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Re: Lenten Rose

Hi Marilyn,

I think someone else provided good instructions for sowing seed.  Seed on
my plants ripens around June.  Could be different for you.  Since I've
managed to miss collecting my seed so far by not getting after it in time,
I'm not expert here.  But, what you need to do is take sections of old
nylon stocking, securing one end with rubber bands or twisties and place
them over flowers that have swollen seedpods forming while the pods are
still green.  Secure the stocking bag to the stem behind the flower with a
twistie.  Then along about mid June start checking frequently to see if the
seeds have dropped into the bag and when they have, remove the bag and
collect the seed.  Sow it immediately.  You could sow in a prepared bed
right into soil as Mother Nature does, but you would have more likelihood
of getting seedlings if you plant in pots with a bit more control of their
environment.  Just planted in the ground means the seeds are at the mercy
of the many critters who eat them or just plain move them around for the
fun of it.  Use a commercial potting soil that drains very well - peat
based is best, IMO.  I generally use a 3" pot, but you can use whatever
size you want.  Really big pots have no advantage and the mix can get sour.
 Smaller pots dry out too fast.  You can also use flats or recycled cell
packs but you need to watch these as they dry out quickly.  Once seed has
been sown and has taken in water it is fatal to let it dry out.

Easiest way, IMO, to take care of the need for cold treatment is to sow in
pots, cover the pots with a layer of fine granite grit which keeps the soil
and seed from washing due to heavy rains or hard watering.  Put the pots in
a flat in a shady location that is somewhere you can easily get to or pass
frequently, even in winter.  I have made a cover for my seed flats from old
window screening that seems to work very nicely keeping out the squirrels
and debris from trees, etc.  Don't let the pots dry out, but leave them
outside all winter.  If the seeds don't germinate before winter, they
should in spring.  When they do, you can pot them on until they are large
enough to plant in the garden or plant the seedlings out in a holding bed
in a shady spot.  If the seeds should germinate before winter, you will
need to sink the seed pot into the ground to keep the roots from freezing
in winter, but I wouldn't prick out the seedlings late in the season,
they'd be better off left in the seed pot until spring.

Hope this helps.  If I didn't make sense, let me know.  BTW, if you have
never grown from seed, you might want to read Amber Hearn's excellent
series on propagation.  Donna Dawson has the series on her I Can Garden web
site.  I think the URL is http://www.icangarden.com   If that doesn't work,
let me know and I'll go look it up.   Amber also has much of this series on
her Perennials page at Suite101....URL is in my Sig...just sign up (it's
free) and go to the Perennials section  under Gardening and look at 'more
articles'.  If you go to Suite101, check out the Garden Tour - you will
likely find you know some of the people whose gardens are 'on tour'.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
http://www.suite101.com

----------
> From: marimuse <marimuse@earthlink.net>
> Date: Tuesday, July 22, 1997 9:53 AM
> 
> Hi, Marge,
> 
> I was wondering if you could be a little more specific about propagating 
> hellebores from seeds, for someone who has never taken seeds from the 
> plants before, and for that matter, never grown anything from seed.  
> When do you collect the seeds, and how....and then when do you plant 
> them, and how?  right into the soil?  I would appreciate hearing more 
> about this, since I love my hellebores, and would love to increase them 
> in my garden, and it would also be fun to be able to pass them along to 
> friends.  Thanks.

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