Tropaeolum

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hello, I'm a french tropaeolum enthusiast, and I'm planning to build a collection with the aim of asking for its registration as the french national tropaeolum collection , in partnership with the Botanical Gaeden in LYON/FRANCE. I do grow some species purchased in the UK (bought as tubers or seeds ). I'm keeping in touch with nurseries, seed companies, the Geraniaceae Group ( Richard CLIFTON ). I wrote to Kew Gardens , Inveresk Lodge Garden. I'm looking for very rare chilean species ( Tropaeolum JILESII, LOOSERI, KINGII, MYRIOPHYLLUM, NUPTAE-JUCUNDAE, LEPTOPHYLLUM ssp GRACILE, HOOKERIANUM ssp PILOSUM )
and other south american uncommon species ( Tropaeolum MORITZIANUM, BRASILIENSE, WAGNERIANUM, ...). Can anyone help me on how and where to ask for these rarities?
Thanks for advice and help

[Maggi Young]

Hello, Jean-Patrick... good to have you join the Forum.
The Tropaeolum are delightful plants, I wish you well with your seacrh and for the future of your project. Do you have much experience with growing other Tropaelum species? Where in France do you garden? That might have quite an impact on which plants will grow with you, depending on climate, etc. ?

[Lesley Cox]

I have T. myriophyllum but just a single bulb so far (2 and half years, bought from a local nursery). It hasn't flowered yet but is just emerging now - I noticed it yesterday when watering. The foliage is very pretty. If you'd like to send me a personal message I'll give you the contact for the supplier who may get seed.

[Alessandro.marinello]

Hello Jean
 it tries to watch in this site
http://www.chileflora.com/

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hello,
thanks for answers and link to chileflora which I've just visited. I'm gardening in the centre-east of France . There are light winters nowadays ( between 0° and -5°) hot summers ( up to 33° some days but usually less than 30° ) and very nice spring and autumn. I keep my plants in pots well protected in winter ( most of them are in full growth at present ). I know it's not good for Tr. polyphyllum, Tr. speciosum & Tr. ciliatum which will feel better in a garden( I have 2 balconies ). I grow other species ( Tr. azureum, brachyceras, tricolor, "lepidum",beuthii, hookerianum, pentaphyllum, argentinum, peltophorum, peregrinum ). I've sown other ones ( Tr. rhomboideum, x tenuirostre, incisum, leptophyllum, sessilifolium, hookerianum ssp austropurpureum, smithii ) and manage to purchase new tubers  next spring ( Tr.rhomboideum, sessilifolium, incisum ). I've read a topic on the AGS website about germination of south african bulb seeds. It was said that the seeds needed a hot spell after ripening before they could germinate in autumn when cold nights and short days happen. I wonder if it may de, the case of the chilean tropaeolum species which germination is very erratic and varies so much with seed origins .
Does any one has experience on this topic?

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Well... nobody seems to grow Tropaeolum??? Think I'll go on adding to this topic: Tropaeolum are such crazy things...Last year I've checked some pots I've sown ( a dozen or so ) which were covered with some kind of algae making a thick layer on the surface ( bad compost...). No germination had happened for 1-2 years. I decided to get rid of them and put the old compost & the old seeds as a layer on 2 well planted big containers. Early December 2 young Tropaeolum seedlings raised amidst the other plants...I picked them carefully and potted them individually .Since then 4 other seedlings appeared and I've got now 6 unexpected little plants but heaven knows which species they are... ( there's probably 1 Tr. azureum ). In fact seeds really germinate  when and where they want ( unfortunately never where or when you want them to ... )

[Maggi Young]

J-P, vous devez l'accepter dans une certaine mesure, la nature, n'est-ce pas?
You must accept nature to a certain extent, mustn't you? That is the challenge of gardenieng... and what a delight that even after some time you have those unexpected trop. babies!
It is always good practice with Trops to keep them growing, when they are seedlings, for as long as possible before they fall back to dormancy ......the bigger the tuber can become, the less susceptible it seems to retreating to that very complete and long-lasting dormancy that so many Trops are prone to.

[Lesley Cox]

I'll take a picture of my T. myriophyllum when it's a little bit bigger. Two stems this year.

Don't we have another Tropaeolum thread somewhere with those beautiful hybrids that someone raised? Maybe the two threads could be merged Maggi?

[Carlo]

I'm glad to hear (ahead of time) that seed is so erratic. I'm giving it a first go this year and would have hated if I had given up too early. We've all had the "extended germination" experience before, but it's nice to know what genera are prone to it.

[Maggi Young]

Maybe the two threads could be merged Maggi?

I have done that .
 Just a note that there are threads on Trop. azureum in Grow from Seed

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1391.0     and Plants Wanted, also....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=286.0

[ashley]

Well... nobody seems to grow Tropaeolum???

Thanks for starting this thread Jean-Patrick. 

Yes I am growing a few species from seed (argentinum, brachyceras, hookerianum, lepidum and a few others) and may post some pictures when they are in flower. 

In my very limited experience germination has not been difficult, just erratic.  A cold period seems to be essential for all of the species I've tried so far.  Keeping the seedlings growing for as long as possible in their first season is also important, as Maggi says, and then storing tubers cool and fairly dry (but not too dry) brings them back to life as temperatures fall in autumn. 

[Michael]

I also love tropaeolum, and mine are just starting putting up some buds! Whohooo!!
I'll post the pictures here too

[David Pilling]

Picking up from my postings way back in this thread.

In January 2008 I had three lots of T. speciosum seed. AGS seedex, SRGC seedex and by chance SRGC surplus. I soaked and pealed them, put them in zip seal bags with a moist kitchen towel, kept them a couple of weeks indoors in the warm and then outside in the cold and on through the Summer.

Roots started to come out of the SRGC surplus seed around Christmas, nothing from the other two batches yet.

The ones that have germinated have presumably been drier for longer (surplus seed arrives later) and were eventually kept in darkness - they might be from a different source.

Conclusion. They're fickle and they germinate in the cold not the warm.

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

I just want to emphasize that seed germination depends on seed sources. In my experience I had good results from J&J ARCHIBALD ( at least 50% germination rate ). At present I have:
-tr. hookerianum ( 2 seedlings raised out of 5 seeds )
-tr. hookerianum ssp austropurpureum ( 4 out of 5 )
-tr. azureum ( 4 out of 5 )
But yet no germination from tr. rhomboideum...of which I clearly don't know about germination requierements... Can anybody help?
-tr. sessilifolium ( 4 out of 10- but there may be some more underground... )
-tr. leptophyllum ( 3 out of 5 sown last year- emerging now... )
I don't know at present about tr. polyphyllum which begins to root underground long before shouting. (Same thing applies to tr. incisum from CHILTERN SEEDS sown last year ).
About tr. speciosum and tr. ciliatum: it seems to me that these ones always wait a year or more before they germinate...
Germination from SRGC & AGS seed exchange seems to be more erratic as quoted before in this topic but it's always worth asking for seeds as good surprises may appear and as a tropaeolum enthusiast I'm interested in every seed which can be on offer...

[Maggi Young]

I just want to emphasize that seed germination depends on seed sources.

Not necessarily! We have variable germination rates from our own seed from good plants, so we think the variability is built in!!