Gentiana verna

[hadacekf]

I grow nearly 50 Gentiana verna in pots and troughs. This year had I one flower.
But in my Alpine Meadow I noticed today a flower of Gentiana verna. The plant grows 30m far away from my Gentiana verna.

[Tim Ingram]

I have this growing in my garden on the cool side of a sand bed and it is such a beautiful plant. When I first started growing alpines I visited Joe Elliott's nursery in the Cotswalds and he used to grow it by the hundreds, if not thousands, to supply to other nurseries (it is a very finicky plant to prick out!!). But I would love to grow it in a meadow. I did optimistically try to establish in short grass in our garden but of course it didn't do, in the main because we don't get persistant snow cover over winter. Gardeners often try silly things in an attempt to grow the plants they love!

[hadacekf]

Tim,
I think  it is not the absence of the snow in winters. We do not have a grass, which remains always short. The grass grows the whole year, the Gentiana however only in the spring and summer. By the way, I saw the Gentiana verna in Joe Elliott's nursery. 

[Lesley Cox]

I haven't done any this year as I didn't get enough seed but I've come to the conclusion that the best way to propagate it for a small nursery is to line up the eventual pots for sale, with a layer of seed compost on top of each and a thin layer of grit, then drop a tiny pinch of seed onto the centre of each. The seed germinates well and all grows on, or most of it anyway, making a good, tufted plant without the need to prick out anything, the stage at which very many are lost. The plants of both white and blue in my crevice troughs, I simply sprinkle the seed around the mature plants or anywhere and they come up nicely and grow on without disturbance.

[hadacekf]

Lesley, I think it is a good idea drop a tiny pinch of seed onto the centre of each pot. I will try it this year.

[Lesley Cox]

Lesley, I think it is a good idea drop a tiny pinch of seed onto the centre of each pot. I will try it this year.

Or maybe sprinkle it over the surface, for a bigger plant.

In another thread, I mentioned that I would sprinkle the seed of P. scotica, in much the same way, in a crevice in a trough but I thought I'd have to wait to do that after it's next flowering. However yesterday I found a seed head on a small plant and though it seemed green picked it and this morning the little dish I put it in has a smudge of minute brown seeds. So they'll go into the trough as soon as today's horrid sleety rain and wind have died away. Some snow on the hills this morning, but I believe Anthony is still basking in the high teens and no doubt still wearing his shorts and T-shirt.