Ranunculus, Viola, Gladiolus and Helonias

[WimB]

Hello,

I've received some seeds from a friend and I also bought some.
Since I've never sown any of them, I'm wondering what's the best way to sow them.
So if anyone could give me some clues about the ideal sowing conditions (stratification, sowing-medium,...) I would appreciate it a lot.

It concerns the following species:

Gladiolus palustris
Helonias bullata
Ranunculus lyallii
Viola cotyledon
Viola pedatifida

Thanks

Wim

[Lesley Cox]

Wim, just sow the seed on your usual potting mix then cover it with a layer of grit, about .25cm in most cases, perhaps a bit less for the violas. For V. cotyledon I'd add extra grit to the compost, maybe some extra humus for R. lyallii. Keep them cool over the remaining summer (shaded and moist).

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wim,
There's some interesting (be it somewhat depressing  ) information on Ranunculus Lyallii in this topic.

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1499.0


Mine is still in it's pot and I'm still looking for a suitable place for it...
 

[arisaema]

You should treat the Viola cotyledon with GA-3, I remember looking into it once, they are supposed to be nearly impossible to germinate without it.

Quoting Bill Cullina on the Helonias:

Helonias is slow o grow from seeds. If sown immediately on a damp surface, some seeds will begin to germinate in about a month, with the rest waiting until the following spring. The little rosettes should be left in their flats, set in a shallow tray of water for a year until they are 1/2 inch across, and carefully moved to larger containers. They bloom in 3-4 years from seed.

[WimB]

Thanks for the info,

they are now sown! 

I'll let you know how it goes.