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First Seeds Sown!
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Posted by vera_eastern_wa 5b-6a (My Page) on Tue, Oct 27, 09 at 10:29
| I sowed the following shrubs/trees as of yesterday afternoon.
1. Sambucus caerulea ...Blue Elderberry
2. Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus...Pacific Slope Snowberry
3. Rosa rugosa...Rugosa Rose
4. Rhus thyphina...Staghorn Sumac
I harvested the Blue Elderberry on Saturday and the Snowberry just yesterday; both which are best sown as soon as they are gathered. The Rosa rugosa was harvested last fall (didn't get around to sowing them) and I've read they can take up to 2 years for germination and since the seed isn't fresh I won't hold my breath! I ordered the Rhus thyphina in fall 2007. Today I will be sowing Prunus virginiana (Choke Cherry); seed ordered with the Staghorn. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| Good for you! I'm itching to start some but had better wait. I'm going to mix few assorted seeds in a shaker (parmesan cheese but use a salt shaker for smaller amounts) w/sugar and scatter now, will save the bulk of them for WS or spring sowing direct. Sugar is more or less organic, and it hasn't seemed to adversely affect anything yet. I can see where I've been with the seeds. I do have to shake circularly to keep the seeds mixed well (they seem to be magnetic and cluster together lol) in between the scattering. I was reading on American Meadows website how so many kinds of seeds can be direct sown now, even in my zone, because that is how it works in nature. Good luck with your rugosa, haven't tried roses from seed, do cuttings instead. |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| I sowed Poncirus trifoliata a few days ago. I've also been scattering collected seeds here and there in the beds hoping for some volunteers. My poppy seeds were scattered last week too. I didn't have any sand and I use sugar for sweet tea, so I used grits. I also use a shaker container like those that herbs come in. It holds about 2 cups, dry. |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| When I do broadcast seed I don't use anything...I just toss the seeds, shake plants holding seeds or beat the plants on the ground. Most of the time the wind can take care of most of the work! I really only broadcast poppies or Nigella if I want them in some specific location the following year, but like to wait until around Thanksgiving just before the first snowfall. I guess it doesn't really matter when, since both of those, including Larkspur are normally popping up beginning early fall, but I don't usually have the garden really cleaned up completely until November. Otherwise you couldn't hardly find the ground LOL! |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| Oooooh, Sumac... Nice idea! I bought a Cut Leaf Sumac a couple of years ago and just LOVE the bright orange - did I say BRIGHT!!! - colour it produces in the fall. Even better than my Sugar Maples and it's hard to get anything that's got a better orange than that bunch. :O) There's a pod on the Sumac right now so I'll have to check it out as I'd certainly like to have more. Other Sumacs grow wild around here and brighten-up the most surprising corners in the fall. There's a photo in the link. Not mine but you can see how nice the leaf is. Thanks for the idea Vera!! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Cut Leaf Sumac
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| Can you see my green? (envy) I have warm/cold/warm stuff I'd like to start now, but still no garden, hmmm. Guess I'll have to use the refrigerator trick later. Vera, I never had any trouble germinating the rugosas as long as I WSed them. They may germinate easier than you think! |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| I just have the common species...Rhus thyphina, but I do love the R. thyphina 'Laciniata' too!! Although the cultivar 'Laciniata' is not a hybrid it wont come true from seed..too bad! These were started via one single natural variation found in a population of the species which was then propagated via cuttings for the hort. trade. You can also get new ones via the suckers. I love the fact that these have interest for all 4 seasons...and even better yet are drought tolerant! Hi Drippy! Boy that sure would be nice to see seedlings a lot sooner than 2 years from now LOL! I'll be giving them the speech :) |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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I have tried rugosas from seed several times - especially after Don showed pics. of his WS roses some years ago, but I have never been successful. I used fresh seed harvested myself, so I gave up. My only roses are a few ground cover roses grown from cuttings.
Tiffy, that cut-leaf sumac is a beauty. I must try planting a tree - never have. Unless my Buddleia qualifies. I must get my poppies sown. Last year's success has me really smitten!! |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| I'm doing a bunch of trees and shrubs this year and the first seeds were sown back in August!! It was Chionanthus virginicus - Fringe tree, and sowed shortly after collecting. It requires warm then cold stratification. So it has been "warm-stratifying" in a milk jug in the kitchen since then. I figure I'll put it out in January with the first batch of winter-sown containers to get cold stratified, and X fingers that it germinates. I've also collected seeds for Cornus florida, Cornus amomum, Juglans nigra, and Cladrastic kentuckea (Flowering dogwood, silky dogwood, Black walnut, and yellowwood). Will sow these pretty soon, and put them outside. I'm also thinking about doing some hardwood cuttings, for the helluvit. Don't ask me what I'm going to do with all these trees and shrubs?? |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| My Tree Peony was kind enough to give me 3 seeds for the first time ever. They were sown several weeks ago. Now to see if they sprout. |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| I read online that Tree Peony's are hard to grow from seed. I think I included an envelope of them when I sent my seeds to token, hopeing someone would have luck with them. Good luck who ever gets them. There is one more pod on the bush I thought I would try some myself. |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| Bev, from what I read on the Peony forum, it is best to sow the seeds right away. I gave it a try, I have nothing to loose. I have them in my unheated greenhouse, I will keep you posted if they sprout. |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| I sewed fresh panax(american ginseng),amelanchier denticlata,snaps,pansies and violas the first week of Oct. All are up but the panax which can take up to year to sprout. I grew unkwn variety of tree peony from seed. It's about 6-7 yrs old now,not very big(maybe because I held it in a pot too small too long)has bloomed the past two years and I finally planted it out this spring. I sewed seeds for paeonia brownii(Brown's Peony)in the spring I also have seeds sewn since spring for hellebores. These take a long time if not sewn fresh and/or not allowed to dry out. Peggy |
RE: First Seeds Sown!
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| I planted a persimmon seed I found at the state park this weekend. It's a native species and the birds around here just love them. |
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