Sowing Paris - any advice ?

[ichristie]

Great pictures and very helpfull information, a Paris delavayi in my glasshouse (cold) has had green leaves all winter, I also have some Paris polyphylla yunanensis Alba  beginning to grow again, do you have this?,  cheers Ian the Christie kind

[Kristl Walek]

Robin---thank you so much for posting these--wonderful---seedlings and growth habits of seedlings is always my favorite subject, especially of the rarer/more difficult subjects.

I only grow P. quadrifolia--and would dearly like to try some of the other species, if you or anyone else might have any seed to spare this season of anything other that P. quadrifolia, I would be so appreciative if you could remember me at seed time

[Robin Callens]

Great pictures and very helpfull information, a Paris delavayi in my glasshouse (cold) has had green leaves all winter, I also have some Paris polyphylla yunanensis Alba  beginning to grow again, do you have this?,  cheers Ian the Christie kind

Ian,

Paris delavayi seldom stays green in winter. I think it's more likely that it is Paris axialis. Yes, we have a few Paris polyphylla yunanensis alba but they are still dormant.

I only grow P. quadrifolia--and would dearly like to try some of the other species, if you or anyone else might have any seed to spare this season of anything other that P. quadrifolia, I would be so appreciative if you could remember me at seed time Smiley

Kristl,

I will let you know when seeds are ripe.


Robin

[ichristie]

Hi again Robin, I will have to watch this plant and take a picture if it flowers, maybe I have mixed up the lables, cheers Ian the Christie kind

[Tony Willis]

Robin

super pictures and very interesting. My paris seed sown last summer has not germinated yet but I still have hope.

[Robin Callens]

My paris seed sown last summer has not germinated yet but I still have hope.

Tony,

You will probably see nothing this year above surface. The first year only a radicle is formed and the cotyledon will appear next year from january on till june depending on the species.

Robin

[mickeymuc]

Dear Robin,

Thanks for the pics and information - I was unsure if it was a bad sign that no germination ocurred yet - well, so I'll wait another year and hope for good results then.
I assume you have the seedlings in a greenhouse - have you ever noticed self-seeding outside?
Here, two very small Paris are already in leaf, they are always very early but robust enough to stand the snow that might still come...

Best regards,

Michael

[Robin Callens]

Michael,

I always leave the seed pots outside and as soon as germination occurs I place the pots in a cold greenhouse to protect them from frost and bad weather. Yes, they self-seed outside like Trilliums do but they don't grow on as fast as the ones in seed pots.
I usually have difficulties in the garden with the very early Paris species. One of them, probably Paris vietnamensis, starts to grow in december and used to be in the garden. It never flowered and became smaller every year because it was damaged by frost. For the past four years I have been growing it in a container inside (frost free). Result a Paris, 90 cm high with 30 cm long leaves and a blue ovary:

[Maggi Young]

I have not seen this Paris vietnamensis before, Robin: very beautiful!

[WimB]

Really beautiful Paris indeed, I saw it life last week and it is stunning.

[ichristie]

Great picture Robin what an interesting family the Paris are,look forward to meeting up with you again,  cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[johnw]

I wonder if others have a problem getting Paris polyphylla properly syncronized with the seasons.  Over the years in late summer I have received several bareroot plants. Planted in a pot and placed in the cold greenhouse they settle in nicely but invariably come up in the coldest part of winter and keel over after a month, a few have done that and come up again in the spring only to fail and disappear for good.

P. quadrifolia does not present the same problem.

That Paris vietnamensis is smashing Robin. Why not start hybridizing!

johnw

[Robin Callens]

I wonder if others have a problem getting Paris polyphylla properly syncronized with the seasons.  Over the years in late summer I have received several bareroot plants. Planted in a pot and placed in the cold greenhouse they settle in nicely but invariably come up in the coldest part of winter and keel over after a month, a few have done that and come up again in the spring only to fail and disappear for good.

John,

You should try Paris lancifolia, P. delavayi, P. thibetica, P. incompleta etc, all species that come up by the end of march beginning of april.

Why not start hybridizing!

I already did, I crossed it two years ago with Paris delavayi. Four seeds germinated this year.

Robin

[johnw]

I wonder if others have a problem getting Paris polyphylla properly syncronized with the seasons.  Over the years in late summer I have received several bareroot plants. Planted in a pot and placed in the cold greenhouse they settle in nicely but invariably come up in the coldest part of winter and keel over after a month, a few have done that and come up again in the spring only to fail and disappear for good.

John,

You should try Paris lancifolia, P. delavayi, P. thibetica, P. incompleta etc, all species that come up by the end of march beginning of april.

Why not start hybridizing!

Robin

I fully agree that I should try them but they are impossible to find here. I'll check the seedexs next year.

Glad to hear you are hybridizing Paris.  I once knew a lady (sadly departed) in Devon who held the national collection. Unfortunately when I visited her garden the Paris were not yet up.  She had amazing black hellebores that kept us busy.

re Galanthus: It might be an idea to put Rosemary Burnham on your Green Mile. I can send pollen next winter.

I heard recently a friend is growing seed of Rosemary Burnham and it comes quite true.

You have terrific plants of extraordinary health.

johnw

[Roberto Gamoletti]

Dear friends
Here are the images of a paris species growing now in my garden. Could you help to identify it (the undersurface of the leaves is purple)
Roberto