Planting seedlings

I found a large paper packet of seeds from 2010 BIS distribution. A complete mixture of things  but all looking dark and fine. Having had instruction on speeding up seedling growth a couple of weeks ago, I though I'd give it a go.

soaking seeds

Plastic bags purchased from IKEA - they're pretty red stripey bags, perlite from Homebase - not so pretty and jolly expensive, and a tray loaded with soaking seeds - 48 hours in the end.

teeny seeds 'relaxing' in the perlite

The idea is to soak the outer coat before easing it off - NOT as easy as it sounds, then pop the de-coated pale seeds into moist, not wet, perlite in a plastic bag, seal the bag and put that in the fridge for 6 weeks. Of course labelling is vital but as you can see mine smudged all over so fingers x'd it will be readable in 6 weeks.

hydrator bound bags of seeds

Follow that by planting them in compost and leaving on a warm windowsill from xmas to actual spring when they are ready to go outside and into the ground - in theory.

Basically it fools the seed into thinking it's had winter (vernalisation in the fridge time!) and that spring is  nice and warm/wet. Then there is a really LOOOOOONG summer (from planting to the end of real summer). Plants can apparently flower in 15-18 months with this method, which is great considering normal process is 2-3 years to flowering!



My hydrator is full of red stripey plastic bags full of vermiculite and tiny pale seeds.

Final Autumn plantings

We've had an unseasonably warm October in the UK, which is all to the good for autumnal plantings. Still able to get their roots down into the earth and do a spot of growing and bedding in before winter set in and there is a pause for 'plantlike' hibernation.

Iris are divided from late July through  September with most nurseries sending out their final batches of orders in early October.

Our last arrivals made it here last week and have been sitting about waiting to go in, tough stuff these rhizomes!

The earth is dug over and weed free (or is that simply wishful thinking on my part?) and in they went.

Red Orchid, Spy and Tom Tit in the mTB beds along with 5 potentially 'new' plants from Welch's Reward seed last year. The WR plants are hefty little things, being smacked about by the 2 resident squirrels at home so they will do better in ground at the lottie where foxes keep pestilential rodents at bay!

Also in the ground is the gifted IB/BB (he couldn't recall what it had been registered as) 'Overcoming Love' from Gary Middleton.

The Medway Valley seedlings are in pots and in the cold frame, Squirrel proof cold frame I might add, where they will linger until next spring, they're much smaller than WR's seedlings, so a bit more caution at play.

Meeting the Hybridizers

Last week I went along with my partner 'in crime' Ali to meet Gary Middleton a fairly local, Iris hybridizer. We have heard lots of people talk about him, his name pops up on new Irises on a regular basis and as he lives all but down the road it seemed sensible to go and say hello at least.

He has been breeding Iris for about 109 years and has a wonderful selection of interesting plants. 4 were re-blooming on the day we met and we were amaze to find the 4, all pretty different - 1 pink, 1 yellow, 1 paprika and one a bit of each - were from the same seed pod!

He, like many in the Iris community, was generous with his knowledge and sharing so much info on the hows and why's not only of breeding but of registering and then getting plants into mainstream selling.

I am much more excited about the few seedlings I popped in last year no and can't wait for this years batch, about 6 trays, to be coming on. I may even try some hybridising myself next year though suspect some serious reading might be in order first.

We came away with a special treat of a newly named variety that is yet to be distributed, and it IS beautiful.

Re Blooming

SO Ben a Factor has rebloomed. Bearing in Mind it is 8th October and this plant was moved, and divided in August, I think it's quite the feat.

Some iris re-bloom true but ask the experts and they will tell you that it takes a lot out of the plant to do this, sometimes they will then not be able to flower the following year or it simply weakens the plant thus making it susceptible to disease and less able to recover from predators.

Ben a Factor is not actually listed as a re bloomer, nor has it been fed or pushed in anyway. Remarkable, all I can think is that it thought spring was here during our warm October spell and quickly got a flower spike up, it is one of the earlier ones.

The single flower is not one of the best, the colours are a bit muddy and it's only 1 flower, usually 5-7 on each spike but nevertheless a flower.

We will be watching that plant carefully for the coming year.