Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Alpines => Topic started by: Zdenek on January 29, 2008, 09:12:45 PM
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I grow Trillium hibbersonii, T. nivale and T. rivale in pots for many years. I should like to try them also outdoors. Can anybody tell me his experience with growing these plants in an open garden? Are they frost hardy and do they withstand winter wet weather without cover? I would be grateful for any advice.
Zdenek Rehacek
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Zdenek,
I am making efforts to grow the little trilliums in the garden and have seedlings and plants of several that will go outside. I can't report any particular successes or secrets at the moment, so will follow this thread with interest.
Since you have years of experience growing them in pots, I'd like to find out how you do that.... Can you provide details of your methods?
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They should all be frost hardy, but we don't know where you live. I think the bigger danger is their small size, and the possibility that, without careful siting, they'd get lost in the open ground.
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Looking at these species' native geographic ranges and habitats may provide some clues to their ability to tolerate the conditions in your garden. Based upon its native habitats, Trillium hibbersonii is should likely to do well in wet winter conditions since it is native to the west coast of Vancouver Island, where the winters are very wet, with mostly rain and not much snow.
Ed
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Zdenek lives in the Czech Republic, see his website here: http://www.hradec.org/alpines/
Trillium hibbersonii and T. rivale do live in the garden in Aberdeen, North East Scotland but I think the wet summers don't help much!
I just wish I could get a supply of Trilliun nivale -the most gorgeous little Trillium, in my opinion- to be able to try some outside! I think Alan Newton, near Newcastle grows them all outside, as well as in pots----if I am wrong he will let me know ::)
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Margaret Glynn grows hibbersonii outside in a trough. We both grow rivale in the ground and in troughs.
Zdenek we dont get the winter cold that your summer house gets in the winter but the plants will be under the snow
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All the little trilliums grow well here outside except that like Mark, I tend to put hibbersonii in particular in raised beds and troughs in order to protect it from others' overgrowth. They're quite hardy here but I suspect the Czech Republic will have harsher winters than we do.
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Looking at these species' native geographic ranges and habitats may provide some clues to their ability to tolerate the conditions in your garden. Based upon its native habitats, Trillium hibbersonii is should likely to do well in wet winter conditions since it is native to the west coast of Vancouver Island, where the winters are very wet, with mostly rain and not much snow.
Ed
Thanks, but probably there are no or mild frosts, aren't there?
Zdenek
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To Carlo's question:
I have no special methods for growing them. I keep them in square plastic pots in a mixture of loam, leafmould, sand and grit. They are from April to October outdoors sunked in a sand bed in partial shade without any protection. For winter months I put them to my alpine house also sunked to the rim to sand. In winter I almost don't water but they are not dry. Temperatures in my A.H. fall to about -10C or even more but I cover them slightly against frost. I have good crop of seeds every year from T.hibb., lesser from T. rivale and no from T. nivale. Pictures of all three are on my web page.
Once I tried a seedling of T. hibb. in the open garden but it did'nt sprout in the following spring. We have mostly a good cover of snow in winter but sometimes frosts till -15C or even more without snow.
Thanks to all for your replies.
Zdenek Rehacek
http://www.angelfire.com/film/garden/webg/obrT/Trillium_rivale.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/film/garden/webg/obrT/Trillium_nivale.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/film/garden/webg/obrT/Trillium_hibbersonii.jpg
edit: 4th Feb. 2008 by Maggi : These links do not appear to be working at the moment. Zdenek informed me of this ansd when I check them I am getting an "loadblock" message so I assume this may be a temporary problem at the Angelfire site. Do not despair... click on Zdenek's website and track his photos from that direction, it will likely be more successful...it was for me... or try another time... but DO try! http://www.hradec.org/alpines/
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Thanks, but probably there are no or mild frosts, aren't there?
Zdenek,
I found climate data on the web for two places on the north part of Vancouver Island (Port Hardy and Nootka); this is at about 50 deg N. latitude. All time low temperatures for this area are in the area of -10 to -15 deg. C. Lighter frosts (to -3 or -5) are fairly common in winter though.
My sense is that the maritime situation does not produce as great a moderating influence on the west coast of North America as compared to the west coasts of Scotland and Ireland, probably due to the relatively close proximity of the mainland, which is an occasional source of cold continental air in the winter.
Though T. hibbersonii is strictly a coastal plant, the closely related T. ovatum has a wide geographical and elevation distribution (up to at least 1200 meters elevation) in western North America. If you can grow T. ovatum in the open ground it is worth giving T. hibbersonii a try; if T. ovatum is not successful in your area, T. hibbersonii probably won't survive.
