Even though seeds seem suspended in time and are dry enough to rattle around in their envelopes, they contain living tissues, and have a finite number of years to remain viable. The dilemma is, how many years will seeds remain able to germinate, and how to know the percentage of germination to expect in each seed packet. In basic terms, seeds contain a respirating plant … [Read more...] about How to test for seed viability
Growing from seed
‘Italian Cameo’ basil
Inspired with the success of last summer’s dwarf tomato plants (grown in deck containers), I’ve decided to branch out into dwarf basil, a natural complement to the tomatoes in the kitchen and also ornamental on the deck. I’ve selected ‘Italian Cameo’ basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Italian Cameo’, from reneesgarden.com), for its large leaves on dwarf plants. The cultivar was bred in … [Read more...] about ‘Italian Cameo’ basil
Growing alpine strawberries
I’ve always been a fan of sweet alpine strawberries (Fragaria vesca, Zone 4), the small intensely flavoured little berries also known as fraises des bois, and often found in European tarts and fruit salads. As well as being delicious to eat, they grow on attractive perennial plants that make a good groundcover, or edging for a border or garden path. These charming plants with … [Read more...] about Growing alpine strawberries
Scented plants for shade grown from seed
This summer I want to focus on making shady garden corners more rewarding. It’s so easy to disregard these leftover spaces and leave them unplanted until the weeds move in. My solution is to make wasted corners into “destinations” that I’ll want to visit. And it wouldn’t hurt if something sweetly scented was wafting out of those corners. I’m going to use long-blooming scented … [Read more...] about Scented plants for shade grown from seed
Dwarf tomato seeds
I’m getting picky about the tomatoes I grow. But wouldn’t you know it — in the hundreds of tomatoes in seed catalogues, it’s not easy to find exactly what I’m after. I hope you won’t abandon me when I say I want to grow tomatoes for ornamental display. Of course, I’ll use the fruits and enjoy them, but I want the plants for containers, combined with flowering summer annuals … [Read more...] about Dwarf tomato seeds
