Shortia seeds

[Mark Griffiths]

hi, I'm looking for a source of Shortia seeds - unfortunately I missed out on those offered in the AGS seed list this year. I've heard that the Goteborg Botanic Garden used to have a seedlist but now it's a web shop and I'm having a problem registering to even see what's in the web shop.

Any other commercial sources people know of?

[Gene Mirro]

I just got a few from the NARGS exchange.  Goteborg has a nice group of S. galacifolia growing there, but I've never succeeding in getting any seeds from them over many years.  I've grown it from seed in the past, and it's a devil to transplant successfully.  I lost 100%, and I'm usually pretty successful with difficult plants.  Maybe you should splurge for a few nursery-grown plants and then try to collect the seeds.  You may have to hand-pollinate between two different clones, and you will need to be very diligent about collecting before they disperse.  I have four plants that I purchased from Bovees Nursery in Portland, Oregon.  They are on a raised bed of sandy loam soil where they get about two hours of sun per day.  They are OK, but they are not spreading.  A very difficult plant.

[Yann]

Mark the GTB's shop should open wednesday.

[Mark Griffiths]

thanks Gene, I've got a couple of plants in pots in a frame, one is S. galacifolia so I'm actually looking for other species / varieties.

Yann, are you able to see the shop without having to register? That's the step I'm having problems with.

[Matt T]

The Goteborg catalogue is now online: https://konnklubb.nordicshops.com/
I think they had a holding page up whilst it was being updated.

[Mark Griffiths]

hi, yes it is. I got an e-mail somehow. I've managed to get through an order with the aid of google translate but it took a while! Glad I posted when I did!

[brianw]

I managed with considerable difficulty to order some seeds 2 years ago, and even managed to pay. Unfortunately neither the Shortia or Veratrum seed germinated. My fault no doubt as I had expert guidance.
I see from the old emails I was expecting a newsletter but never received anything as far as I can recall.
Tried to log in several times since but never made it. Does your "klubb" membership lapse after a time?

[Mark Griffiths]

Brian, I get the feeling the whole thing has been revamped.

Out of interest what was the guidance you were given?

[brianw]

The advice from Gerben Tjeerdsma, who had given my local AGS group a talk, was to sow on moist pure sphagnum peat and keep covered to ensure a moist atmosphere. He sent me a photo of a 1 year old pot of his covered in seedling leaves although he must have had many more seed than I received. Prick out the second year into peat also. I was planning a house move at the time so may not have kept my eye on the ball sufficiently.

[johnw]

Brian & Mark  - The late & great Shortia guru Steve Doonan sowed his seeds atop 50/50 coarse peat and rather fine granite grit and placed in a plastic bag.  The tricky bit was getting them exposed to the great outdoors.  I'd punch a few holes in the plastic bag every week until the bag was gone, preferably the end synced with the foggy season.  S. galacifolia seed was the most ephemeral, uniflora not quite so and soldanelloides would last a few months in good shape if stored properly.

Steve's Shortia article appeared in NARGS Journal Spring 1993 Vol. 51 N0.2 (what an issue that was!).  Do try to lay your hands on it.

johnw

[Mark Griffiths]

Brian thanks for that. I was planning something like that - I use the same approach with Ramonda etc.

[Mark Griffiths]

and thanks John!

[johnw]

Mark

If you can't find the article I will dig for it, could take some time.

Steve got his Shortia seed from that amazing plantsman Erik Jespersen in Denmark.  I visited Jesper about 10 years ago.  I have never seen so many Shortias in one garden, it was amazing and all were meticulously catalogued.  I must get those slides scanned.  (Must say there were a lot in the Stone's garden!)

johnw

[Gene Mirro]

Here is the NARGS bulletin:  https://www.nargs.org/sites/default/files/free-rgq-downloads/VOL_51_NO_2.pdf

I surface-sowed them on 50% peat and 50% perlite, and germinated them under lights at 55-65F in the house in midwinter.  They germinated and grew just fine until I transplanted them.  That was the end.  This time I will place the transplants under a propagation dome in a cool shady place for a month or two.  It might work.

[johnw]

Gene  - Thanks so much.

When I was paying attention to them I'd transplant them from 1" cells if potbound into 2.5" pots.  As best as I remember the subsequent mix was coarse peat, granite grit and rotten wood from a rotting pine tree stump.  They loved the latter stuff and I top-dressed with it & a bit of well-rotted manure annually.  In their heyday they were happy, hard to look at the photos!

How about a bell jar shaded on the south side when planting out?

Just remembered, if I planted them near a peat block they would always run into that and along the peat wall leaving their original site behind.

john