While we bid adieu to Hepatica flowers, many other spring delights are awaiting for us in the forests and as well in our gardens.
One of the most important events for all woodlanders – the flowering of Trillium grandiflorum, is starting in SW Ontario! The cool, late spring makes it to coincide with Claytonia virginica flowering (spring beauty), which usually flowers earlier in the spring.
These are some of the most wonderful moments of our brief springtime, enjoy them while they last!
In a blink of an eye the spring will rush over us with its myriad of gardening tasks and enjoyments; Hepatica will also start blooming :-) So, it is time for the 2022 indoor seedlings wrap up and awards presentation.
The unexpected: Androsace carnea
A whole tray with sowing pots was waiting in the garage in late December for the first snowfall before being taken outdoors. Luckily, I noticed the tiny green specks in the Androsace pot before doing so.
The cutest: Campanula alpina var. bucegiensis
I am partial toward this little bellflower from the Carpathian Mts.; maybe cuteness is also in the eye of the beholder.
The most repeated: Anthemis carpatica var. pyretriformis
I’ve tried growing this species at least four times. Easy to germinate and grow, hard to find a suitable location in the garden…I will persevere.
The most reliable: Aquilegia species
Aquilegia formosa, recently transplanted, receiving the prize for all other Aquilegia species sowed this year.
The desirable/2 years germination: Degenia velebitica
Degenia velebitica is an endemic species from Croatian mountains. The germination is problematic; please see the *note at the end of this post.
The desirable/fast germination: Phacelia sericea
After encountering the silky Phacelia flowering high in the Canadians Rockies, who wouldn’t want to grow it?
The heartbreaker: Iris dichotoma
I tried the Vesper Iris in various locations in the garden, and none were on its liking long term. Even so, it is worth the effort to grow it from seeds periodically.
Best in the annual category: Orlaya grandiflora
An easy win from only 2 annual species sowed; the white laceflower is a very handsome and pollinator friendly species.
Most aromatic: Ziziphora clinopodioides 
Best growth in ‘new species’ class: Gypsophila patrinii 
*Note: Degenia velebitica ecology germination.
I sowed the seeds last year in late summer following the findings of the article that the seeds from wild plants germinate best at high temperatures (22-31C, ie. sowing in late summer/early fall).
It didn’t work out (there was 1 seedling) maybe because the provenience of the seeds was from a cultivated plant, already adapted to different environmental conditions (the epigenetic factor). In any case, even after cold/moist stratification the percentage of germination was very low, but happy to have even just a few seedlings.
I am doing a last few sowings using the HWT (hot water treatment). As explained and shown in previous postings, the HWT applied for Fabaceae species (and not only), causes fine fissures in the seed coats and allows for water imbibition, eliminating the need for the cold/moist stratification period.
Those unfamiliar with this method can follow the links to read more about it and to see more pictures:
Continuing the sowing: in hot water; Updates to the HWT; FAQ – hot water treatment
I am trying two new Astragalus species: Astragalus detritalis, debris milkvetch, a Colorodo native, with bright purple flowers and
Astragalus detritalis seeds aspect after a second HWT; noticed the swollen seeds which need to be sown; then repeat the HWT again
Astragalus glycyphyllos, licorice milkvetch. You need to repeat the treatment 2-3+ times, especially for Astragalus species, but otherwise all is easy and some seeds may even start to germinate in the water.
And I’ll persevere, as long as I have seeds, with Oxytropis halleri. One plant flowered from my last attempt, but unfortunately vanished. It may be that our hot, humid summers are not to its liking, but it is worth trying it again. Oxytropis species are really hard to maintain in garden cultivation.
If you didn’t use the hot water method yet, give it a try. It is one of the easiest germination treatments to apply; for sure it beats sanding your fingers together with the seeds ;)
We cannot really generalize, but the majority species from Fabaceae family are easy germinators. The HWT is working well for: Astragalus, Baptisia, Hedysarum, Lupinus,
Oxytropis halleri
Oxytropis, Thermopsis. Considering how Lathyrus vernus self-sown seeds germinate in the garden, it would probably benefit as well. However, I didn’t manage to ‘break’ the Senna seeds with the HWT.
