Seeds and Seed Pods-2

Androsace pubescens

The seed pod is approx. 5 x 2 mm, the picture is not too good.

I've got the seed in January 2009, but I did not sow it, I put it in moist vermiculite in the fridge for 5 weeks. I have sown it at the beginning of March, germinated after 5 weeks, and after a year already flowered.

Dryas octopetala

These are the seed pods of a late flower.

It is true that I have not tried too much, but until now Dryas seeds have not germinated at all for me.

Crevice Trough

Here is the crevice trough made last year and named Ortlerpot because the stones come from the North Italian Ortler mountain. The picture from yesterday:

The flowers of Androsace carnea are already gone and the stems elongating very much. The little Androsace pubescens is still waiting (on the left can be seen the three buds). 

And today the flowers are opening. It has longer pedicels than I expected for:

I have observed for a few years that the crevice gardening is the most sustainable for alpines here in hot Hungarian summers, even for not crevice plants.

But it must be indeed like a crevice: the stones buried in the soil at a distance of max. 2 cm. This way even the Silver Saxifrages can easily survive our desert-like summers.

My compost in these crevice troughs looks like: in the crevices only sharp sand with a very little amount of peat, and underneath about 3 cm potting mix: humus, peat, perlite and sharp sand in equal parts. This seems to work well until now.

Spring Program Continues

Now, at Easter time we have had a cooling (7-10°C at midday), and also some rain, though not too much, I think the plants can benefit rather poorly by it. Despite of cold the growth can be seen obviously on every plant.

This year the Pulsatillas are showing themselves a little later as usual. The Pulsatilla vernalis seedlings are just awaking:

It's true that their leaves appear after the flowers fade, so maybe these are so "late" because they did not flower yet.

Here is the Chionodoxa shown in an earlier post. Its flowers are somehow distorted...

I see that the last winter has killed many bulbs also in Great Britain. Many gardeners complain of the same symptoms as me: some bulbs have died completely, some have distorted flowers. They say it was because of the many successive freezing/melting of the soil.

The Chionodoxa flowers from close:

In the background can be seen the foliage of the white Campanula portenschlagiana which was cut back completely in February and now has a large mat again.

The alpines have not been damaged by this winter at all. The Androsace pubescens sown last year has one single leaf rosette but with three buds already.

In one of the troughs has died an old Pulsatilla vulgaris, maybe not because of its age but of the too much moisture. However, it made some place for two stones and three seedlings. From left to right:

Saxifraga x apiculata (rooted cuttings) – Saxifraga paniculata (ditto) – Draba parnassica (sown in autumn 2009)

We bought a nice Primula rosea in a nursery. I put it in a larger trough where live also other Primulas, a Pinus mugo and a Gentiana clusii from Prague. The planting was not easy, because the Primula was grown – as usual in Hungary – in peat, and the roots woven together with the peat seemed like some durance. I told myself times beyond number not to buy a plant grown this way (they usually cannot be kept alive). But I usually cannot surmount the temptation. Here it is, planted, now a little drooped in the sunshine:

Primula rosea

Behind it is the Primula elatior (seeds from de Raxalpe), which is flowering now the first time, having 7 flowers with very short pedicels. In the foreground there are the buds of the Gentiana clusii and the leaves of the Primula marginata. Those grass-like things are the leaves of Allium oreophillum. In this trough there is also a Viola biflora, which is now emerging. 

I have learned that the deciduous Lewisias begin to grow in the autumn, flower in spring and then go dormant in summer, the foliage yellowing. My  Lewisia pygmaea (also from seed, I'm not shure of its identification) had worked according to another program until now. In spring appear the leaves, then the flowers, the foliage lasts all summer, the plant going dormant in the autumn...

Lewisia pygmaea (maybe)

I have also some one year old Lewisia rediviva seedlings, they have had no flowers as yet.

Ditto, in Nicer Version :)

My husband is a better photographer than me. So I allow the field photographing completely to him. He makes nice pictures like this also at home if he has time:

Androsace carnea brigantiaca

Last year I sowed also Anrosace carnea 'Rosea' seeds, but they did not germinate. They are germinating just now!

Primula marginata again

Saxifraga x elisabethae cv.

Other joys:

There are buds on the Primula elatior. I collected the seeds on the Raxalpe a few years ago. It is flowering now the first time.  Androsace pubescens (last year's seedling) has also buds. And the Dodecatheon has two leaf rosettes now. 

The sunshine pulls everything out from the earth. If I could sit and look, I could have seen the shoots growing and the buds opening. That's why I adore spring.

And for farewell, a little tit "working" in the garden: