Kernera and a trick for sowing fine seeds

Few species with small size seeds

Talking alpines species which usually have fine seeds, I will show a trick for sowing.
As everyone knows, fine seeds require light for germination and they need to be covered lightly; perlite is a good choice, easy to find at almost any garden centre.
But not only I cover the seeds with perlite, I also lay a fine perlite layer on top of the sowing mix and water it lightly before spreading the seeds; this way the seeds will stick to the perlite and not get drawn deep into the mix ;) You can also use vermiculite in the same way.
I would say this is very important for warm germinators. For cold germinators, which will receive their cold/moist stratification outdoors, the light requirement is often replaced by the cold treatment, so you can use regular sowing mix for covering.

Saxifraga corymbosa seeds sowing

Light sensitive seeds sowing

Especially when placed outdoors for cold/moist stratification it is good to enclose the pots in a plastic bag/Ziploc/plastic box. The small seeds are easily displaced because of the light mix covering and starting spring with the raise in temperatures, they can also dry out very fast; even a short period of dryness can be fatal if it happens at the exact moment of the germination start.

About Kernera saxatilis, or to use the common French name which is very suggestive: Kernéra des rochers.

This lovely rock garden species offered in the seeds-gift is hailing from mountain ranges of Southern and Central Europe. Generally it is overlooked by many and I feel I should promote it more.

You can find a nook for this delicate species in any rockery, big or small, trough, containers or any other planting holders. The small white flowers will appear on an elongated flower stems in the spring, and will be followed by ornamental beads-like fruits.