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Growing Heuchera from seed

Finnish_FennelFinnish_Fennel Posts: 16
in Plants
Hello there!

I've got a packet of heuchera seeds (H. americana x H. micrantha 'newest hybrids'), and am keen on growing my own kaleidoscope of foliage. They are Jelitto propagating category 9, meaning they may germinate fast, and if not - cold stratify for 3-4 weeks.

I'd like to wintersow my heucheras; putting them on our balcony which has glass panelling, where they can germinate should the temperature be right. As it's sunny, the balcony is as warm as our living room, though once the sun's away it turns frigid.

DO any of you have experience with growing heuchera from seed you'd like to share? Should I go ahead and wintersow my heucheras or is it better to sow them indoors, and harden them off come April?

Thanks!

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Bumping up  :) Any heuchera seed sowers around ? 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Never done them from seed. They're so easy to split or take cuttings from. One small plant can very quickly grow and be split into two or three plants.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    I tried it a few years back but don't remember anything in the way of spectacular success, but then I didn't make a fuss over the seeds and just hoped they would germinate under bog standard windowsill conditions. Got a couple of plants out of it.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I had great success by sprinkling collected heuchera seeds onto a seed tray in late summer/autumn, covering with a thin layer of horticultural gravel, and leaving them to it in a cold frame.  They took a bit of tlc after pricking-out, and then need growing on in small pots for a year before they are large enough to plant out.  Very rewarding though, these are the results after growing-on for a year, when they were at the ready-to-plant stage:

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    @BobTheGardener
    Very helpful.
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • BraidmanBraidman Posts: 274
    .
    I have had some self seeders come up, just like hellebores flowers they were nondescript and washed out coloured leaves, even though the parent plant they germinated beside had colourful leaves!
  • BraidmanBraidman Posts: 274
    .

    Very nice Bob!
  • kippsattackskippsattacks Posts: 33
    This is my heuchera Coral Bells, sown 6 weeks ago indoors, growing in a spare cool room (10-12 C). Germinated fairly quickly. 
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