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Re: Vincas from Seed

Kim Kiernan asked,
>Did you have to do anything special with the Vincas to grow them from
>seed?  I've heard that they are  hard to grow from seed.  They are,
>however, one of the best flowers for my hot and rather dryish
>perennial bed.  At almost $3 for a 6 pack though, I'd rather grow
>them from seed.  Any suggestions?

I didn't find vincas hard to germinate or grow out, and I didn't give them
any different treatment than my tomatoes, peppers, et al.
It would have been good to get them going earlier (like early February)
because the ones I grew from seed didn't bloom until late July having been
started right about now (early March).  Germination rate was good--at least
70 percent as I recollect, but this was fresh seed and buyers should not
tolerate less.

My fluorescent light setup is in a cool basement (around 62 degrees year
'round), and I keep seedlings within 3 inches of the bulbs, raising them as
the flats grow taller underneath.

I didn't use any rooting hormones, but they couldn't *hurt.*

Kim is quite right about the appropriateness of vincas for hot, dry places.
Mine occupy a south- and west-facing slope, where they get baked pretty well
on a daily basis.  Watering is convenient, though, and in the summers except
1996 (where it rained every 3 days or more often), I did water all my
flowers consistently.

--Janet
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Janet Wintermute             jwintermute@ids2.idsonline.com
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