Remember last Spring when I grew some Epilobium (now Chamerion) angustifolium album from seed? The seeds were soooo tiny!
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| Epilobium angustifolium album seeds--each is so tiny that it would barely fill the counter in the "8" in the date on the penny. |
I grew two batches, one in grow pellets and one in a milk carton greenhouse.
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| Epilobium seedlings growing in the milk carton greenhouse. |
I got 5 seedlings from each batch, but only the ones grown in the milk carton thrived and grew strong. It was fortunate that they did as I had hoped to end up with EXACTLY five plants.
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| Epilobium seedlings potted on. |
I lost one of the adolescent plants due to a botched transplant attempt, but four plants lived and each went on to produce a single, wispy stalk topped with a single bloom.
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| Epilobium angustifolium album glamor shot. |
A couple of weeks ago, I took advantage of a sun break to wander around the garden admiring fresh Spring growth. What are these seedlings?, I wondered. At first, I thought they might be either lilies or alliums--neither plant has ever self-seeded in my garden, so I have no idea what the seedlings look like. But, a bit of internet sleuthing dispelled these thoughts. Then, I realized that they MUST be the Epilobium babies! Last year's scrawny single-stemmed plants have produced about 10 robust stems apiece.
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| "Mystery seedlings" on March 13, 2016, growing among alliums. |
Here they are, today, growing strongly. Am I gonna wish that I hadn't planted them?
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| A sunny, cell phone picture shows robust growth. |
I think I'll be OK for the moment, at least. I planted the Epilobium with the hope that they would mingle with the out-of-control hardy Geranium "Jolly Bee". And the runners are supposed to be easy enough to pull out if they encroach on the more delicate garden plantings. Still...I worry about plants that reproduce by a factor of 10.
8 comments:
Hi Emily... Beautiful flower. I have the purple variety and I find that it tends to move around underground. Basically it's not in the original spot where I planted it but pops up in various nearby places. It's not a bad thing because I love the plant. I have far worse re-seeders. I can't wait to see photos of your white ones blooming with Jolly Bee. It will be gorgeous.
Hi Grace! Plants that move around really bug me, but I'm not so picky about this specific situation. Fingers crossed that it all works out. :-)
I don't have any good advice. I haven't grown fireweed, either pink or white, for just this reason. And I like self-sowers.
Hi Alison! These are runners, and I have reseeding to look forward to...fighting it out with sweet woorduff. It's gonna get hard to sort it all out.
The seedlings look so innocent but they did bulk up fast! I have no experience to speak of with this genus so I can't offer advice. The flowers are awfully pretty!
Hi Kris! Thanks! It's funny how I'm loosening up as I try to transition from a very planned/rigid style where I knew every plant to a more loose and jungly model.
Ooh - that is going to be pretty!
Hi Anna--thanks!
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