Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Seedy Subjects! => Grow From Seed => Topic started by: ronm on November 19, 2012, 06:03:51 PM
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I have been offered a decent amount of fresh Viola beckwithii seed next year. I am very keen to say 'yes please' to this kind offer, but have read that it is a very difficult species to germinate. If I don't feel confident of some success then I'll have to pass on the offer. Anyone have any comments / tips regarding this species please?
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Some information and possible contacts here Ron:-
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=2896.0 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=2896.0)
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and from this page :
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6925.msg192632#msg192632 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6925.msg192632#msg192632)
on Seed Vernalisation.....
Professor Deno's books on seed germination are now available online. See:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5209.0 (http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5209.0)
:D
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I was sent a few seeds of V. beckwithii and V. pedata (the true one) a few years ago and found they both took ages to germinate. V. pedata did eventually grow to be small plants and stayed for some years but only had a very few flowers. V. beckwithii stayed as cotyledons for a full season, died down and never showed again.
Having said that, if you are offered the seed, go for it. You could share it with good UK or European growers who would more likely succeed with raising the plants than I did.
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Ron, several years ago I bought some V. beckwithii seed from Alplains.
I put them in baggies with damp vermiculite and put them in the meat drawer in the fridge.
They germinated in 3-4 months, unfortunately I lost most of them after a few months and the few I planted out came back one year ( without flowering) and then disappeared.
You must accept the seeds, am sure you will be a much better at looking after them than I was.
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A little more insight can be found here:
https://www.nargs.org/forum/viola-beckwithii (https://www.nargs.org/forum/viola-beckwithii)
Edited to fix the url
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Thanks for the link, Rick! 8)
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Thanks for the link, Rick! 8)
Indeed. ;D 8) Thank you to you all for the links and the information shared. As the seed will be fresh I think I may stand a chance. I'm sure I can grow it, its just the germination issue that was concerning me. :-\
Armed with the information provided, I'll be giving this fascinating Viola a go, :)
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We shall await your results Ron, with baited breath, as the cat said to the mouse. :)
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To quote the great man ( Sir A.C.Doyle ) -
"when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
Keep an eye on the Forum, I'll report back, .... in three to four years maybe ;D ;D ;D
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Ron - many years ago I had seed of rosulate violas from David and Anke Wraight. It had been freshly collected and stored, I think as Helen describes, in damp medium in a fridge. They germinated really well when I sowed them, so I would stratify them like this and keep a close eye on them to see if they start to germinate at 4°C (I have found this happening with a number of plants such as umbellifers and eriogonums). From what Lesley says they sound like other drought adapted species (eg: Helleborus vesicarius), which just produce cotyledons the first year and develop really slowly. Would be a stunning plant to grow!
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Hoping this remarks are not too late - but maybe I can add a little bit of my experience about cultivation.
Can't tell nothing about germination because I received only a few collected plants a long time ago.
But this ones survived until today. I once got the information that all members of the Chrysanthae - group - Vv. beckwithii, chrysantha, hallii, sheltonii, and trinervata because of their adaption to arid habitats are cultivated best in the way which is used for bulbs with a pronounced summer rest.
So I did - which means a little water in autumn, winter and spring and less after flowering and only a little bit of moisture in the plunge material in summer.
All plants are pot grown and kept inside in winter in my USDA-zone 7 b. Keeping the plants outside failed, but maybe with some protection against rain in winter it might not be impossible.
Hope this will help at least a little bit.
Gerd
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Thanks Tim and Gerd for sharing this information, very helpful indeed.
Certainly not too late Gerd as I won't be getting the seed until next year. As they grow along with, and on a similar cycle to, some of the USA Fritillaria I grow ( indeed it would seem that V.beckwithii acts very much like a bulb ! ) I am reasonably confident in growing them on. Initial germination was my main worry, but I'm hoping I've got that figured out now. Its interesting in the thread on NARGS Forum from 'Weiser' ( superb pictures and information there 8) )that germination on seed he scattered around was also poor, and this in the area they grow!
What month do you see the first signs of growth Gerd?
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"Weiser" on NARGS is "seirrarainshadow" in the SRGC forum, Ron, so I hope he would be happy to respond if you had any questions for him. :)
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Thanks Maggi. 8)
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...... and thanks so much to the 'wag' who sent me this link to aid in my search for information, ::) ;D ;D
http://americanviolasociety.org/ (http://americanviolasociety.org/)
Edit -
N.B. - a 'wag' is a humorous or droll person ; a wit.
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I very much like that link Ron and it's such a good idea as well. We had a period last year when library fines were payable in non-perishable food instead of money to the local Council's coffers. I think the police traffic dept could do the same with speeding fines for a certain period of time, and the Council could too, for parking fines.
Last night I went to a lovely concert (NZSO) but the first two pieces were almost soporific, Mozart's 29th Symphony and a Bach double Concerto for 2 violins. Beautifully performed but I'm so tired lately that I had a real job to keep awake. After the interval was better, Beethoven's 7th, and very dramatic indeed. I love this symphony, the very first music I ever heard on a long haul flight between LA and the UK.
