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Colchicum 2024

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Robert:
Hi Leena,

Here in our part of California, summer is our dormant season, like your winter. Our summertime is so hot these days that the plants just sulk, or burn up and die. Gardening always has its challenges and yet there are always opportunities to learn more. I like your strategy of finding a genus that you like, does well in your garden, then learn about them and then grow and experiment with their relatives. I look forward to see what you will be working with next. I learn from this too and I just like seeing beautiful gardens and plant species that are impossible to grow in our climate. Meconopsis is a good example.

A few days ago I sowed several flats of our local California native annuals. Layia platyglossa, L. gaillardioides and Phacelia campanularia have already germinated. The weather is perfect for their germination so the others will be coming along quickly. I have also sown seeds my bulbous and perennial species for the coming season. We have to start as soon as possible due to the lack of winter chilling in our region. Some of the Aquilegias, Erythroniums, Eriogonums, and Penstemons will go in the refrigerator to stratify.

Life and circumstances have changed and I rarely can get out to do botanical fieldwork these days. I never reached the high county of the Sierra Nevada or the east side this year. Gathering Primula (Dodecatheon) seed, obviously, did not happen. I know that this is a genus that you are interested in and I am keenly interested in how our high elevation species would perform in your garden. Life is full of surprises and unexpected twists and turns, so for me, it is best to never say never.

Mariette:
Leena, You grow a stunning range of colchicums, such big and beautiful clumps! I wonder whether the seedling is a chance one or was raised intentionally? Colchicum woronowii is the only one in my garden which produces seed regularly and self-seeds.

Leena:

--- Quote from: Mariette on November 12, 2024, 08:26:32 PM --- I wonder whether the seedling is a chance one or was raised intentionally? .

--- End quote ---

Mariette, these were sown from seed pods of 'Autumn Herald' and the paler one was from 'Antares' (the mother plant is not doing well, I hope the seedling is more adapted to my garden).
I haven't had any self sown seedlings from Colchicums so far. It is possible they are eaten by smails before I have noticed them, but I have collected Colchicum seeds and sown fresh and have more seedlings growing in pots now. Colchicums don't set seeds here every year, I guess it depends on the weather in autumn and the following winter. Some varieties seem sterile, but I have gotten seeds from some and also from C.autumnale (but not from 'Album'!).

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