Allium seeds
Jane McGary (Wed, 22 May 2013 11:00:37 PDT)
Shmuel in Jerusalem asked
My Allium aschersonianum has set lots of nice seeds. It is a winter grower
/ early spring bloomer. In the wild germination is in the autumn. When is
best to plant the seeds now or in the fall?
Save the seeds in a dry place at room temperature, in a paper packet
or something similar, until fall, then plant them. This is the usual
way to raise winter-growing bulbs from seed in pots. However, since
you live in a summer-dry climate, if you want to sow them directly in
the ground, you could do so now. I have many volunteer seedlings in
my bulb collection from seeds that have fallen before I could harvest
them. They germinate in fall when I provide water on the covered
growing area, about the same time as the seeds I sow in pots.
Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA