Late June woodland happenings and Polygala

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The woods are lush, green and full of mosquitoes at this time. Few perennials are flowering (Anemone virginiana in the header image, Hydrophyllum canadense and Medeola), most late spring flowering species are busy growing fruits and few shrubs take center stage, notably: Lonicera canadensis, Cornus rugosa, Diervilla lonicera (also Polygala senega in the image) and Viburnum acerifolium.

Lonicera canadensis

Cornus rugosa

Diervilla lonicera

Viburnum acerifolium flowers

And, very important – the first seeds of Polygala paucifolia  have already been collected! I hope to get more in the next few days. In the last couple of years the seeds set was very low due to the drought. But after a gorgeous flowering in May and cool weather there is hope!

Polygala paucifolia (Gay wings, fringed Polygala)

A special post for Polygala will follow later before the seeds are posted in the Shop.

Mandatory readings

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The first moist packed seeds of the season are flying to various destinations. I want everyone to be successful in germinating and growing these species.
I cannot devise a test but few previous writings are actually mandatory for all purchasing any moist packed seeds:

Moist packing – what’s that?

We got the moist packed seeds – now what?

Hepatica: pollination, seeds and germination

The inventory on Hepatica seeds will be updated tomorrow and few other seeds of warm germinating species will be added to the Spring Shipping rate category!

Until then, I’ll leave you all with the mandatory readings ;) and an image with juicy seeds of Erythronium americanum.

Erythronium americanum fresh seeds

 

June woodland happenings

Now that the Hepatica seeds are all safe and moist and Claytonia capsules are making popping sounds from the paper bags :) we can enjoy a woodland walk.

As the Trillium grandiflorum is coming to an end other species start flowering. The mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum), Trientalis borealis, Aralia nudicaulis, Aquilegia canadensis, Maianthemum canadensis, Maianthemum stellatum, Clintonia borealis and all others are looking very happy after the rainy spring season. Considering the dryness of the last couple of years it is so very pleasant to see the woods looking green, lush and happy! Follow the links to read more about them or just enjoy the pictures.

Hover the mouse or click to open the gallery for the names.

Trillium grandiflorum

Podophyllum peltatum colony, June

Geranium maculatum

Maianthemum stellatum

Aralia nudicaulis

Calla palustris

Clintonia borealis

Cypripedium parviflorum var. parviflorum

Trientalis borealis

Zizia aurea

Aquilegia canadensis

Arisaema triphyllum

Friday’s seedlings: Trillium luteum

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Last year there was only one capsule with few seeds on a Trillium luteum. Nothing else to do but to sow the few seeds.
Easy germinator after warm/cold cycles; moist at all time of course.

Trillium luteum seedlings

Trillium luteum, not only beautiful also with a fresh lemony fragrance!

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.

 

 

 

 

Out in the woods

Out in the woods yesterday on a cold, windy day. I knew that the trout lilies (Erythronium americanum) flowers are fading; when it’s happening, the large flowered Trillium (T. grandiflorum) starts to flower – it is a given in our region.
And when the white Trillium is flowering, look up and admire the unfolding buds of Carya ovata (Shagbark hickory); the large, peachy cataphylls are hard to miss. It is another given.
Suddenly, the new, reddish foliage of wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) is all around, together with the yellow bells of Uvularia grandiflora (large flowered bellwort).

Trillium grandiflorum and trout lilies

Trillium grandiflorum

Carya ovata

Trillium grandiflorum- pink

Aralia nudicaulis

Trillium grandiflorum

Uvularia grandiflora

Everything is interconnected.

Note: due to the cool spring, Claytonia virginica and Hepatica seeds will mature later than usual this season.

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

Spring beauties II – Erythronium, Uvularia

Enjoy some ‘sunshine’ while I prepare my report on Hepatica americana 2019.

Erythronium americanum (trout lily) flowering colony

Viola pubescens (downy yellow violet); the only yellow flowered Viola around the region

And Uvularia grandiflora (large- flowered bellwort); due to the cold weather this spring, Hepatica americana still in flower makes a nice combination.

 

 

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…