The most successful have been daphnes, shrubby clematis, peony, and a Cistus called Pink Silk.
Dear Helen:In a weekend column early this month you described growing wall germander and other small shrubby plants from seed. If you have grown other shrubs from seed, which have been most successful?
W.G.
My most successful have been daphnes, shrubby clematis, peony, and a Cistus called Pink Silk. I also have two young Chinese dogwood plants grown from seed.
I value the several Pink Silk cistus (rock rose) plants in the hot, sunny parts of the garden. They are compact evergreen shrubs with soft, grey-green foliage and pale pink summer flowers.
The first shrubby clematis I grew was Clematis stans (Japanese clematis), a compact upright shrub with woody stems. The broad, bright green leaves are attractively segmented and toothed. C. stans is one of the hyacinth-flowered clematis varieties. My plant has proved wonderfully enduring and is well established at a corner of a small plot with dubious growing conditions. These shrubs produce scented, lavender-blue, hyacinth-like flowers in late summer.
A more recent sowing has produced another hyacinth-flowered clematis — C. heracleifolia (Chinese clematis). They are still young plants, described as growing slightly larger than C. stans.
Growing shrubs from seed sometimes produces interesting variations. A peony I grew as Paeonia veitchii var woodwardii, described as bearing cerise-pink flowers, produced gorgeous coral pink blooms.
Since I grew my plants, seed for most of the daphnes in my garden has become almost impossible to find. May-flowering Daphne cneorun (garland flower, rose daphne) used to be a popular Mother’s Day gift plant. I haven’t seen any for years. It’s a small, compact evergreen. Daphne retusa is a little more upright, but still with the same dense domes of small, shiny evergreen leaves.
Currently, Plant World Seeds and Chiltern seeds are the best sources I know of for tree, shrub, and other seeds. Plant World Seeds has an especially user-friendly website.
Dear Helen:I have had to dig up many of the tulips that grew around trees. Should I let them dry out and replant in the fall or can I replant them in large containers now and not water them? Can I save them?
H.T.
Much depends on the stage at which you dug out the bulbs. Ideally, when the flowering period is over, the spent blooms are cut from the stems and the top growth is allowed to die down gradually in conditions of reduced watering before being dug up.
Another method that works well is to carefully dig up the dead-headed plants at the end of the flowering period and transplant them into a well prepared patch of soil where you want them to bloom the following spring. Mark the spot well and let the top growth die back there.
If the tulip plants were allowed to fully wither before the bulbs were dug, storage in a dark, cool place should keep the bulbs in condition for planting in early autumn.
Dear Helen:I would like to try growing radicchio as a fall and winter crop. If you have grown it, when do you plant the seeds?
R.L.
I seed my main planting indoors in late June to early July. I rarely sow fall and winter vegetables outdoors in summer. Germination is too uncertain in the heat. I transplant, usually into the vacated pea bed, in August as temperatures begin to cool.
Garden advice.The Victoria Master Gardener Association offers a free Ask a Master Gardener service featuring a team of master gardeners who will respond with well-researched answers to questions from the public that are submitted via email to[email protected].
Nanaimo area garden tour.Altrusa International of Nanaimo is hosting its 10th Annual Garden Tour on Sunday, June 22, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in six locations from South to North Nanaimo. Tickets at $25 include a self-guided map and are available at Green Thumb Garden Centre, GardenWorks, KC’s Boutique, and Birdie & Bees Garden. Cash only except at GardenWorks. The gardens vary in size and mix themes of environmental stewardship and food production with floral beauty. Secondary displays at the gardens include the RDN’s WaterSmart Team, knowledgeable Master Gardeners, native plant sales (cash only), locally made garden furniture and a showcase of Altrusa’s popular project, Baby Bundles. Altrusa is an international non-profit organization of volunteers involved in community projects supporting women, children and literacy.
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