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forgetmenots - biennial? Not convinced.

FireFire Posts: 19,096
edited June 2022 in Plants
I plan to trial pulling out all my fgmn seedlings this spring - every one I can see - and watch what happens. My theory is that, by May, I  will have a sea of fgmn. It helps that fgmn seedlings are quite distinctive and easy to spot. I have loads coming up already.

 If this trial works and I get a fgmn lawn (I have kind of tried it before) what does this suggest?
- that seed germinated this year but didn't put out any leaves above ground (is that a thing?)
- that the seed is perfectly happy to germinate and flower in one spring
- that some supposedly biennial plants like fgmns are, in fact, happy to seed in both year one and year two

I am puzzled by some other hardy seeds like various poppies. I plant them in the autumn and nothing seemingly happens - and then - bang - in the spring, up pops a huge plant. I don't suppose a plant can grow below ground without photosynthesis. Might it be that there are tiny leaves above ground I don't spot and a huge root network developing over the autumn/winter?

Thoughts welcome. 


Posts

  • mandyroberts99mandyroberts99 Posts: 235
    You share my views....
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    I love them - husband's not so keen. They must produce thousands of seeds and, honestly, seem to germinate every day of the year. I don't think I could get rid of them if I wanted to but I'm guessing that seeds germinating in winter or even early spring will flower that year, whatever the rules say.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited June 2022
    Yes, it offers questions of what kind of "clock" the seeds are sensing. What counts to seeds as a "year"?  I imagine the answer is "it depends". :D

    Maybe fgmns are not true biennials because they can flower when tiny. Others - like foxgloves - might need more time to develop. I guess a plant scientist will know the initimate workings of biennial-ish plants.

    @LG_   ?

  • WoodgreenWoodgreen Posts: 1,273
    I have an extremely narrow 'border at the foot of a stone wall, only inches wide.  Each spring it has forget-me-nots and shining cranesbill.  Yesterday I pulled out all the flowered plants, and the non-flowered seedlings, as I do each year, leaving bare ground.
    I know that next year it will once again be packed with forget-me-nots, but like you @Fire, I'm not sure how this comes about! I suspect that tiny seedlings will grow now and stay small, then flower next spring. I shall try to pay attention......
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited June 2022
    Woodgreen said:
    … I suspect that tiny seedlings will grow now and stay small, then flower next spring. I shall try to pay attention......
    That’s what happens here … we pulled the gone over myosotis up a couple of weeks ago … in autumn there’ll be lots of little seedlings covering the ground around the amelanchier, and  after the spring bulbs appear they’ll suddenly grow overnight and then as if by magic there’ll be a pretty foamy blue all around the tree. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Maybe lots of us can pull up all our FGMN  - every last one - until April and then see what happens.
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