Verbena

How do you collect verbena seeds? I know where they are, what they look like, and I have even put pouches on them and nothing. Still don't get any. Wonder if I am not putting the pouches on soon enough??

Jeanette

I only grow one verbena so my experience is really, really limited. Don't know if it's the same for all of them or not. The one I grow is called 'White Lily' and it flowers profusely. About half the flowers don't produce any seed and the ones that do produce only one seed per bloom. It is a huge pain to sift through and find these elusive seeds. But the scent of this particular verbena is to die for, so I go through this process every year.

Hopefully someone with more experience will check in on this thread!

I just popped on to ask about verbena seeds myself. I rarely grow them because for whatever reason I just don't have much luck keeping them looking good (or even alive for that matter.) But I'm taking care of a friend's garden and she has them everywhere....big...beautiful....lush verbena sticking out of every nook and cranny. Of course part of my job is dead-heading and we all know what that means. Free seeds for me. LOL.

Too be honest I'm so unfamiliar with the plants that I'm even having difficulty telling which are the spent blooms and which are just coming on. And naturally I'm totally clueless about the seeds....where to find them, what they look like, the whole ball of wax. I guess I'll take a gander at the seed site and see if that will at least give me a point of reference. Any additional information would be most appreciated!

I would love to see some pictures if you have a digital camera. I am going to try to transfer a seed site to you that is really good.

Oh my heavens I almost lost you. If you want to send me your email address on D-mail I will send you a wonderful site.

The one thing I found this summer with verbena is that they don't like the direct sun. I think they do best in the shade. Are your friend's in the sun or shade?

Let me know if you want the site. Jeanette

See this
http://www.frsa.org/Seedimages/Plate17.pdf


Karen

Wow, those are magnified really big, but thanks Karen. I think I figured out how to do what I want. Not quite, but at least she will be able to find it.

/www.theseedsite.co.uk/seedpods

Jeanette

Here is the main seed page. You get an option on each plate for a JPG or PDF file, which you can zoom in or out

http://www.frsa.org/plateindex.htm

Karen

Sorry, must be server problems. My post kept repeating.

This message was edited Sep 22, 2008 6:05 PM

How long is your friend going to be gone? She must have known when she asked you to tend them that you weren't an expert. I think they will be just fine.

I see you are in zone 5 like me. Maybe your weather has turned like ours has. We had gorgeous weather for several weeks and then all of a sudden it is suppose to be in the 20s tonight. I am working like crazy getting tender plants in and taking cuttings of ones I can.

Anyway, my verbenas look pretty sad today. We also have had an icy rain today.

Just taking a break.

Jeanette

Twenty degrees? Icy rain? I was sweating near to death trying to garden today and flipping the compost. It has been in the 80s, and I can't remember when we had rain it's been so long.

Karen

Sounds like what we had just Saturday would you believe?? zone 5

Jeanette

ahem would you like to send some of that warmth my way please. I still have many dahlias to still open. Thanks muchly. ^_^

Gorgeous Dahlia!! My favorite flower which I can't grow except in containers. And in ZONE 3 yet. Good for you.

Jeanette

Oooh, beautiful bloom Dahlianut!

It's plenty warm here too. I'm pretty sure my issue is the lack of dead-heading with regard to few blooms. The vacationers might be gone another 2 weeks (they have a condo down south and come and go as they please) so they realize there's a chance that it could ALL be gone by the time they get back.

Meanwhile I'm snipping cuttings and gathering seeds to my heart's content. They are about the only people in my small village who have more extensive gardens than my own so it's a propogators paradise for me. By the way...does anybody know anything about pentas? That's my next plan of attack. LOL!

Jane, that is very nice. I have never seen any but I did plant some Penta seeds this year. None came up. Are you finding seeds on them? If you don't find seeds, why not try cuttings?

Jeanette

Woohooo Jeanette I figured out the verbena. It was like a lightbulb switched on over my head this morning, LOL. I really studied one of the plants today and I finally "got" the difference between the spent blooms and the new ones coming. So I dead-headed like a champion and hopefully I'll get them to flush out again.

And I'm pretty sure I scored heavily in the seed dept. I just dumped all the dead-heads on a paper plate when I came home, and tomorrow when they're good and dry I'll sift through them. When I looked at those humungo seeds on that site Karen provided it occurred to me that they look like little dinasour bones. (don't ask....sometimes even I don't understand my associations) and I think I saw quite a few of them in miniature as I was pulling off the old blooms. You guys rock, thanks for the help!

Now for the penta. I probably will try some cuttings, but to be honest I'm overwintering so much already that space is really at a premium here. If I can find any info on the seeds that would sure save me some room (and be added insurance in case the cuttings that I know I'll try anyway don't make it.) Haha!

Maybe I should start a new thread and see if anybody else knows.