Species that would germinate at warm even without the HWT can also benefit from it to speed up the germination (Amphicarpaea).
Lindera benzoin, Northern spicebush, Forsythia of the wilds
Early in the spring (mid-April in some years) the flowering of Lindera, which grows as an understory, lightens up the deciduous woodlands. The small, abundant, bright yellow flowers are a sign of the long awaited spring and very useful to the early pollinators! The species it is also a favorite larval host for the beautiful Spicebush swallowtail and Promethea silkmoth.
Later in the fall, the foliage turns yellow providing a wonderful background for the shiny red, abundant fruits (female and male plants need to be grown together). They provide food for countless bird species.
The fleshy part of the fruits was/it is chopped and utilized as an allspice, hence the common name.
Read more about it and its fruits, seeds and germination: Here
Caulophyllum thalictroides, Blue cohosh
How many times I have written about Caulophyllum? One of my favourite wildflower because of the purple shoots that emerge in early spring and the beautiful foliage: a well grown plant of Caulophyllum can be easily taken for a peony. It is also an important medicinal plant.
The desire to grow it from seeds for my garden lead to an in depth study on its seeds and germination pattern. The seeds are hydrophilic to extreme! I repeat it, because people are still trying to grow it from dry seeds = dead seeds.
Few other posts on Caulophyllum: Purple beasties, Berberidaceae seeds and embryos, Caulosaurus
I will end with a picture taken last year in the garden. One more writing tomorrow and we’re done, spring is nearing and there are so many things to be done seedlings wise, before the purple beasties emerge :)
Caulophyllum giganteum garden grown, about 5 years old
There are so many interesting seeds-related subjects that sometimes it is hard to choose what to write, or the time is too short.
An email arrived yesterday saying:
“I thought I’d better drop you a line before I forget. Have been now been giving most of my north american seeds at least a week of moist and warm temps before chilling. Today, after less than a week of 65 to 70 degrees f I have 25 yellow asclepias germinated and now in cells. I have had such luck with Asclepias tuberosa that I have collected and germinated so I am not shocked but especially since these are the yellow form, I did not expect such germination.
Most impressive, Thank you, Regards Catherine”
My answer was, besides thank you and so on… that the very good germination at room temperature may be due to the ‘older’ seed lot from 2020. (Last year there were no fruits on the yellow Asclepias). Maybe others are also familiar with the knowledge that ‘older’ Asclepias seeds germinate better than fresh ones, which could be explained by the after-ripening (post-maturation) requirement.
I don’t know for sure of this is the reason; usually I recommend to sow Asclepias species in late fall/early winter because there are some which require a cold/moist stratification for good germination (A. exaltata for example). If they don’t, it doesn’t matter, they will germinate in late spring when it gets warm.
In any case, it is a good time to discuss a bit about the AR.
First, what is this after-ripening? Some define after-ripening (AR) as “a time and environment regulated process occurring in the dry seed, which determines the germination potential of seeds”.
Very simple, I would say that after-ripening is a process through which dry seeds are ‘preparing’ themselves to get out of dormancy and germinate, if and when the right conditions arrive. The AR involves the loss of water content of the seeds up to certain point which naturally happens in nature after the seeds ripen and fall on the ground/remain in the dry fruits.
Not all dry seeds species require an after-ripening period. It is known for sure that many many grasses require AR, but otherwise we do not have a comprehensive list of species that require AR. I only know about Asclepias, Polygala, and various Brassicaceae species.
AR is a complex process during which various physiological and molecular mechanisms are taking place within the dry seeds. If for some reason AR is not complete, the seeds will not germinate even if they are placed in proper condition (water, light/dark…); instead they will remain dormant (eventually they will germinate, but give them time…).