However, I'm sure there are gardeners in British Columbia with personal experience growing T. hibbersonii through cold spells, and their advice would be much more useful to you than my speculation. Good luck!
Ed
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T. hibbersonii is so small that I have a circle of white stones
around it. That is the only reason it has been growing safely
for 35 years.
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Just by coincidence, yesterday I received my SRGC seed exchange package in the mail, which includes a packet of Trillium hibbersonii seeds. So now I have to decide when to sow the seeds. I had come to the conclusion that it would be best to store seeds of other species of bulbs, such as Erythronium and Narcissus, in the refrigerator until next fall, to get best germination, since it is now too late in the winter for seeds requiring cold stratification to germinate this spring. But what about Trillium? Should I sow them now or wait until next fall? Any other advice? All feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!
Ed
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It doesn't require cold to germinate. Mine have usually started
by September, in a Ziplock of Sunshine Mix, sitting on my kitchen
counter.
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If sown fresh, T. hibbersonii germinates here within 2 months, i.e. early autumn, so certainly no cold stratification is needed. But of course your seed Ed, will likely have been harvested 6 months ago and is presumably dry. I've little experience of it under those conditions except that my original plants were from UK seed and sent to me when about 7 months from their harvest. They germinated well but I don't remember when, as I mislaid the pot (I was moving house/garden/nursery at the time) and didn't find it again for almost 3 years, and only did so because they were in flower and I looked to see what those little pink things were.
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It might act like Pacific Coast iris, which germinate in
mild temperatures, fall through spring, and never in summer.
However, the area where hibbersonii grows gets, besides the
phenomenal amount of winter rain (measured in metres, not
centimetres), summer fog, so it doesn't have the summer drought
that the iris experience.
[THICK fog - in August we'd be sailing using radar, as we couldn't
see anything]
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Ian usually likes to sow his Trillium seed, including T. hibbersonii, fresh...... but we have found that stored or exchange seed can still germinate in its first spring, even if only sown in late autumn or winter. Seed pots live outside in open frames, except in really wet and cold weather... that is to say, nearly always open to the elements in NE Scotland.
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Thanks everybody for the advice - sounds like the best thing to do is to go ahead and sow the Trillium seeds immediately rather than wait until next fall. Spring is just around the corner anyway, isn't it?
Ed
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Ed Alverson
Zdenek,
I found climate data on the web .... If you can grow T. ovatum in the open ground it is worth giving T. hibbersonii a try; if T. ovatum is not successful in your area, T. hibbersonii probably won't survive.
Ed,
I grow Trillium ovatum since 1982 without any problem.
To your question about sowing seed of T. hibbersonii in this time: You must sow it immediately, but before it you should soak them in tepid water or better ti wrap them to a moist paper towel for about 24 hours. Seed of T.h. germinates usually in the first spring (if sown in autumn) you however should await later germination.
Zdenek Rehacek
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Zdenek
I have grown a lot of Trillium rivale, T. nivale, and T. hibbersonii and find that T rivale grows even better in the open than in a pot and is self seeding. I have tried many times with the other 2 with much less success. I can only get them to grow if they are raised up in a raised bed or a large clay pot or trough. I think the combinatio of getting wet and then frozen is the killer for them. Although we dont get severe frosts here I lose plants because the mild wet winter is broken by sudden frosts, which easily bursts the water swollen cells. You could try a pane of glass or cloche over them during the winter to prevent this but T. hibbersonii is so tiny that it is so easily hidden. T. hibbersonii was often a nuisance in my cold frames because it would self seed into all the other Trillium pots.
Here are some pictures to illustrate
1 You can see how small T.hibbersonii is planted out, compared to the T. nivale (still only 1 or 2 flowers after several years.
2 The potful grows well and is left out all year round.
3 Shows how vigorously the Trillium rivale is planted out
4 Shows how Trillium rivale self seeds
Good Luck
John
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Lovely to see some of your great plants, JoF. Easy to see where the Forrest Medals came from!
Spring is just around the corner anyway, isn't it?
Oh, Ed, I DO hope so!
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Such super seedlings John. As Ian (or Finn) said at our recent weekend, everyone wants T. rivale `Purple Heart' but seedlings from it are often so much better.
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Thank you John,
Your advice is probably the best one.
Zdenek
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John,
Great pics. That dark hearted rivale is a stunner!!