Jane: On the verbena, the spent flower should be totally brown and dead looking. Until then, there are no mature seeds. In fact, I can't even identify immature ones when still green. But once they're good and brown, or tan, the mature seeds fall right out.

"don't ask...sometimes even I don't understand my associations"- that cracked me up. Reminded me of when I first started saving seeds. Someone advised me that echinacea seeds looked like monster teeth. I could identify them easily by that description and to this day I look for monster teeth in echinacea.

About the pentas: I don't really know, I've never grown them. I just started saving seeds when I started wintersowing, about 3 years ago. But I have learned that if you just keep watching a plant mature, it's seeds will make themselves obvious to you. Probably 95% of the time they form where the flower was. On some the seeds might form below, on or near the stem, like some amaranthus or celosia. But eventually they'll be right there before your eyes. You'll want to smack yourself in the head and say "How could I not have known"?!?

Start watching one or two specific maturing Penta blossoms, and try to check them every day for changes. You'll soon be coming here and telling us "I found the Penta seeds!"

Karen

Good for you Jane!! Karen is right. All green are new flower heads. All brown should have seeds in them. Boy Karen, the only thing I can think of is that I really don't have many bees around. I even stick my finger in my tomato blossoms to pollinate them when they first start blooming. But then I have always done that.

But, I got some sedum from my sister because hers was just covered with bees. Mine are blooming and I am lucky to see one or 2 on it. But then within 2 miles of her almost as the crow (bee) flies with nothing in between, is an orchard.

No, I don't use sprays. I knew that is what you were thinking.

Jeanette

Plant flowers! More flowers everywhere! All different types of flowers.

Karen

I have 2 decks that look just like that Karen. Lovely. Jeanette

Do I spot a dahlia Jnete??? Whacha got ??? ^_^

Yes Karen, I have dahlias. Nothing special tho 'cause I can't dig them. I started these from seed and love them. They have the bronze/red foliage. Love it with the yellow.

Karen, do you wrap the tubers in saran or do them the old fashioned way in peat moss or something? I have never tried the saran way but it sounds interesting. If I had hybrids like I used to I probably would be more careful with them. Instead I just put them in a bucket without even taking the soil off and they seem to survive. Last year tho I didn't even take care of them. Tossed everything.

I had wanted to order some of the (good grief, can't think of what they are called) the ones that go up to 24 inches. I looked at the website the other day and as usual they are all sold out. I did the same thing last year. They are gorgeous. Have you bought from them?

I decided this year to leave everything until the frost hits them. My s/o has started taking the things that I will hold over down to the plant room in the basement tho. Brugs, roses, etc.

BTW, I have a brug that has buds and also white fly. I want to cut the top out of it (it is too big to keep) but I want to swish it in water with something in it to get the WF. What would you suggest Karen? If I do this then I will bubble it to root it. I don't know what it is. I think it is one I started from seed a year or 2 ago and it hasn't bloomed.

Jeanette

Jnette I store my dahlias in vermiculite in sealed freezer bags (bagged cuz its so dry here). I too think the saran method sounds interesting. I'm going to try it with some of tubers this fall. I think you mean border/container/patio dahlias- up to 22". They are wonderful for containers and for those with not alot of space for standard size dahlias. I have many and there are many great suppliers who sell them. I usually place my new orders as soon as the new catalogues are on line to avoid disappointment. oops bad dahlianut, hyjacked another thread AGAIN LOL. sorry all.

Karen, you probably know about this seller. But then again, maybe not. Here it is anyway. http://www.containerdahlias.com/about.htm

I know about hyjacking threads. Sorry Jane. Where did you go?

Jeanette

LOL Jeanette it's your thread you can hijack to Kingdom Come!

I finally got around to sifting through my verbena seed heads. Look at all those dinasour bones! At least I think that's what they are. Well I don't really think they're dinasour bones but you know what I mean.
:-P

Those are just from the smallest container too. I'm having a hard time not being greedy with them....I suppose just because I'm so proud to have finally found them. There are sooo many more, but really, how many verbena seeds does one person need? LOL! Maybe if I get the time I'll catch some more of them and offer them up for trade. Er...that IS the seed isn't it?

Oh Good Grief Girl!!! You all must have bees up the ying yang!! I have nothing like that. NONE. NADA.

Mine must just not be pollinated. Darn.

Oh! That's crazy. I just looked at your picture again.

I don't understand it. I don't use any sprays, I have a lot of flowers, humming birds, what else do I need? I read where someone put drops of honey on the leaves of some plants. Can't remember what they were, to attract the bees.

Even my sedum my sister gave because hers were always covered with them, just opened and it is too cold at night for bees. It is warm during the day. So, where are they??

LOL, you're right Jane, I can hyjack and go anywhere can't I? That's ok, if I want to get back to the original subject I just ask the question again.

Jane, those seeds are real trade material. Get out there and collect all you can while those people are gone.

Jeanette

Jeanette