Daisy Seeds
I own my own small scale nursery and there always seems to be too much to do. I decided that I had had enough one day and thought I would just propagate for myself. Trouble is I can’t walk past a plant with cutting material on it and one packet of seed provides many more plants than I can use. I propagate for the major Plant Sales organised by the Australian Plant Society in Adelaide, and the occasional country market.
Hence the mad flurry of activity at the moment. No cuttings and seed in means no plants later. You cannot decide to go to a sale and not have worked months before to have the plants available. Raising seed is quite successful at this time of the year.
So I was really pleased to see that the seed of two Olearias (daisies) have begun to germinate. One that I prize greatly is a lovely mauve daisy, Olearia ciliata native to the mallee areas and in particular this seed came from Eyre Peninsular, SA. It has germinated within 2 weeks of sowing and I used Regen smoked vermiculite sprinkled over the seed.
There is some evidence that natural rainfall will stimulate germination in native daisies, particularly Brachyscomes. Our recent rains may have helped in this case, but whatever, I am pleased to see it.
Daisies
No Comments »16th March, 2006; Category: Daisies
Found more cuttings ready to plant on into bigger pots. I am beginning to run out of room. What a nice position to be in. I have a great head start for the Spring plant sale.
Olearia picridifolia (Rasp daisy-bush) is flowering in its pot. Usually it flowers from June to October in the wild. It is a plant about a metre tall, and mine has mauve- blue daisies on it. It is native to most parts of SA in mallee areas, on alkaline soils, as well as WA, NSW and Vic. It is rare to find any of the mallee Olearias in nurseries. They propagate fairly readily from cuttings, and seed is often successful, although not readily available. Members of the various Australian Plants Societies have access to some.
I noticed also that some of the perennial daisies are sprouting again. A number of these die back during the heat and dryness of summer, and sprout when the weather cools, or rain falls. I’ve been caught a couple of times throwing out the contents of a pot, only to spot at the last minute a touch of green, or strong juicy roots. It is often with a feeling of relief that I find that I still have that plant after all.