition a period when various spring flowering species are maturing their fruits – many are literally bursting at the seams :-) and are a bit difficult to catch, even for experienced collectors. Cues of maturation are slight changes in color and/or in texture, but even so, fruits on the same plant will mature at different times, therefore using organza bags when possible is still a better way to go.

With plants being smart, the fruits are in most cases down-turned towards the ground (like in Stylophorum diphyllum, the woodland poppy), which makes the matter of capture even more difficult. The wild ginger fruits (Asarum canadense) are laying at the ground level and innocently keep the same color/shape until the ‘last minute’ of maturation – an open buffet for all ground crawling creatures.

Viola species capsules, we talked about them, are explosives and it is not possible to include all the stems in bags.

So, daily garden walks have a double goal, to admire the newly flowered and to also collect seeds from the ‘seeds defectors’.

Just one example of an Epimedium ex. ‘Amber Queen’ hybrid; colored young foliage and yellow spidery flowers in various shades

To make a long story short, there will be new fresh seeds listed in the Spring-Summer 2024 section of the SEED LIST very soon.

At this point, only Jeffersonia diphylla and one Helleborus are on the ‘wait list’, but not for long I think.

PS. In the featured image: capsules with seeds of Epimedium lishihchenii.

Free Epimedium seeds will be offered for all orders (while quantities last)!

This spring was good with them and there are plenty of capsules on Epimedium ‘Amber Queen’ and its hybrids, so it would be a shame to let them go to waste.

Stay tuned…

The Corydalis and Hepatica seeds offering will be closed sooner that June 15th, after this weekend. So, do not wait longer if you want to grab some of the remaining seeds.

I was concentrating towards preparing the orders with Hepatica seeds as fast as possible when garden walks revealed that many early flowering species (March/April) are ripening their seeds sooner than usual! The biggest mischiefs from ‘catch me if you can’ category were bagged, and in fact, as of today Helleborus niger and Helleborus purpurascens seeds are already collected.

Frequent garden walks are recommended now because many species are maturing their fruits gradually (Physoclaina, Geum triflorum, Lathyrus vernus, Draba, Viola species….for example). I also noticed the first Epimedium capsules bursting…

Collecting seeds in the wild will be a hit and miss this year, that’s for sure.

Dicentra formosa flowers showing immature capsules.

In the feature image we have Dicentra formosa, the Pacific bleeding heart, for which I’ll make a short plant portrait.
It was grown from a few seeds collected many years ago during a trip to Victoria, BC. It grows well in a part-shaded location and I like it for its long flowering period and for providing food for the bumblebees in the spring. Interestingly, I’ve never noticed fruits until this year; as shown in the image they would be hard to miss!

The Pacific bleeding heart is a lovely plant with ferny-like foliage growing from fleshy rhizomes that broke easily (so careful with transplanting). The pink heart shaped dangling flowers appear in early spring and last for a very, very! long time. It will spread to form carpets, with size depending on how much moisture it has; easy to remove as the rhizomes are very shallow (almost sit atop the ground). It usually becomes dormant in late summer.

I would say it is an essential species for the long tongue pollinators in the spring. In my garden it flowers at the same time with Lathyrus vernus and they are both very good ‘providers’. The bumblebees population has increased because of them, and because of the countless early Corydalis and Dicentra cucullaria, of course :-)

Regarding Dicentra seeds germination, I would like to emphasize that the same applies as for Corydalis species. The seeds need to be sowed fresh, with warm/cold stratification cycles. From dry, old seeds you will not get much germination. This subject is not often discussed because actually not many Dicentra species are grown from seeds.

Like in previous years, the next offering of fresh seeds will be done on late June-early July for various native and non-native species, before the Shop will close for the rest of summer: Sanguinaria, Asarum canadense, Stylophorum diphyllum, Saruma, Epimedium, Jeffersonia, Dicentra formosa (if enough seeds), Pseudofumaria lutea, Capnoides sempervirens, Helleborus (Helleborus seeds can also be sown in early fall)…