Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Plants Wanted Or For Exchange => Topic started by: Alan_b on November 09, 2013, 08:58:59 AM
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The Greater Celandine is one of those wild flowers that self-seeds in my garden and is very tolerant of the dry summer conditions. So I am interested in adding to the variety with some unusual forms of this plant.
Last year I scattered three packets of seeds of the "Laciniatum' form (sometimes called "Bowles' Variety") on my soil on some wet days in spring. These were bought from a company called "Plant World" and so far nothing has germinated. I've just ordered some more seeds from "Chiltern Seeds" to make a second attempt. In the past I have also tried the flore pleno form (which I see elsewhere quite often) with zero success.
Also listed by the RHS but unavailable for some years are "Chedglow" and "Laciniatum flore pleno". Chelidonium majus is short-lived and would not appear amenable to splitting so I presume all these are strains which come true from seed.
I would be interested to know if anybody grows any of these varieties and can tell me about them or has any tips or tricks for growing them from seed. Maybe, for example, the seeds need to over-winter before they will germinate?
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Chedglow is a R. ficaria cultivar
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i doubt that the seed stores well. Best way to start such weeds is to beg a seedling and allow it to self seed. Ask me in march I might be able to send you the double form.
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Thanks, Mark, but according to the RHS http://apps.rhs.org.uk/horticulturaldatabase/hortdatabase.asp?ID=202315 (http://apps.rhs.org.uk/horticulturaldatabase/hortdatabase.asp?ID=202315)
Chelidonium majus 'Chedglow' (v)
an accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database
There is a Standard Specimen for this plant
so perhaps there is a Greater 'Chedglow' and a Lesser 'Chedglow'? According to this link http://www.johnjearrard.co.uk/plants/ranunculusficaria/ranunculusficariachedglow/species.html (http://www.johnjearrard.co.uk/plants/ranunculusficaria/ranunculusficariachedglow/species.html) the Lesser 'Chedglow' is named after Chedglow in Wiltshire.
There is a hint here http://plants.jstor.org/specimen/wsy0045289?history=true (http://plants.jstor.org/specimen/wsy0045289?history=true) that Chelidonium majus 'Chedglow' may tend to have variegated leaves but I do not have access to the image on that web site. It seems to be an obscure and possibly extinct cultivar.
And thanks, Peter. Some plants do seen to self-seed readily enough yet are reluctant to germinate otherwise.