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Glad to help Zdenek.
Thanks guys for your comments.
I have shown these before but for those who didn't see them this is my darkest T. rivale hybrid potted up from the garden.
1 T. rivale darkest
but look what it did one year
2 T. rivale oddity
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The variation in colour of T. rivale from year to year also occurs
at Thimble Farms Nursery on Saltspring Island, British Columbia.
I posted a picture of a plant that blooms differently at each end,
but switches ends from one year to the next.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=35.msg11457#msg11457
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There are various posts relating to Trillium nivale and soil ph etc. on this month's Trillium-L page ...
https://listserv.surfnet.nl/scripts/wa.cgi?A1=ind0802&L=trillium-l&D=0
Would that I could lay hands upon enough of this gorgeous trillium to be able to experiment with growing conditions! :'(
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Zdenek,
I have been stuck in my house today because a snow storm has me in jail (can't open my doors) until a friend comes and shovels me out. The benefit is that I can catch up on some of the old posts here, and managed to find a picture of T. nivale taken last spring in my garden. The picture is of the species in the front of my woodland garden in ordinary, loamy soil, underneath sugar maples.
You asked this same question on Alpine-L, and you will recall that I answered that I grow this species in both my woodland, and in the shady end of my crevice garden. I find it easy and trouble-free- and have never given it a moment of effort except to plant it originally. It has seen -45C in very tough wet winters and wet, humid summers.
If it can grow happily for me, it can grow anywhere for anyone!!!!
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It is nice, thank you Kristl for your encouragement.
Zdenek
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The Trilliums are waking up now and here are the first two.
1 Trillium pusilum ssp georgianum is such a dainty little thing
2 Trillium pusilum ssp georgianum starts to have a little pink on the petals even at this stage but it grows more pink as it ages and the wonderful thing is that it lasts in flower for a very long time.
3 Trillium rivale pattern leaf is a division off Geoff Mawson's Farrer medal plant. It is very compact in stature but the flower is not as good as some of my normal leaf ones. I have done some cross pollination between the 2 but as yet have not got a really good flower with the heavily marked leaf. Will keep trying & hoping.
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John,
Your T. rivale pattern leaf looks just fine to me! It's a beautiful thing. Oh to be so experienced that such a plant is any less than a treasure.
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There was a pot of Trilliums at last year's Dublin show with patterned leaves like those
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John,
The flower looks just FINE to me, and Oh, those leaves!! :o Beautiful!! Hopefully Michael J. will post pics of his again as well, as I seem to recall previous years he had some of the most wonderful rivales too. Before that I'd never realised there were marked leaved varieties, and of course I covet them dearly now!! ;D
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Just in flower now are T. nivale,. This picture is a large flower with a good leaf selected from the many that I have grown from seed. The T. rivale Darkest is my own selection and I posted a picture recently a picture from a previous year. I have put 2 pictures to show the variation of flowers on the same plant.
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Very nice markings on your darkest rivale. Very nice indeed!!
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I came to Kentucky to see Trillium nivale at its best.
Should have gone to Blackpool !!!!!!
For those who have never seen John's trilliums on the showbench, it's worth any effort to visit an alpine show in the UK in Spring.
Alan
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I grow Trillium hibbersonii, T. nivale and T. rivale in pots for many years. I should like to try them also outdoors. Can anybody tell me his experience with growing these plants in an open garden? Are they frost hardy and do they withstand winter wet weather without cover?
I expect they are all frost hardy, but T. nivale, being native to the eastern USA, may not appreciate a wet winter. The eastern USA has a continental climate rather like that of eastern Asia, with hot wet summers and fairly cold dry winters. That said, my own T. nivale have survived without protection from winter wet when I have forgotten to cover the coldframe I keep my pots in.
T. nivale is susceptible to slug damage, but to my knowledge neither T. hibbersoni nor T. rivale have this problem. Because our local soils tend to be quite acid, I give T. nivale a little lime in its pot from time to time.
These are all quite small plants and to make a contribution to the garden picture you must grow them in substantial drifts. I am fortunate in having a form of T. rivale that sets enormous amounts of fertile seed that germinates freely, to the point that the plant is nearly weedy. I am gradually spreading extraneous seedlings around my garden, which is becoming more beautiful in consequence. While it grows best in a site that remains slightly moist in summer, it manages to grow and flower even in the dry impoverished soil under lodgepole pines.
