Advice on sowing Narcissus Viridiflorus

[Andrew Gardner]

Hi,
Has anyone any experience with N. Viridiflorus from seed? I sowed around a dozen seeds on 3rd Feb 21 and have since kept them moist, and placed in an unheated conservatory. Am I keeping them too warm? should they be outside and subjected to heavy rain and late winter temps? I am aware that they are an autumn flowering species and that by protecting them from the worst of the Scottish winter I was trying to mimic the native geographic climate better. However, other than keeping them bone dry throughout the summer months( if no spring germination), I am not sure which pattern to follow at this time.
Kind regards,
Andrew

[Karaba]

No advice about sowing it. Just an anecdote : I've just check an old pot (2018) and saw 2 seedlings today. I was keeping these pots because I really want this species and several sowings give nothing till now. I've been growing it few years ago but lost it because of frost.

[Andrew Gardner]

Thank you, Karaba

[Gail]

I had some from an exchange  a few years ago and they germinated for me on the sitting room windowsill, so I think your unheated conservatory should be fine. Unfortunately I left the pot in Suffolk when I moved so don't know if they survived but I'm trying again now with some from Seeds of Peace; have got them in my unheated and leaky glasshouse.
Sternbergia sicula came up in 4 weeks in the cupboard under my stairs at a fairly constant 15-18 degrees.

[Andrew Gardner]

Thank you, Gail. Fingers crossed

[Andrew Gardner]

First two seedlings spotted today. I must have done something right. Yay!

[Gail]

Excellent, well done!

[Jack Meatcher]

I've had varying success with sowing N. viridiflorus. Attached are a couple of pics of my successes. They are of several different years of sowings and the seeds were from a well known Spanish purveyor of Narcissus seeds. One other pot of his have yet to show while my other (currently) "no shows" have been 2 from the SRGC exchange and 1 from an AGS exchange. The pictured ones have Wintered on the window cill of a spare bedroom which is on the sunny side of the house. No special compost. Watered occasionally until the leaves started to die off.
The no shows have been outside all Winter. I expect I'll turn them out all together into a larger diameter pot and see if anything emerges next Autumn.
The ones in the photos will go outside for the Summer when the weather is a bit warmer.
I hope this posting is encouraging even if it doesn't spell out a sure fire route to success.

[Andrew Gardner]

Thank you, Jack