(Fritillaria) Bulbs seeding around

DaveKarn@aol.com DaveKarn@aol.com
Fri, 15 Apr 2005 13:27:23 PDT
In a message dated 4/15/05 10:01:37 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
jwaddick@kc.rr.com writes:

>   Anyone else in a cold climate experiencing self sown bulb seedlings?
> 
>   Personally I'd LIKE to have more things seed around. Looking 
> for suggestions of hardy bulbs that are so inclined. Appreciate new 
> candidates.
> 

Hi Jim ~

Don't know if Oregon (Willamette Valley) is a "cold climate."  It's certainly 
not the "southernmost reaches of Imperial Russian Siberia" (as was 
Minnesota!), but it gets cold enough such that winter temperatures are often in the low 
twenties and we usually have at least one good snow storm in a given winter.

I have a couple of daffodil candidates for you.  N. minor and the various 
selections from this species: 'Little Gem,' 'Bagatelle,' and 'Wee Bee.'  With the 
exception of 'Wee Bee,' each of these plants always sets a huge pod of open 
pollinated seed.  I have to pull them each year to keep things from getting out 
of control!!  Then there are the hybrids stemming from N. bulbocodium x 
N.cantabricus.  If anything might be referred to as a daffodil weed, my vote would 
go to these vigorous things!  Each stem will OP and, here to, I have to remove 
each pod or the resulting seedlings would hopeless contaminate the clone.  N. 
fernandesii is another that sets quantities of OP seed.  Here, however, I 
usually keep these as I have been told that some good things have come of this 
seed.  If you're interested in daffodil hybrids, there are a number that will 
usually set a considerable number of OP pods, particularly the 4n jonquil 
hybrids.  Here, too, these are often some that I will keep and germinate along with 
the other intentional crosses of the season.

Lilies will often set many, large pods of seed that can be harvested, planted 
and grown on to see what one can get!  Then there are many forms of crocus 
that will set seed.  Although, here, since there is only one bloom per stem, 
total seed production is not that great and one does require some warm days 
during flowering to get the bees out doing their thing.

Then there are many allium, ipheion, tulip and so on . . .  In Oregon, seed 
set has usually been greater than it was back in MN with its much severer 
climate.

Dave Karnstedt
Silverton, OR


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