Some wild-origin plants of T. rivale multiply well vegetatively, others not so freely. Be alert for the development of multiple growing points, and if these occur, lift the rhizome in the spring and take off any rooted offsets, replanting both parent and children without delay. In my experience young trilliums reach flowering size much faster in the ground than in a pot. I suspect that their root systems are more extensive than generally recognized, also that they may be somewhat sensitive to soil warming in pots exposed to sunlight.
As for T. hibbersonii, I have been told on good authority that you should not give this plant any fertilizer; doing so may kill it. My informant related two instances he knows of first-hand where this happened. My own specimens are still very young and I do not have any significant first-hand experience to relate.
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Rodger,
Perhaps a signature line indicating your BC Canada origin for those of us who don't recognise you from other lists?
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RW- a warm welcome to you.... it seems you are perhaps, Rodger? Please introduce yourself a little... these disembodied initials are a tad "standoffish", as we say here!!
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Howdy All,
If there is a better topic to post these in, please feel free to move it and any subsequent responses to the relevent thread.....
These are some of the Trillium rivale that I saw in Otto's garden, where they have naturalised and seem to be appearing wherever they please (some things are a real chore to deal with, aren't they? ;)). So many of his steps in the garden seemed to sprout a little rivale in the cracks. Most of the ones he thought were pretty average were all better than any that I have in my own garden..... but it was nice to be able to find him one that he hadn't seen before, and transplant it to somewhere in the garden where he could see it easily. Hopefully that pink with the white stripe survived the move, Otto?
The last pics are of a rivale from another garden we visited.... this one has dark purple leaves when it emerges, which then fade out to green. Impressive strong pink flowers too. This one I covet even more than all the lovely pinks in Otto's garden, which is saying something given how much I want some like his good strong pinks. ::)
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Paul Tyerman's pictures of T. rivale exemplify the variation you see in this species. On reflection, I would hazard the opinion that it is the most variable of the trillium species in regard to flower form and coloration.
Some of you may be familiar with (or have heard whispered in the dark) the name "Vern Ahier" associated with T. rivale. It took me many years to acquire an authentic specimen of this plant, but I am now able to say that it falls within the normal range of variation of the species. (PS: However, it is distinctive.) It is characterized by broad, slightly overlapping petals forming a nearly hemispherical bowl shape, white with red speckling that is slightly denser toward the center of the flower.
The individual petals are slightly pointed.
I believe that in the literature you will find this name misspelled as "Verne" and "Ahiers". It has been grown for many years here in Victoria, BC, as one of those special plants passed hand to hand (and only into the hands of those who have demonstrated their high horticultural standing). I do not know if the name "Vern Ahier" has been published in a way that qualifies it as a formal cultivar name, but as this clone originated as a seedling grown by Vern Ahier, it would be presumptuous to give it any other name.
Some of the specimens depicted by Paul Tyerman come close in various ways to 'Vern Ahier', but none are identical.
For many years, the origin of this plant was something of a mystery, Vern Ahier himself having died about 1980. Various stories were told such as "it was found in an old farmyard in Saanich", but the story that best fits the facts is that it was simply an outstanding seedling among a larger batch of seedlings.
In my experience, it multiplies well vegetatively, and I have sedulously (even ruthlessly) lifted and divided my own specimens in order to multiply their numbers.
Diane Whitehead has been active in Victoria rock gardening circles much longer than me and knew Vern Ahier; pehaps she can add a few words to fill in this skimpy account of mine.
Regrettably, my only pictures of this plant are out of focus and not suitable for posting. Perhaps better luck next year!
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I'm pretty sure I had a photo that I put on the VIRAGS website
before I redid it. A quick look at my photos was unsuccessful.
I'm off in a few days to see Western Australia's wildflowers, so
I'll do another search when I return mid-November.
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I would certainly concur with the notion that Trillium rivale is the most variable of the family .....which make growing it from seed all the more fun, eh?
Diane.... have a wonderful trip !
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A previous posting fo mine touched on the variability of T. rivale as regards flower coloration and form, but it varies in other ways too.
Some forms have definite markings on the leaves; not anything that would make you throw away, say, a choice cyclamen, but attractive nonetheless, closely similar to the white line down the leaves of Galanthus reginae-olgae.
A more important type of variability is in the tendency of T. rivale to multiply vegetatively. I have several plants of wild origin traceable to a single site in Oregon's Siskiyou Mountains. One of them has multiplied like mad (as it's informally put), the others are much more lackadaisical in this respect.
The 'Vern Ahier' clone is a pretty good multiplier itself.