It would be impossible to approximate the exact duration for AR I guess, considering it cannot be the same for all species. Usually seeds collected in the summer and kept dry at room temperature should have enough time for after-ripening until late fall/early winter.
It has been shown that increasing the temperature at which seeds are after-ripened generally increases the rate of dormancy loss, but on the other hand, at high temperatures, the seed viability loss accelerate. So, it is a give and take if we want to manipulate AR or store the seeds long-term.
Conclusion:
Just like many seeds require to be sown right away (those recalcitrant ones), others require a ‘quiet time’ by themselves :) in a dry state, to be ready for the germination.
For gardeners and small operations, after collecting the seeds it is best to let them dry in paper bags in the house until late fall (in contrast to putting them in the fridge right away!). Exception: fleshy fruits/seeds which need to be cleaned first.
And yes, the after ripening requirement could be another reason that sometimes we stare at an ‘empty’ sowing pot wondering what went wrong.
Not one boring minute when dealing with plants and seeds :)
*I am always happy to receive good/interesting germination updates about the seeds you received. If you have bad news, it is fine as well. Maybe we can figure what went wrong together.
Sowing too much already, haven’t we? Well, there are much worse vices than this one. The indoors sowing is almost done and a few species are starting to germinate already.
I always try to test some of the new seeds additions, which I suspect by association with similar species, to be warm germinators.
And indeed, Silene turgida, Ziziphora clinopodioides and Gypsophila patrinii have germinated after about 10 days at room temperature.
Ziziphora clinopodioides seedlings
Reminder: if you try to germinate something at room temperature and nothing happens after 3-4 weeks, move the pot in a cold location for 1-2 months and then bring it back to warmth.
Also, I just sowed, as usual, a small batch of Aquilegia species with GA3 treatment (and a few others like Thalictrum petaloideum). Many Aquilegia species are short lived by nature and not always manage to reseed by themselves. But they are so easy from seeds!
Aquilegia flavescens, yellow columbine; a species not as often cultivated like A. chysantha, that can be found in the subalpine meadows of the Rocky Mountains.
Re-sowed: Aquilegia chaplinei, Chaplin’s columbine, another yellow flowered species of North America. This small, delicate species grows well in a moist location and I don’t seem to find a good place for it. Plus, it has been devoured by the columbine sawfly so I am trying for a larger population (meaning 3-4 plants).
Thinking long spurs, Aquilegia Origami white is a very good substitute for the long spurred native Aquilegia coerulea, the Colorado blue columbine.
And something blue for yet another snow day: Salvia nutans, the nodding sage. A most intriguing and rarely cultivated Salvia (seeds were offered 2 years ago) which unfortunately had suddenly perished last summer after flowering (I suspect a soil born infection based on the symptoms). Just when I thought I found a perfect companion for the gas plant (Dictamnus albus). Both enjoy a full sun, well drained location & calcareous substrate.
Advice:
Always collect and keep a back-up reserve of seeds from your most cherished plants, you may never know when you need them.
Always try to grow 2-3 specimens of your favorite plants; take action and propagate them before is too late (seeds, cuttings, division).
February has arrived (with a vengeance) and I hope many are preparing to start their indoor sowings.
Silene suecica
I have written about indoor sowing before, but maybe is good to mention again the ‘warm germinators’. This is the term used in the catalogue to describe the dry seeds that will germinate at room temperature (+/- 17-21C) after a certain (and variable) period of time.
I think it is a very good method especially for rockery species which always benefit from being planted in the ground at a young stage (Dianthus, Draba, Silene, Anthemis, Hedysarum, Oxytropis, Papaver….).
With so many light systems available nowadays, it is worth giving it a try. It is most rewarding and also therapeutic to grow something new during the winter months! Start with just 3-4 species if you are new at this. They will be perfect for a small trial-out container planting.
Draba haynaldii grown-up seedlings
You know the concept of going to do the grocery when you are not hungry, right? Your ‘plants budget’ will certainly improve when the garden centers start offering perennials in late spring!
