Wildflower
seedlings are now making good growth, having germinated with the
fall and winter rains. Soon, they will be bursting into bloom. Tip:
Rain in January and February is critical for a good spring bloom.
Since it has been a record-breaking dry spell, provide irrigation now
where and if you can.
We've
been asked if it's too late to sow in February and March. Not if you
are willing to provide irrigation for early germination and to make
good root growth. We sow wildflower seed in the ground as late as
April.
We've
frequently been asked to supply images of seed leaves (the first to
emerge from the seed) and true leaves (the first to assume the shape
of the plant's juvenile leaves) to facilitate weeding. We’re
slowly building up a seedling photo library. So look for them in our
online catalog and on our Facebook page.
They
frequently make a fascinating contrast – idea for new board game!
Matching seed leaves with the correct true leaves. Coming soon!
Looking for a good name!
Horticultural
Play with Wildflowers;
We are hooked on
growing wildflowers in 4” pots. We started doing it as a form of
germination testing and as a way to help us and our clients to
distinguish the “good” plants in a wildflower sowing from the
weeds. Just 4-10 seeds per pot.
We use a cold
greenhouse till they germinate, but it’s not really necessary.
What is necessary, now that we’ve created such good habitat for the
winged creatures, is that we protect the tender seedlings with bird
netting, till they are a bit too tough to be appealing to the winged
creatures.
These 4” pots
can then be planted out, either in the ground or in containers. We
keep sowing and then planting through the fall, winter, and early
spring. The plants get confused enough that their bloom times are
changed and extended. It’s a way of mixing things up, creating
effects and combinations not seen in nature. Note in the image below, planted from 4” containers, that baby-blue –eyes is
blooming with Monterey Clarkia, a beautiful combination for this
entry garden.
Another example
is a planting of white baby blue eyes from last year. It started
blooming in January, months ahead of its scheduled bloom time, and is
just slowing down now. Planting through the fall and winter allows
us to play with wildflowers. Some odd behavior results….and it’s
fun.
We’ve noted
that bird’s eye gilia, Gilia tricolor, hasn’t stopped
blooming since last year, in containers that received consistent
watering. Globe gilia, Gilia capitata, is almost as hardy and
long-lived. Once Showy Farewell to Spring, Clarkia amoena,
turned into the size of a small shrub and lived two years.
We
offered shrub seeds again this fall and winter, and here are seed and
true leaves of the beauteous shrub Vine Maple, Acer
circinatum. Just moved
here from Vermont and missing fall color? Try Vine Maple. Use
it where you might have planted Japanese Maple. It’s about the
same size, just as graceful, and the flowers, gorgeous when examined
closely, are very edible.
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