Wild Columbine - Aquilegia candensis
Amelia Bedelia the main character in children's author Peggy Parish's, possess numerous character traits that would please the most demanding parent.
Her one obvious flaw, she took things way to literally. If she were told to put
a can of soup on the stove that is exactly what she would do.
Feb 2012 - My first attempt at propagating Wild Columbine was an
"Amelia Bedelia". The seed packet said "needs light to
germinate"- after 30 days cold storage. That was straight forward. I placed
the seeds in a plastic bag with damp vermiculite and left them in the
refrigerator for 30 days. Germination rate - three plants from 2 packages of
seed.
As it turns out “needs light to germinate" didn't mean put
in under a florescent light. In reality it meant, when you plant these seeds
don't cover them with soil as they have an amazing survival mechanism that
allows them to sense day light changes. If there is a warm spell in the middle
of winter, Wild Columbine stay put, until the length of day light signals them
to get moving. I am guessing that the steady temperature in the refrigerator
didn't motivate them to start the growing process.
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| Suzy's seeds on left |
I was proud of the fact that I was able to” trick" my Jack-in- the Pulpits" into sprouting. This was not the case with the Wild Columbine, there is always one kid in the class that sees beyond the ruse
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| Add Columbine Ready to Go |
Plan 2013 - Wild Columbine seeds won't be spending the rest our Ohio winter amongst, almond milk and garden greens; they are outside in well drained flat protected by a cold frame. This time I patted down the moistened soil before evenly sprinkling on the seeds, careful not to cover them.
Spring 2013 - My friend, market customer Suzy was
kind enough to collect seeds for me, if all goes well I should have Wild
Columbine plants in the spring.
Thanks for the lesson. :)
ReplyDeleteI have columbine seed that I collected, that are just sitting in a small glass jar. I do plan to "winter sow" them (I just place large trays of potting soil out in mid winter, sprinkle on my native seeds, and cover them with heaps of snow. Then I let nature do the rest.
I think I'll be more careful with just how I plant my Aquilegia candensis this year.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. Your idea sounds like it will work wonderfully. Waiting patiently for snow here in Cleveland, Ohio.
I've had success before, but I don't remember getting a lot of columbine--except for those I just scattered near the original plants. This year, I expect a better germination rate.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the snow...I'm not really looking forward to it so much, but it is pretty, and it is kind of necessary for my planned sowing technique. :)
I will be interested in hearing how your columbine do. Keep me posted.
ReplyDeleteGrew up in Upstate NY, so I love the snow! You are right we need it to protect our plants. I dig my potted market plants into temporary raised beds, and then cover them with leaves. I have been hesitant to put a thick layer on as our day time temperatures have been in the 40's (Fahrenheit). Night temperatures dropped into the 20' this week. Wasn't sure what to do.... just came in from covering them up.
Snow seems like a security blanket.
You are more dedicated than I. I've grown natives in pots for years when we were renting....and I never did anything o protect them. Most survived from year to year with no problems. I'm sure pampering them works even better. :)
ReplyDeleteSorry that I didn't check this sooner, I didn't realize anyone was looking at it. Thanks for the encouragement as far as not protecting the potted plants. That is great to hear as we left our “deep freeze" this week, our current temperature is 60 F°. What a roller-coaster.
ReplyDeleteFunny in life... after your first comment I planted a flat of Columbine seeds outside. I thought about just leaving them unprotected as you do but, I must admit that I couldn't bring myself to try it. I had tons of Ironweed seeds so,I did as you suggested and left them to fend for themselves. I do hope it works as it sure is a lot less work.