If you have a plant of T. rivale of special merit that has formed a clump, in the spring lift the clump and pull off all the secondary growing points that have their own roots, even if this leaves the main rhizome without any growing point at all. It will form new shoots in time. Replant all pieces immediately, water in well, and just wait. The way some forms multiply I'm pretty sure you could fill a garden with them!
It's probably best to only divide in this way every second year or so, but annual division will work.
While I'm at it, I should mention that intensive division is something I have practiced for years. My sense of the situation is that many gardeners are not aware of this easy method of propagation; they bring home a new plant in its pot, plant it out, and that's the end of it. I have found in many cases that on inspection, a new plant will prove to have multiple growing points and most of these will establish if divided off and planted out without delay.
This is true even of some plants notorious for disliking root disturbance. Hacquetia epipactis is such a plant; by sheer chance I discovered that it pushes out new roots in mid summer (say late June or early July) and if ruthlessly divided at that time, every growing point will establish.
Friends who go on nursery crawls with me are either horrified or amused to see me carefully looking over a flat of plants for the one with the most growing points. I have the last laugh; an expensive plant with 10 growing points is a ten-times better bargain than a specimen with only one growing point.
Those with strong urges to tidiness may prefer to use a sharp knife to perform the surgery, but I prefer the Brazilian miracle healer technique of using my fingers. A dab of sulphur on the freshly wounded surfaces will help prevent fungal rots from getting entrance if that appears to be a risk.
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For some reason I missed this thread when it was hot.
My experience is that T rivale is less wither hardy than the others.
It has never survivrd a single winter in my place.
Göte
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Susan Tindall is selling rivale x ovatum hybrids
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Is she now? That's interesting....... :D
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I have just a minute ago picked the first of 3 large seed heads from T. ovatum, a plant I bought in bloom a couple of months ago. (I remember the day clearly because it was the day I got a speeding ticket on the way south, and damned if I didn't get another at the same place on the way north, home again (camera, not traffic police so no demerit points but it's cost me $240, an expensive Trillium).
Anyway, I'm now going to try Kristl's way with germiniating Trilliums. I have no Vermiculite or Perlite but will try washed pumice instead and then put the bag in a warm but dark place and we shall see what we shall see.
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I'm a bit surprised that the lovely Lola CAN speed, Lesley....... :P
Your trillium is about the same price as the daft ebay prices for the snowies!
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I'm now going to try Kristl's way with germiniating Trilliums.
Lesley,
Kristl was germinating Eastern trilliums which behave very differently from
our Western ones. Western plants generally begin to grow when the rains
begin in the fall.
I just checked my ovatums, sown as soon as the seed was ripe in July. There
are lots of green leaves showing.
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So did you sow your ovatums just as for anything else Diane, in a pot and kept cool and damp? The fact is, I'm not very good with Trillium seed, not seeming able to keep them moist enough on a long term basis which is why I thought I'd try this way, in a damp bag. Any advice would be welcome. I can always remove them from their bag and resow.
Maggi, Lola and I take some exception to the suggestion that she can't speed. She can do a nice and steady 120 kms which is 20 over the open road limit. No autobahns here thankyou! However, on these two occasions, I was apparently doing 66 and 67 kms in a 50km zone, through a small township called Clinton, a totally forgettable place except that a lot of people seem to get caught there and have to pay up.
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Lesley, if I am sowing Eastern trillium seeds, or any from a seed exchange,
I do as I do with most large-enough-to-count seeds: I sow them with a
couple of spoonsful of damp purchased seedmix in a plastic ziplock bag.
This is the only way for me to keep seeds damp and safe for an unknown period
- last year I had germination from a bag of colchicum seeds sown 8 years
previously.
However, Western trillium seeds from the wild or from my garden -
ovatum, albidum, rivale - get sown in a covered container to keep them
moist and safe. I have a big collection of clear plastic containers from tiny
to huge (I'm the one leaving the banquet with the plastic-covered sandwich
trays). I'm not sure what was originally in this one - friends and family also
collect for me - and of course it normally is closed.
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Thanks Diane, I'll try that though a lot of the similar containers, for fruit - raspberries etc - have air holes in them. I'll have to eat more Indian takeaways. I guess they'll need to be permanently opened once the germination gets going?
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No, I keep the lids on for any slow-growing woodlanders, like rhododendrons,
ferns, shortias. I don't have the sun shining on them, though.
