Share your germination stories please!

Gave a friend some hellebore seeds last week. He phoned me and said he had followed my instructions and asked me how long it would take them to germinate.

I have told him in January/ February next year. He sounds incredulous and asked me again if it would take that long even if he had followed every word of my suggestion.

Do you have any plants with difficult births or easy births? Please share your successes or failures. What is the longest gestation period please? LOL!

 

Where do I start.......!!

Peonies.....still waiting!!!
They said it would take 3-5 yrs to germinate and they certainly weren't joking.....mind you I can't remember where I put the pot now!!!!

 

This year its been Cleomes, sowed back in February ( as I always do) and some are just about poking through now.

 

waiting now for any blue poppies to appear from their winter chill.

anyway, years ago, did start Mountain Rue from seed, took 3 years of transplants, before they were big enough to go in the garden. it gave me respect to just out and out buy things than try the seed stuff. but now I did try the blue poppy. we shall see.

 

Do you mean meconopsis!? In the end, I bought plugs.. Only 3. They germinated quickly, but I can see them through. On Thursday, I must arm myself with a mister or they will go kaput.

 

Yes, peony! I am not joking, but not the seeds, but the plant. I bought three more than 6 years ago. Delivered when we went on holiday and snails had moved into the packaging. Any way, it was planted in one spot for 5 years, no response. 2 years ago, I moved it somewhere. Now, it has a bud! Just watch, someone will get it before it flowers!

 

Yes. those.

 

Well I had very easy births with all those marigold seeds a customer wanted me to grow for her. I must say her plants were very fertile. So all the wee ones were taken out of their cribs yesterday and put into their training pots.

 

I am having no luck with Pansies this year. 3 different types of seeds and I have about 6 small plants that aren’t looking too good.

 

I love the parallel .. so funny! Good way to start my morning. Some seeds are like that. One of the best posts I have read here, @johnny canoe ! Well, at least, your sense of humour is more than intact after the accident.

Other seeds difficult to coax any life out of is Acer palmatum. I had about 60 seeds and what has happened? Nothing! I wish I had broadcast them in my nursery bed. They are in purgatory in 2 bags in my salad compartment, taking up space and I have no idea if they are heading to heavens or hells!

 

@Esther Knapicius Meconopsis love leaf mould and I reckon if you could find an area with moisture in the summer, you could be in for a chance. Failing that, use a mister in hot and dry season.

 

right now the seeds, planted last summer are in a long planter with good soil. just waiting for anything to appear.

 

Germination...Something I've been giving a lot of thought to lately...I don't have any coherent theories yet, but I have some observations....


To be continued....

 

Alp, it’s time to get get those Maples out of the fridge and into the ground. I assume they have been in long enough to complete their stratification period? My Acer Rubrum has already sprouted leaves.

 

But nothing is happening. I stratified them on 6 of January. This is my worst batch. I have only a tiny nursery and everywhere else is baking hot. My nursery bed is taken up with hellebores, meconopsis and Trollius Chinensis. I need to work out where to take them.

SR: You mean you just plant them out without seeing the radicles?

 

They more or less germinated 1 or 2 weeks after sowing. But I have never sown direct, so I can't share any ideas!

 

LOL! Sounds like a drama!

 

I have parsley seedlings after waiting, and waiting. I know parsley is slow to germinate, but good heavens, define "slow"!
The basil just didn't come up, and basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow. The few that came up were, gasp!, sage! Bad seed from a previously unused supplier. Darn!
I have six rose cuttings rooted and in quart pots, and I'm hovering over them like a mother hen. With our colder than usual winter the roots developed more slowly than usual, but they did root and are seemingly happy in their pots.
Propagation ain't for the faint of heart.

 

Strangely enough, my parsley germinate quite readily. The seeds might be old. I raised them from seeds last year and they are still here despite the snow.

With weather this cold and slugs everywhere, I took quite a few plants indoors. My salad leaves are now indoors.

 

Yup, if they are going to grow they will do it whether you are watching or not. I planted 6 seeds in the ground and 6 seeds in potting soil just 2 weeks ago. I can already tell you which location will have the most success.