Also check out the Germination guide of the Ontario Rock Garden & HP Society page: Here
Advice on using acid gibberellic: Here
Hot water treatment: Here
Advice for sowing small/fine seeds: Here
Soaking and nicking the seeds: Here
*It can happen that species given as ‘warm germinators’ to not ‘comply’ to the rule, and vice-versa, ‘cold germinators’ starting to germinate at room temperature.
Echinops crispus seedlings
The source of seeds: wild coll. versus garden coll., growing conditions of the mother-plants and other factors, all can influence the germination pattern. When it happens, place the pot in cold location for 3-4 weeks. And, no matter what, it is best to keep your pots for 2-3 years if possible; some seeds can enter a second dormancy and will need multiple alternate cycles of cold/warm for germination.
The list below is not exclusive and it includes only contains cold hardy genera/species that I have personally germinated over the years at room temperature. I made notes for the species that I have started using GA3 (by habit) and those that will germinate best and faster if using a HWT (hot water treatment).
Acinos alpinus
Allium thunbergii and few other Allium
Aquilegia canadensis and most other Aquilegia – with GA3 treatment
Amphicarpaea
Arenaria
Arabis species
Androsace some species
Anthemis carpatica and other Anthemis species
Arisaema triphyllum and other Arisaema
Artemisia
Astragalus (with HWT)
Asphodeline lutea, A. taurica
Aurinia saxatilis
Alyssum
Baptisia australis (using the HWT)
Berkheya purpurea
Bukiniczia cabulica
Campanula, many species
Caragana (HWT)
Carlina acaulis
Calycanthus floridus
Centaurea triumfettii, C. orientalis, and other Centaurea species
Cerastium alpinum ssp. lanatum
Cercis canadensis
Cirsium
Clematis alpina and other Clematis
Draba species
Delphinium grandiflorum and other Delphinium species
Dianthus nardiformis
Dianthus superbus ssp. sajanensis, most other Dianthus species
Echinops crispus and other Echinops
Edraianthus graminifolius and other Edraianthus (not all species though)
Erinus alpinus
Gypsophila
Hedysarum (using the HWT)
Hieracium lanatum
Ipomopsis
Iris dichotoma
Iris domestica
Incarvillea
Jurinea mollis
Kernera saxatilis
Lathyrus (with HWT)
Lilium formosanum var.pricei
Linaria spp.
Lychnis ssp.
Erythranthe guttata
Matthiola
Minuartia, some species
Monarda
Papaver species
Paronychia
Phyteuma orbiculare and others
Platycodon
Primula japonica and other Primula spp. (some exceptions)
Pulsatilla vulgaris, other species, hybrids,
Rhododendron species
Roscoea species
Salvia
Sedum ssp. and Sempervivums
most Silene species
Scabiosa caucasica, other Scabiosa spp.
Scutellaria pontica
Syneilesis
Thermopsis (using HWT)
Thalictrum cf. foetidum, few other Thalictrum with GA3 treatment
Thymus species
Viola – some species
So, get ready: wash your pots, have handy sowing mix, labels, the seeds and then go! Start first with those species which take longer to germinate (or unknown) and leave the very fast germinators for mid-February, early March. Good luck!
It is always exciting to find Phacelia sericea (Silky Phacelia, blue alpine phacelia, silky scorpion weed) in flower when hiking up in the mountains in mid to late summer (various mountain ranges of Western North America). It grows on dry, rocky slopes, near avalanche chutes and rocky forest openings, often in small groups or as single specimens. It is not difficult to recognize it after the deep-blue, violet flowers with exerted stamens and silvery aspect of the foliage (pinnatifid leaves with a covering of short, soft hairs).
Phacelia sericea in late July, Lizard Ranges, close to Fernie, SE BC
I had the luck to catch it in flower twice in the Rocky Mts. in SE British Columbia, and I even found older capsules with few seeds, which were preserved under the deep layer of snow.