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I've tried nivale and rivale outside in a raised bed and lost them both. A couple of years ago a plant of cernuum (the flowers) was eaten overnight by what I suspect was a snail so it's not difficult to see where my little treasures went... :(
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While I'm at it, I should mention that intensive division is something I have practiced for years. My sense of the situation is that many gardeners are not aware of this easy method of propagation; they bring home a new plant in its pot, plant it out, and that's the end of it. I have found in many cases that on inspection, a new plant will prove to have multiple growing points and most of these will establish if divided off and planted out without delay.
This is true even of some plants notorious for disliking root disturbance. Hacquetia epipactis is such a plant; by sheer chance I discovered that it pushes out new roots in mid summer (say late June or early July) and if ruthlessly divided at that time, every growing point will establish.
Friends who go on nursery crawls with me are either horrified or amused to see me carefully looking over a flat of plants for the one with the most growing points. I have the last laugh; an expensive plant with 10 growing points is a ten-times better bargain than a specimen with only one growing point.
Those with strong urges to tidiness may prefer to use a sharp knife to perform the surgery, but I prefer the Brazilian miracle healer technique of using my fingers. A dab of sulphur on the freshly wounded surfaces will help prevent fungal rots from getting entrance if that appears to be a risk.
i'm rather late to this thread, so rodger may or may not still be looking? in any case, i'm interested in your divisions--i presume you take some divisions for various purposes, including giving them away, but is the main objective to establish them a few inches or so away to spread the clump more quickly? or do you mainly use them in completely different spots in the garden?
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for lesley, re: sowing--
you may already be familiar with another variation of the 'baggy method': you pot up your seeds in any way you usually would, then enclose it, pot and all in a clear plastic bag--ziplock food bags are popular for convenience, and stiffness--they tend to remain upright;
the only obvious caveat, as for any covered seed, of course, is no direct sun, as they plants will bake, though usually they are fine under lights (i'd still monitor temps for anything that wants to stay cool..)
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Re division of Haquetia. Roger,
It has for some time been my hobby horse that some woodlanders are best divided moved in midsummer before the flowers fade. This seems to be true for most Trilliums, The martagon group of Lilium, Corydalis solida and many Galanthus seem to move best just at the time of dying down. You are now adding Haquetia to the group. I have had good results dividing Ranzania as soon as the berries are ripe. It would be very interesting to know how many other people have this experience and with which plants.
Re sowing in closed containers. I have used the bag-trick with some success. I have not dared to use enclosures of heavier substance because I have been afraid that the atmosphere might be to closed. This may be pure superstition on my side. Views anyone?
I often sow things like Trillium in a lattice pot sunk in the ground in a spot where I know the mother plant grows well. The pot is really only so that I can sow on the bench, keep track of where the seedlings are supposed to be and get them up again in an easy operation.
Göte
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i'm rather late to this thread, so rodger may or may not still be looking? in any case, i'm interested in your divisions--i presume you take some divisions for various purposes, including giving them away, but is the main objective to establish them a few inches or so away to spread the clump more quickly? or do you mainly use them in completely different spots in the garden?
Mainly to speed up natural increase. I have several forms of Eranthis that don't necessarily come true from seed, or are sterile, so every two or three years I go after these and divide them, then replant them immediately to form a larger, more luxurious patch.
Another plant that has responded well to division is Leucojum vernum. For some mysterious reason, though I have planted well over a hundred bulbs of this at various times in various parts of my garden, only in one small area have they succeeded. Everywhere else, they dwindled away to nothing within a few years. Thinking of snowdrops, which divide so well in the green, I subjected my few Leucojum vernum to the same treatment a couple of years ago, and am pleased to say that most of the divisions have established.
Cyclamen too get divided, but not on purpose. I'm sure we've all put a spade through a cyclamen tuber at one time or another. I simply rebury the pieces on the spot and forget about them. Some of the very oddly shaped cyclamen tubers I've unearthed in later years seem to be the result.
Terrible confession: when I bought my present house & garden, I decided that the operating philosophy of my garden was to cause visitors to gasp not only "where on earth did you get that?" but also "and where did you get so much of it?"
Once in a while I succeed. ;D
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Terrible confession: when I bought my present house & garden, I decided that the operating philosophy of my garden was to cause visitors to gasp not only "where on earth did you get that?" but also "and where did you get so much of it?"
Once in a while I succeed. ;D
a worthy ambition! being more or less at the beginning stages here, i am trying hard to remind myself that it will be more useful for the garden to buy several of one plant than one each of several...hard to break the habits of the indoor plant collector..