(Fritillaria) Bulbs seeding around
DaveKarn@aol.com (Fri, 15 Apr 2005 13:27:23 PDT)

In a message dated 4/15/05 10:01:37 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
jwaddick@kc.rr.com writes:

Hi Jim ~

Don't know if Oregon (Willamette Valley) is a "cold climate." It's certainly
not the "southernmost reaches of Imperial Russian Siberia" (as was
Minnesota!), but it gets cold enough such that winter temperatures are often in the low
twenties and we usually have at least one good snow storm in a given winter.

I have a couple of daffodil candidates for you. N. minor and the various
selections from this species: 'Little Gem,' 'Bagatelle,' and 'Wee Bee.' With the
exception of 'Wee Bee,' each of these plants always sets a huge pod of open
pollinated seed. I have to pull them each year to keep things from getting out
of control!! Then there are the hybrids stemming from N. bulbocodium x
N.cantabricus. If anything might be referred to as a daffodil weed, my vote would
go to these vigorous things! Each stem will OP and, here to, I have to remove
each pod or the resulting seedlings would hopeless contaminate the clone. N.
fernandesii is another that sets quantities of OP seed. Here, however, I
usually keep these as I have been told that some good things have come of this
seed. If you're interested in daffodil hybrids, there are a number that will
usually set a considerable number of OP pods, particularly the 4n jonquil
hybrids. Here, too, these are often some that I will keep and germinate along with
the other intentional crosses of the season.

Lilies will often set many, large pods of seed that can be harvested, planted
and grown on to see what one can get! Then there are many forms of crocus
that will set seed. Although, here, since there is only one bloom per stem,
total seed production is not that great and one does require some warm days
during flowering to get the bees out doing their thing.

Then there are many allium, ipheion, tulip and so on . . . In Oregon, seed
set has usually been greater than it was back in MN with its much severer
climate.

Dave Karnstedt
Silverton, OR