OK, sorry to go so far off-topic. It was the Viola Society that did it. :D
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What month do you see the first signs of growth Gerd?
Sorry, Ron. I have to admit that I don't remember this exactly. Also I have difficulties to set apart the differences concerning start of growth between Vv. beckwithii, trinervata and sheltonii.
I just remember that either beckwithii or trinervata this season had an early single leaf before the rest came later. Viola sheltonii flowered this year in May.
Did you have the opportunity to have a look into Doretta Klabers 'Violets of the United States'? If not, this surely will wetten your appetite.
Gerd
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Doretta Klabers 'Violets of the United States'
Thank you, for mentioning this book, ordered it from Amazon right away :).
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Sorry, Ron. I have to admit that I don't remember this exactly. Also I have difficulties to set apart the differences concerning start of growth between Vv. beckwithii, trinervata and sheltonii.
I just remember that either beckwithii or trinervata this season had an early single leaf before the rest came later. Viola sheltonii flowered this year in May.
Did you have the opportunity to have a look into Doretta Klabers 'Violets of the United States'? If not, this surely will wetten your appetite.
Gerd
That's OK Gerd, I was only wondering really to see if there is any difference between its appearance in cultivation and in nature. No matter what I do with the high altitude Frits I can't hold them back to get them flowering at the same time as those in nature. I just wondered if it would be the same with this Viola.
I hadn't heard of this book but will certainly be taking a look. Thanks for the recommendation. It sounds as if it is maybe something special.
Thanks again for your input Gerd.
Lovely post Lesley. I'm sure nobody minds going off thread in this particular direction, ;D ;D 8)
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Does anyone know where this book can be bought from please? All the usual outlets don't seem to stock it ???
As an aside, I thought the SRGC had a bookstore. I can't seem to find it here on the site pages. Is it on line?..... does it indeed exist?.....or have I dreamt it? :-\
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Ron, both alibris and abebooks have 2nd hand copies for sale
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Thanks Martin, I'll take a look.
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As an aside, I thought the SRGC had a bookstore. I can't seem to find it here on the site pages. Is it on line?..... does it indeed exist?.....or have I dreamt it? :-\
The SRGC book list online is no longer available online. You can find the up to date list by contacting the
SRGC Publications Manager, David Shaw at delftdavidATgmail.com - replacing the AT with @
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I will do that Maggi, thanks.
Christmas coming and books are always a good standby I find ;D
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The SRGC book list online is no longer available online. You can find the up to date list by contacting the
SRGC Publications Manager, David Shaw at delftdavidATgmail.com - replacing the AT with @
The booklist as at July 2012 is available in the July Secretary's Pages booklet, which is also posted for download from the main web pages ( http://www.srgc.net/site/index.php/extensions/notice-board (http://www.srgc.net/site/index.php/extensions/notice-board) )
Here is a lo-res version of that booklet for the Forum : [attachimg=1]
The booklist info is on pages 12 to 14
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Sorry, Ron. I have to admit that I don't remember this exactly. Also I have difficulties to set apart the differences concerning start of growth between Vv. beckwithii, trinervata and sheltonii.
I just remember that either beckwithii or trinervata this season had an early single leaf before the rest came later. Viola sheltonii flowered this year in May.
Did you have the opportunity to have a look into Doretta Klabers 'Violets of the United States'? If not, this surely will wetten your appetite.
Gerd
Maybe this is still of interest.
Today during a very short visit in my bitterly cold greenhouse I found first growth of Viola beckwithii. Because we experience an extraordinary cold springtime I guess the end of February or beginning of March will be the normal start for Viola beckwithii.
Gerd
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I as interested to see on the NARGS Forum that there are plants coming into growth andflower there.... from "sierrrainshadow" (John Weiser) in Nevada and Jim Hatchett i n Idaho.
(For those not visiting he NARGS forum regularly , you'll discover that Ron's been "over there" too, discussing this lovely plant)
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Maybe this is still of interest.
Today during a very short visit in my bitterly cold greenhouse I found first growth of Viola beckwithii. Because we experience an extraordinary cold springtime I guess the end of February or beginning of March will be the normal start for Viola beckwithii.
Gerd
Viola beckwithii is flowering just now - not as compact as in nature but nevertheless the flowers are very showy.
I add a pic of (not related) Viola chelmea - hoping this will be of interest also.
Gerd
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Gerd, a superb plant. This did germinate only this year?
I've Viola beckwithii sown in January 2012 after a ga3-treatment. Unfortunately, until now without success.
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Great stuff, Gerd !! :o
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Thank you, ebby and Luc!
@ ebby: This plant perhaps has an age of some decades - the label says received in 1986!
Unbelievable - perhaps it isn`t the original one but offspring from a root cutting.
Gerd