I managed to grow a seedling which has developed nicely but then disappeared suddenly in the summer. As I understand, many others tried to grow it with the same outcome; even with a stellar drainage provided, muggy weather pose a big problem.
I will give it one more try this year. It is a warm germinator and the seedlings are not very difficult (it forms a taproot so it is best to plant the young seedlings in the rockery fast).
Phacelia sericea seeds aspect; the fruit is a capsule with 2 chambers
For other awesome species from the same location have a virtual weekend getaway – Weekend getaway: Lizard Ranges revisited.
*AN ILLUSTRATED KEY TO THE HYDROPHYLLACEAE OF ALBERTA
https://anpc.ab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Hydrophyllaceae-2019-09.pdf
**Interesting read on Phacelia (don’t grab your shovel to go looking for gold :)
https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2018/04/04/silky-phacelia-handsome-wildflower-special-talent
As the extreme cold goes on we will push forward with a few species from the bellflower family. This family includes a lot of species with flowers in various shades of blue: from a light, soft blue to deep blue and blue-violet.
Besides Campanula (it would be very hard to enumerate all species), a few of the most cultivated genera in cold climates are: Edraianthus, Asyneuma, Phyteuma, Jasione, Platycodon, Lobelia, Codonopsis…(and possibly I forgotten some).
Most species are easy to grow from seeds and adaptable in cultivation, and you can find suitable species for a variety of locations, like rockeries and flower beds, woodlands; from sun to shade, and dry to moist.
As it happens, they are not yet well represented in my garden and one of my garden-goals is to try and do better in regards to the Campanulaceae. I already shown Jasione in the last post; here are a few more samples in various shades of blue:
And my only Edraianthus graminifolius (not from lack of trying), probably one of the easiest to grow.
Edraianthus graminifolius
Later than expected, the seed stock for Gaultheria procumbens has been replenished. Some seeds are more difficult to extract and sort out than others, but speaking of the wintergreen, it is one of those species that I always postpone to start cleaning. And there is a good reason for it.
Everyone is familiar with the lovely urn-shaped white flowers of the wintergreen (rarely pink).
For those unfamiliar with the wintergreen, a presentation of this species was done a few years ago: Shining. The red, shiny fruits are commonly called berries. In more botanical inclined resources they are described as “berry-like capsules”. So, what is what?
Looking or opening a fresh wintergreen ‘berry’ will only reveal the seeds enclosed in a highly aromatic, white, mealy mass, which gives off a nice winterberry flavor (methyl salicylate), much stronger than the crushed leaves would. It is almost impossible to remove and sort out the seeds when they are fresh (at least by hand). The trick is to let them dry in a paper bag for a while, until the capsule gets differentiated from the mealy mass.
A picture will explain better what’s happening: the ovary gives rise to a small capsule and the calyx forms the actual red, edible covering/white, mealy underneath and will enclose the capsule, leaving a small opening (when dry). Hence the berry-like aspect of the ‘fruit’, that theoretically is a capsule, accompanied by a fleshy calyx (click to open the gallery).
*The genus Gaultheria comprises many species growing on various continents and besides fleshy calyces, some have real berries as fruits, while others present dry capsules. It has been suggested that the type of fruit in Gaultheria species has evolved in connection with their habitat. Species with fleshy calyces or berry fruits tend to occur in the forests/margins and clearings and may depend on the brightly colored and fleshy calyces or berries to attract animals, which act as dispersal agents by eating the fruits. Species with dry capsules often grow on more exposed sites and rely on wind dispersal.
With this we say farewell to 2021. Thank you to all the regular readers and occasional visitors of the website.
Growing and learning more about plants, one fruit and seed at a time!
With hope that all our seeds will germinate & grow well and our gardens will be more beautiful than ever in 2022!
It goes without saying that woodlands are enchanted places year long.
