Hope for my Hapless Hyacinths

Remember when I discovered there were forgotten pears in the extra refrigerator into which I'd put my hyacinths to chill? I was certain that the experts were right and every little blossom embryo would be dead, dead.

Narcissus turned out well. How can they not, they don't have to hang out in a fridge for 9 weeks. You just plant bulbs in soil, water and wait.

Buds are emerging in all my pots, every bulb has buds.

Light colored bulbs are usually white or yellow.

I took a page from the Swedish bloggers and added moss.

Outside, foliage and buds are peeking out in places I had forgotten about.

Under this Camellia on a southern exposure, some mixed bulbs from years back are starting to bloom. These two are ahead of their companions.

 Seedling Camellia

These last two are early teasers from beds with hyacinths.

Which are more exciting to see, the first Hyacinths or the First Daffodils?

Camellia Seeds

When the little seed pods on Camellias that look like little apples all summer turn brown and open up, it is hard to resist the nearly round seeds about the size of a marble.

Sometimes I get there too late -- it's not something I think about every day. I crawl around on the ground looking for seeds below the empty open pod and sometimes I find them.

If I plant Camellia seeds now, I will have well passed my Diamond Jubilee before they're nearly ready to bloom. It's a slow process that takes years. 

I set some small seedlings in the garden last fall, or was it this spring? They survived so far. There's one in a pot with two ugly leaves but has put on a new twig with pretty leaves. 

  

Seedling Camellias frequently look nothing like their parents. This seedling is unlike any others that grow here.

So why should I consider planting any more seeds? Well, one of the pods that I managed to capture seeds is from the only Camellia sasanqua growing here. I'm curious to see if the offspring will have white blossoms like the parent or whether it may have been pollinated by bees bringing pollen from a mile or more away.

Or should I just go dig more spots to plant cabbage seedlings? I might just tuck the seeds in the ground between some small Gardenias beside the greenhouse and dig any that sprout and grow, later.

Plant Babies

Back in March I wrote in Seedscatterer blog that my Cycad Had Seeds. At the time I planted the seeds, I wrote, "In the article I read, it said that the growing embryo will push a root out the star-shaped end of the seed, followed by a leaf. This is not a quick process. I will wait."

 I didn't write or make a pic when I noticed the first little green bit. Now there's a tiny frond.  None of the other seeds have a root or a sprout.

A pup has formed beside this Vriesea, which bloomed almost two years ago. I  had decided it was just going to die without reproducing. Suddenly there's a pup!

Vriesea bromeliad

New plant forming at the base of a Begonia cutting.

These last two are Camellia seedlings.

The seed of this one is atop the soil.

Camellia seedling.

For me, it's all about new plants from old, whether by seeds, cuttings or divisions. The joy is in the growing.

Do you find more pleasure in new plants from seeds or bought in a nursery?