No, I'm not peddling baggies of drugs. They're seeds! Despite my initial shyness at requesting seeds from an esteemed garden blogger (even though she was giving them away!), I made a request of Nan Ondra at Hayefield for several seed packets and was sent all that I requested! I was only hoping for one or two, so to get eight was a nice surprise. Let's see what I received.
Amsonia hubrichtii (Arkansas Bluestar)
A multi-season interest perennial, it was named 2011 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association. It ought to get 2-3 feet tall by 2-3 feet wide when it matures in a few years and it grows in full sun to part shade. According to this site, it may take 16-20 weeks for seeds to germinate and then evolve into a transplantable plug. I guess I better start them soon!
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| Image courtesy of studiogblog.com |
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| Image courtesy of gardengonewild.com |
Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed)
A perennial that attracts both Monarch butterflies and hummingbirds, it will grow about 2-3 feet and enjoys full sun. Once it is established, it should bloom in May-June. According to this site, it should germinate in about 2 weeks. This one looks like a good seed to start under my grow lights in late winter/early spring or to try in my still-to-be-built cold frames.
Digitalis grandiflora (Yellow Foxglove)
A perennial that attracts both Monarch butterflies and hummingbirds, it will grow about 2-3 feet and enjoys full sun. Once it is established, it should bloom in May-June. According to this site, it should germinate in about 2 weeks. This one looks like a good seed to start under my grow lights in late winter/early spring or to try in my still-to-be-built cold frames.
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Digitalis grandiflora (Yellow Foxglove)
A perennial that may be more of a biennial, it likes part shade and will grow to about 3 feet, producing yellow flowers in late spring/early summer. This is another cold frame candidate.
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| Image courtesy of wifemothergardener.blogspot.com |
Papaver somniferum 'Lauren's Grape' (Lauren's Grape poppy)
This annual should get about 3 feet tall and likes full sun. It should bloom in early summer and apparently likes to reseed itself, but considering how beautiful it is I hope that it seeds itself all over my garden! This can apparently be direct-sown in early spring.
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| Image courtesy of anniesannuals.com |
Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove Beardtongue)
These seem to resemble Penstemon 'Husker Red', of which I purchased a couple during my end-of-summer plant binge. It should grow 3-5 feet and enjoys full to part sun. It will have white or light pink flowers in late spring/early summer and red foliage in the fall. It attracts bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies! According to this site, I should surface sow the seeds for 8 weeks at 40*F, so maybe I'll start these outside around March.
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| Image courtesy of wildflower.org |
Stachys officinalis 'Alba' (White Betony or Wood Betony)
I requested this seed because I'd like some more white flowers in my gardens. This perennial's flowers will only grow about a foot tall in early summer and likes full sun to part shade. Bees and butterflies also like it (are you seeing a theme in my selections?). It seems that I can channel my inner Laura Ingalls and make an anti-anxiety tea or a poultice for bug bites from this plant. This is another cold frame candidate.
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| Image courtesy of hayefield.com |
Vernonia lettermanii (Narrowleaf Ironweed)
This butterfly-attracting perennial grows about 2-3 feet and has purple flowers in late summer/early fall. It likes full sun and has foliage similar to Amsonia hubrechtii (I better label both!). This is yet another plant to put in my it-better-be-very-large cold frame.
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| Image courtesy of plantdelights.com |
Zinnia haageana 'Soleado' ('Soleado' Mexican zinnia)
The only other annual I requested, this zinnia reminds me of some coreopsis varieties. They like full sun and will grow 18-24 inches tall. I'll direct sow them in the spring.
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| Image courtesy of selectseeds.com |
Wow. I have my work cut out for me! I've never grown perennials from seed before. But thanks to the kindness of a stranger, I have the potential to have a lot of new plants in my garden that I wouldn't have had otherwise.
Have you ever grown perennials from seed? How has it worked out for you?
I started some blackberry lilies from seed last year, and considering my very low tech approach, they turned out OK. My seeds were about 4 years old, and from about 30 seeds, I have 3 very healthy plants. Part of this is due to the age of the seeds, the fact that some liriope seeds were mixed in, and the fact I let a couple of healthy plants dry out...I'm not a perfect gardener. I started them last spring, and I'm overwintering them inside, so they'll be ready to plant next year. I feel like it takes a little longer for perennials to establish themselves than annuals, especially if they're non native.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun gift. Good luck with them. I especially love that Lauren's Grape poppy. And I thought I had Vernonia Lettermanii until I realized that they had mixed up the tags (happens to me a lot) and it was something called Vernonia Plum Peachy. Very pretty but much, muct taller. Anyway, I have had only mixed success perennials from seed. My agastache rupetris did just fine, but pretty much everything else was a bust. I received some Biden seeds from Sweetbay, my fellow NC blogger, but didn't get around to planting them yet. On my list. Since they're a native and grow like weeds here, I have high hopes.
ReplyDeleteGreat selection of plants. I have the Amsonia, Penstemon, and Digitalis. The Milkweed and Zinnia are very intriguing.
ReplyDeleteA nice selection of seeds. You don't see Amsonia very often, it is so pretty. I've never seen that milkweed before. As for the poppy, once you have that in your garden it will seed around for years to come. Have fun with them.
ReplyDeleteChloris
Nice haul! I have grown several (the amsonia, the perennial foxglove, the milkweed, etc.) and they are lovely choices. I didn't grow any of them from seed though! The only one I tried from seed was Lauren's Grape poppy, and they did not come up for me. I did something wrong (poppy seeds are soooo tiny). You'll have such a pretty garden next season from Nan's seeds.
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