Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Dwarf Poinciana, 1 by Clare_CA

Clare_CA wrote:
I've sown these seeds before, and I would highly recommend waiting until spring. They germinate very well after soaking, as Ecrane said, and in warm weather and warm soil; however, they are extremely cold sensitive when young and very hard to keep happy inside because they need lots of humidity. My seedlings of C. pulcherrima grew very well in the spring and summer, albeit slowly, but died in the winter outside, and I have very mild winters here. I know of others who brought their seedlings inside only to have them die as well. A warm, humid greenhouse is ideal for young seedlings in winter if you can manage it. Now, this applies only to C. pulcherrima. C. mexicana and C. gilliesi sprout very well and are easier to please in the winter. The C. mexicana plants that I grew from seed all survived the winter here and are doing very well. They do take two to three years to flower from seeds so be prepared for that. I've seen the pink and red ones on eBay, and they are very pretty. Here is a C. pulcherrima plant below that I purchased from Home Depot. I imagine that this plant is several years old. The C. pucherrima can get to 6-7 feet, but the C. gilliesi gets to be twice that. My C. mexicana plants are only about 5 feet tall after about three years.