seed requirements

[johnw]

I have just received seeds of Caltha palustris v. himalayensis and know nothing about its sowing requirements.  Can someone help out?

Also seed of Janis' Fritallaria camscahtcensis 'Amur'.  Is it best to wait till February to sow this one?

Very mild here for the past week with temperatures in the mid-teens, wet and foggy.  We need some frost!

johnw

[ranunculus]

Certainly the fresher the better for the Caltha, John ... I would sow them before nightfall (given the chance, of course)!  Good luck with them.

[johnw]

Certainly the fresher the better for the Caltha, John ... I would sow them before nightfall (given the chance, of course)!  Good luck with them.

Thanks Cliff, as good as done.

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

Absolutely agree. Caltha in particular is best sown while still with the plump, glossy appearance it has as it's shaken fresh from the still green capsules. After just a few hours it is going dull and shrinking and the germination rate drops rapidly. For several years I bought the white C. palustris from Jack Drake and had nothing come though but when one eventually did, from perhaps the fourth batch, it grew on well and subsequently my own seed from that one germinated very well indeed, so long as I sowed as soon as I harvested.

Incidentally, isn't var. himalayensis the white form?

[johnw]

Incidentally, isn't var. himalayensis the white form?

Lesley - It is  indeed and a lovely thing though variable in flower size.  A friend collected it in the Himalayas and brought it back to Newfoundland where they grow aplenty.  Howard Clase just gave me some seeds last week.

I had a close look at the seeds - more like a post mortem - and only one had any sort of shine.  So I have soaked them in warm water and will plant tomorrow if there has been a ressurection.  I may have to resort to buying a plant the next time I visit The Rock.

johnw

[cohan]

so these would be candidates for the moist packing approach kristl uses?

[Lesley Cox]

You're probably right there Cohan. John even if they don't plump up, still sow them. Never say die - or dead. I wonder how old your seeds are as I'm getting a little seed from mine now.

[johnw]

You're probably right there Cohan. John even if they don't plump up, still sow them. Never say die - or dead. I wonder how old your seeds are as I'm getting a little seed from mine now.

Lesley -  They could be quite aged. They are looking a bit better this morning but...

Do they sprout immediately or need cold treatment?

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

Nothing of mine gets any "treatment" as such so I can't answer that but I suspect that for you they'd germinate in spring. Do you find - as I do - that many deciduous plants including bulbs, germinate at the time when the mature plant is appearing through the ground surface again?