Thursday, December 8, 2011

Gentians From Seed

Remember my post way back in September about my Bottle Gentians?  Gentians are a relatively rare wildflower that are even included on some endangered lists.


Bottle gentian up close
My plant started from seed in 2009
Wild fringed gentian
Fringed gentian open
I am very fortunate to have a few wild specimens of both the Bottle and Fringed varieties on my seventeen acres.  I saved seed in 2009 and have two nice specimens propagated in my flower bed.  They are an amazing colour and bloom right at the end of the summer when everything else has gone into decline.  Because of their scarcity, yours truly is attempting to propagate both varieties.  I collected seed from both varieties.  I am proposing to share some of my bounty with my readers, as I would love to see others enjoy this rare natural treat.  If you would like a few seeds, I will send you some if you send me a self addressed, stamped envelope. Ask me for my snailmail address at:


Baggies of seed pods
I know they kind of look like wood ticks don't they?

I found these were relatively easy to germinate, but they do require tender care for the first year.  They only develop a tiny wee plant the first summer.  What I did, I started them in plastic 4 packs, and then moved them into larger pots dug into the garden, so that they could be weeded, watered and tended.  In the fall I took them from their pots and moved them into their final location.

Bottle Gentian growing link - perennial
Fringed Gentian growing link - biennial

The Daily Quest

This is a new daily feature on The Musical Gardener blog. Below is a question, or puzzle that will change day by day. Do not use the comment section of the blog for your answer.

Answer to Yesterday's Puzzle:  a conch shell

Today's Puzzle:
Whatzit 
What word or phrase is represented by the following whatzit?



CHAWHOWHORGE


Please respond with your answer to the email below. I apologize but you will have to type my email address in manually (I'm attempting to avoid spammers).
Don't forget my Musical Gardener Contest  You still have December's draw, and the final prize in January.

And that is about all I have to say for today.

Musings and meanderings from the Musical Gardener
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5 comments:

  1. L. D. December 8, 2011 at 10:15 AM

    I don't think I have ever seen the flower before but it is a great blue. I like how it's buds are really neat and then it puts out a great flower too. It is fun to have a species like this survive and multiply on you property.

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  2. RedDecember 8, 2011 at 8:40 PM

    Well done! I belong to a naturalist club and we are always concerned about the survival of native species. You must have done a lot of trial and error to get these plants to grow from seed.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Musical GardenerDecember 9, 2011 at 5:18 AM

    Actually I found they germinated very readily and easily for me. Maybe I'll have trouble this time round, not sure.

    I think I will wait until March or April though, as I know I had great germination and then lost a lot before I got them transplanted into the great outdoors, so maybe if they just nicely are up, and then put into big pots in the garden, I'll have better luck. Anyway--here's hoping.

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  4. MarciaDecember 9, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    Before I request the seeds I need to know if deer eat them. It will be hopeless for me to try if they are a favorite with deer. Can you email me your response?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Far Side of FiftyDecember 9, 2011 at 10:10 PM

    I am impressed..they are very hard to grow from seed..you obviously have a green thumb!! :)

    ReplyDelete

Much appreciated comments from my friends:

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