LIBERTO's SEEDS and BULBS
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LIBERTO’s SEEDS AND BULBS WILD COLLECTIONS FROM CHILE OCT/NOV 2018 Here is a selection of some of the things I collected in a recent trip to Chile, of things I feel (or hope) that they would do well in a Mediterranean climate garden. They were all sustainably selected in the wild, always taking into account to minimize disturbing wild populations and in most cases collected in small quantities of different individuals in order to increase variation. Please scroll to the end of the catalog for general sowing and ordering instructions. Ι haven´t grown or sown the following plants before, so feel free to experiment with these as you like! Apiaceae, shrubby desert species, Pan de Azucar, 2018. 5€/20seeds This big shrubby Apiaceae was flowering apparently without receiving any water, when nearby cacti and succulents were obviously having a very hard time from the absence of rain! I found its name at some point, then lost it again… Argemone hunnemannii, Huasco, 2018, 5€/30seeds. A big Argemone with white flowers, this one was ranging in height from 1 to 2 m or more depending on availability of water. It is rather short-lived, but produces plenty of seed. Aristolochia chilensis, Domeyko, 2018. 4€/20seeds Very characteristic ground covering rambler, creating a mat of stems with rounded wavy leaves at the end of which rise the flowers at the end of spring, before it retreats underground to its summer dormancy. Astragalus sp., Carrizal Bajo, 2018. 4€/20seeds Never saw this in flower, but it had numerous upright stems 30 to 50cms that were covered by puffed up pods. Can’t wait to see it in flower. Bahia ambrosioides, Los Molles, 2018. 4€/20seeds A classic Asteraceae shrub of Central Chile, I wasn’t expecting that I would be so impressed by it! Nice ferny foliage, a rounded Cistanthe salsoloides, Volcan Lincacabur, 2018. 5€/20seeds All Cistanthes from the Atacama were quite spectacular but this small shrubby one with vibrant fuchsia pink flowers that were glowing under the hot sun seemed like a very suitable garden plant for a dry garden. Cristaria sp., Taltal, 2018. 5€/20seeds I saw (and loved) many Cristarias that I couldn’t name during the trip, but this big species with branching stems up to 1.5m and covered with light purple flowers was just perfect. It probably is a short lived perennial, flowering until early summer or longer in a cooler coastal Mediterranean climate. Eccremocarpus scaber, Los Azules, 2018. 4€/20seeds A well-known climber, this can take some frost during winter and it will resrpout from its base. At the area I collected it, flowering plants were bright orange. Eupatorium salvium, La Campana, 2018. 5€/20seeds A big shrubby species, that was covered with fluffy white flowers with a pink hue, even at the end of spring with very little water. A bit lanky in shape but I feel like it should be kept quite rounded with often pinching. Grindelia tarapacana, Socaire, 2018. 5€/20seeds From high elevations above San Pedro de Atacama, this rounded 1m shrub with rich green foliage and big, classic Grindelia shaped yellow flowers, looked like a very ‘correct’ plant for a garden situation. And the foliage was pleasantly scented. And it had plenty of seed! Gymnophyton foliosum, Huasco, 2018. 5€/20seeds A shrubby Apiaceae that was flowering in the desert fog zone. It reminded me of Euphorbia acanthothamnus in terms of how it looked like from a distance, but the branches weren’t as spiny. Gypothamnium pinifolium, Taltal, 2018. 5€/10seeds One of my favorite plants I ‘discovered’ on the trip, this pine leaved compact shrub had big Centaurea like dark purple daisies in late spring. It should make a fine shrub for other Mediterranean climates but make sure you don’t plant it along a path, as the leaves had a rather unpleasant scent. Huibodria chilensis, Huasco, 2018. 7€/30seeds A weird Loasaceae species, with finely dissected leaves that smelled of cucumber but were a great backdrop for the white flowers. Don’t touch it, as it has the tendency to get stuck on you, so you’ll end up carrying the whole plant on you. Huibodria fruticosa, Papposo, 2018. 7€/30seeds In the middle of the desert in late spring, where nothing else really grew, these 1m high shrubs of silvery white leaves and abundant white flowers were really standing out. Obviously very drought tolerant. Lobelia polyphylla, Punta Chorros, 2018. 5€/30seeds A multiple stemmed shrub that flowers during winter and spring. Each stem ends in a spike of dark wine-red flowers. Very attractive to hummingbirds. Nicotiana solanifolia, Papposo, 2018. 