Seedling Joys

Berberis thungergii and friends

Growing plants from the tiniest stages sounds like a great plan, and as the years go by, I get better at bringing trees, shrubs and perennials up.  I have had many failures when collecting seed and trying to grow them. Most of the failures have to do with my watering routine, or lack thereof.  

     The array of barberries above I did not grow from seed, but I did dig them up as tiny seedlings from under a maturing shrub at a friend's house.   The purple parent Japanese Barberry has yielded an array of foliage colours.  Perhaps these will become a multicoloured hedge somewhere in the years ahead.  

This Spring I forged ahead and ordered some seeds I desired from Gardens North, a fabulous source of species I long for and interesting things I'd never heard of before.  Above, you see a scene in May, when the first plants were coming up, Cup Plant seedlings, Silphium perfoliatum.

Hibiscus coccineus and Vernonia novaboracensis

Now, a number of species have been potted up and are doing fine.  I hope.  How to keep the ones that stay potted - and don't go into the ground - will be the next important challenge.  

     Here are some Osage Orange trees.  ALL their seeds seemed to sprout, and they are doing well after being re-potted.  Notice the one in the back row on the left, with nice variegated foliage.  That's a keeper!  The dozen or so others, if they live into next year, will have to find lots of happy homes somewhere!

Maclura pomifera

I am delighted to discover lots of info online about arums, especially the genus Arisaema, which I just call Jack-in-the-Pulpits.  And the seeds I ordered have grown.  AND, they have stayed happy and green, even producing a few secondary leaves this summer!  

Arisaema consanguineum & A. ciliatum liubaense

I had been disappointed that the J-in-the-P that intrigued me most had not sprouted this summer.  Until this month.  Now, this little yellow one is at last appearing, hooray!

Arisaema flavum

Some seeds in the same tray/pot sprout all at the same time.  Some each keep their own schedule.  For a good month I had only one California Allspice.  This month a second, and recently a third, have decided to arise.  This is a shrub with lovely reddish flowers I have wanted for some time.  Notice the shape of the cotyledons; they look as if they have been trimmed.  No, that is their natural form, sort of a half-leaf shape.

Calycanthus floridus

I planted a couple or three species of Globe Thistle; one came up prolifically, one gave rise to three seedlings, one I have not seen yet.  My labels faded completely, so it is a bit of a guessing game with these!

Eryngium amethystinum and/or agavifolium and/or yuccifolium

One of the great surprises to me came in the past two weeks.  After assuming my planing of Japanese Umbrella Pine failed, they are now just arising from the ground.

Sciadopitys verticillata among the moss

Not that the battle is over.  This tree is, according to some, notoriously hard to raise from seed.  The eight seeds now sprouting may yet die at these early stages.  And those that survive are very slow growing.  Here's hoping for at least one that can get planted at the Cottage one day.  Check out my photo of a mature specimen in Annapolis Royal.

   Not on the seed, but at least the propagation theme: here is an update on the Papyrus I started from a leaf cluster cutting, or whatever we call that umbrella part of the plant.  Read how to grow this here.

Cyperus alternifolius

This will become a house plant for the winter, probably at work.  

   And one last photo that stretches the theme of this post even farther... a young organism I had nothing to do with raising.  Just that my wife is now feeding this young male Cardinal, along with hundreds of other birds in our neighbourhood.

Enjoy every new thing that comes along.  Even the weeds as you pull them (if and when you do).