In deciduous woods even when all trees have lost their leaves, we can find many green “winter-joys” during the snowless periods: moss covered rocks, moss on tree trunks and stumps, slopes and woodland floor with sedges, wintergreen (Gaultheria) and others such as: Chimaphila, Polystichum, Coptis trifolia, Mitella, and of course, the queens of the woodlands: Hepatica americana and Hepatica acutiloba.
Mosses require a specialized expertise (and a microscope!) for correct identification; therefore in most cases I abstain to provide a name because it might be incorrect.
We can admire all of them and also draw inspiration from their growing habitat. Reproducing the moss boulders in our gardens would pose serious challenges, but a decaying stump in the shade is always a good opportunity to try and establish moss and species which like to grow on it, like seen in the pictures.
Sedges (Carex) are easy to grow from seeds and establish in the garden, and there are species for almost any type of location (sun to shade and wet to dry). Same goes for others like Mitella, Tiarella (picture in my garden), Polystichum acrostichoides and many other ferns, Hepatica and Gaultheria.
*Thanks to good weather Chimaphila seeds and Gaultheria fruits were collected (in stock after they can be cleaned and sorted out).
**Sedges (Carex) are also very difficult to identify and there are about 200 species in Ontario!
*Hepatica x media ‘Silberprinzessin’ in the feature image.
Modest snow and by the weekend back to spring-like temperatures! It seems we’ll admire for quite a while our “winter joys” in S. Ontario this year.
I will start the second part of this series with Phlomis russeliana, another underused species, in my opinion. The Jerusalem sage, a native of the Middle Eastern regions, is perfectly cold hardy and will grow well in well drained locations, sun to part-shade to form a nice groundcover of large, light green/fuzzy underneath leaves with a felt-like texture. Tall flowering stems with whorls of yellow flowers form in the summer. It spreads slowly by very tight rhizomes, so don’t be afraid, it won’t take over the garden. It grows part-shaded by a large spruce, which also ensures a good drainage.
To its left, Helleborus foetidus (Bear’s foot or stinking Hellebore), another ‘winter joy’, like all the Helleborus. The more you have, the better. One would think they are widespread in all the gardens here but actually that is not the case. Maybe too expensive? But they are so easy to grow from seeds and you will end up with seedlings to share with all the friends. You can expect the first flowers in the third or fourth year and there is usually a great variation, ie. nice surprises!
The next best thing to the Helleborus spp. are the evergreen Epimediums (few species and hybrids). A subject dear to me, they can be expensive but worthwhile; long lived and with beautiful foliage all year long. Just like for Helleborus, new foliage will grow up in the spring (also the best time to cut back the old stems/foliage to enjoy the flowers).
I am starting to like more and more the biennial and/or monocarpic species. Many of them develop ornamental leaves rosettes in the first year and remain as such over the winter: Digitalis purpurea, D. ferruginea, some Erysimum species, Ipomopsis rubra, various Cirsiums, Symphyandra, to mention just a few. You get to know and enjoy the flowers in the second year and then, a choice: grow them again/let reseed or move on to something else :) After all, there is only that much space available and so many other species to grow! I am looking fdw to D. ferruginea ssp. schischkinii to flower next near and will always welcome Ipomopsis rubra and Erysimum witmannii ssp. transsilvanicum.
Last summer the beautiful & monocarpic Cirsium macounii var. edule also flowered and it was source of delight for all, including the pollinators, especially the sweat bees. 
Being realistic I admit that I do not have the space to make it a permanent garden resident. It was fun to grow it though and I can share seeds with others more fortunate in garden space.
Other great biennial or short-lived perennials that overwinter as rosettes are: Capnoides sempervirens, Corydalis ophiocarpa, Pseudofumaria alba and P. lutea (Pseudofumaria ssp. remain perennials in this zone). I already talked about Corydalis and aliases a few times, so will end of the post here.
There are many other plants that remain beautiful over the winter in a cold climate: various ferns and grasses (mostly Carex, Luzula), Mitella diphylla, Tiarella, Tellima, Pachyphragma, Geum triflorum….and probably more could be added to the list.