6€/20seeds A big and bold perennial Nicotiana, obviously not very hardy as it grew in coastal situations but it should be ok in a Mediterranean climate. Big leaves and hanging inflorescences of green/yellow flowers. I fell in love with it. Nolana sp., Taltal, 2018. 5€/20seeds An annual species that created small mats of up to 50cms across. It should be either N.acuminata or N.rupicola according to my Chile flora guides. Nolana sp., Chungungo, 2018. 7€/10seeds It’s not easy to tell apart Nolanas in Chile, but this shrubby species was still flowering in late spring with its big azure blue flowers, obviously after a session of heavy flowering (ripe seeds and flowers were both on the plant) Ophryosporus triangularis, La Serena, 2018. 5€/20seeds I named it the Liatris shrub, after its longinflorescences that looked like a white or pinkish Liatris. They were even attractive in seed. Small rounded shrubs, that will need some pruning in order to maintain their shape and should be quite drought tolerant in Med climates. Senna cummingii, Carrizal Bajo, 2018. 5€/10seeds This species was in full glorious flower during Chilean spring. A smaller or larger shrub with a rounded shape and obviously very drought tolerant, flowering its heads off even on a dry Chilean year. Solanum sp., Chungungo, 2018. 5€/20seeds There were quite a few different shrubby Solanums around, most with blue flowers and very generous amounts of them. This one was in full fruit, and according to the flora guides it should be either S.pinnatum or S.maritimum. Solenomelus pedunculatus, Los Molles, 2018. 5€/20seeds Unmistakable when seen in flower, this makes small or bigger clumps of grassy leaves from which rise 30cm high stems of pendant yellow flowers in spring. I saw it in drier or wetter environments so it should be adjustable to water, but will need a relatively drier summer. Sphaecele salviae, Los Molles, 2018. 5€/10seeds Also known as Lepechinia salvia, and now belonging to the genus Salvia, this wonderfully leaf-scented species is shrubby and has spikes of dark pink flowers in spring. Should be easily grown with the rest of your shrubby Mediterranean Salvias. Tropaeolum tricolor, Los Azules, 2018. 5€/10seeds A winter growing climber that flowers in spring and then goes dormant during summer, surviving as a tuber. Needs some kind of staking or a shrub to climb onto. Do not water during summer, as it will rot quite easily in a warm, wet medium while dormant. How to sow for best results? My usual answer on this question is ‘grow it as it would in nature’. If a plant comes from a Mediterranean area, then it will most likely sprout in autumn with the first rains. If a bulb grows in a very sandy soil then you should definitely try to imitate that free draining effect in your pot. I generally do my sowing during fall, although people in colder climates would sow in spring. There are Mediterranean species though that have smaller sprouting rates if sown in spring. I like my soil media to be well drained, so I place a 2-3cm of perlite on the bottom of the pot, then a mixture of one part of very fine seed compost (I sieve it if necessary) and one part of coarse river sand or vermiculite. I water, then sow, then cover with a fine layer of the above mixture and at the end I sprinkle with some sand (or more sand for winter growing bulbs), then water carefully again. Try to maintain a good level of moisture for germination but not too wet or too dry. Mediterranean bulbs tend to sprout best when there is a big difference between day and night temps (10 degrees is good) during autumn. Other plants are less demanding. There are bulbs that take 5 days to sprout and others that take 1 or 2 months, there are salvias that appear in 3 days and others that need all winter before they decide to do so. There is no general rule for sowing. It has to do with your skills, your climate, your available space and conditions, when you want to do it, what can you provide in terms of protection from cold and a million other things. The best you can do are two things. Experiment and research. Go online, find all the information you can about where a plant comes from, what other people have tried, what went wrong, etc. and then keep on trying! The more you sow, the more successful you’ll be at the end, this is a fact. Providing specific instructions of how I get my success in Athens, Greece is quite irrelevant for a person who tries to do the same in London, UK. There are annuals that you grow during winter in the Mediterranean or as summer annuals in northern Europe. There are summer dormant bulbs that people successfully grow as summer growers in the UK.