Q. 1.) Without any doubt our most frequently asked question is "how many doubles/ anemone flowered plants can I expect from my seed purchase?" 

This is an extremely difficult question to answer accurately.  With the variety "Mrs., Betty Ranicar" we have obtained 100% trueness to type under strictly controlled conditions.

With the variety "Corrie" our test results show that this double pink variety produces up to 87-89% pink doubles from hand pollinated seeds, the remainder are double white 7-10%, and single pink 3-6%. 

Customers ought to be aware that we do not have accurate figures yet for the remainder of our varieties and named strains, to compile this information takes several years to complete, however to generalize, the very early results are very highly encouraging. It must be acknowledged that there remains a degree of risk associated with growing hellebores from seed, particularly from hybrid plants; alongside this risk is the real possibility of exciting new colours and forms in your seed pots. Please be aware that by purchasing seeds of hellebore hybrids, even our own that are the product of carefully controlled pollination conditions there is a likelihood of singles, differing floral forms and colours arising from any seed batch. The photos below demonstrate better than my words are able the variability of hybrids seeds. Each photo is of flowers that are sister seedlings from a single cross.

Our anemone centred cultivars have a welcome habit of producing a number of doubled flowers from any seed batch, therefore it seems to us they represent excellent value. Below is a photo of flowers from two seedlings from a single selfed flower of one of our red anemone flowered stock plants.

Q. 2.) What is the best way to germinate my seeds when they arrive?

There are almost as many seed germination techniques as there are gardeners, we offer the following advice based on many years experience and feedback from our overseas customers.

When you receive our seeds they will have been warm/moist stratified in a mixture of sterilized coir, perlite and vermiculite for a minimum period of 42 days, moist stratified seeds must not be permitted to dry out prior to sowing.

Seed raising media:

We use a seed raising mix that is based on composted pine bark, it must drain very freely, and we suggest that the addition of 10% by volume of perlite will assist with an inadequately drained mix.

We do not use peat products of any sort nor do we advise our customers to do so. We have seen peat mining operations and hold the view that all peat mining is an environmental disaster and that both pine bark based growing media and coir (coco peat) for stratification are vastly superior products that give results that are outstandingly better than any peat based product.

Sowing instructions for seed pots

It is advisable for seed sowing to be carried out immediately on receipt of our seeds, we recommend the use of 6” or 8” diameter pots rather than flats, experience has demonstrated that the extra root depth gives a far superior root system while only marginally increasing costs per plant.

We recommend that you sow your seed as soon as it is practical to do so, in the following manner.

1)      Sow between 25-30 seeds in a 6” (150mm) diameter pot, use the best quality seedling media that you can find.

2)      Cover the seeds with 1/4” of seedling media DO NOT FIRM THIS DOWN in any way!

3)      Cover with ¼” of coarse gritty sand.

4)      Drench lightly with either of the recommended fungicides if you wish, other wise water lightly.

5)      Stand your pot where it will experience low temperatures without prolonged freezing.

6)      Do not place a saucer or anything that will impede free drainage under the pot.

A word about refrigeration. Some of our northern Hemisphere customers report that they refrigerate their seed when they receive them for periods from 4 to 6 weeks. A majority say that they experienced a more even germination resulting from this treatment. See below for more information.

Field sowing:

We routinely sow our seeds in field beds to test for such things as germination time, and percentage, as well as to trial rates of doubling; this method is far less expensive than pot germination and results in a far better root system and subsequent growth.

To do this we raise our field beds about 4-6” above natural soil level and adjust the pH to 7 or just below by the addition of dolomite lime. The stratified seeds are mixed with seed raising media for even dispersal and this broadcast over the freshly raked bed to achieve a seedling population of about 50 per square metre. We then immediately top the seeds with an additional ¼” of seedling media followed by ¼” of coarse gritty sand, this is then lightly irrigated to consolidate. Fertilizers are a matter for the individual gardener, we apply ours in slow release form just prior to germination.

Below is a photo of a section of one of our seed beds beginning germination.

Q. 3.) Diseases that may attack my seedlings?

To prevent infection of the dormant seeds by fungal pathogens, specifically water molds, we routinely use either RIDOMIL (active constituent metalaxyl - M) or ALLIETTE (active constituent Aluminium tris O-Ethyl phosphate) fungicides as a drench at seed sowing time. If you should decide to use a fungicide please take special care to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for use.

Phytophthora cinnamomi can be a particularly troublesome fungus at the seedling stage. We recommend the use of a freely draining medium to sow your seeds and the use of the above fungicides.

Q. 4.) Should I chill my seeds prior to sowing them?

Feedback from our customers in the USA, Canada, Europe and Japan indicates that they have had outstanding germination success with our stratified seeds.  We undertake this process to allow the seeds to move between hemispheres while retaining their viability and to give the highest possible germination rate. The process is a relatively simple one and we do not charge for it.  Picking is commenced in October and our seeds are generally ready for dispatch by the first week of January.  Your seeds will arrive in a sterilized and moistened medium that consists of vermiculite and coir.  We strongly urge our customers to sow their seeds immediately on receipt. Over the past few years weather conditions in Tasmania have varied considerably from the norm as they have in many other countries throughout the world, this can and does interfere with orderly germination and a few of our northern hemisphere customers have found that by placing their seed in refrigeration for 4-6 weeks has been helpful in stimulating germination.

Q.5.) How many seeds may I expect in my packet?

We market our seeds in packets of 10. Since seed yield is dependent on a number of factors including the variability of weather conditions we experience variation in yield from one year to the next, so if we have a good year then we pass on our good fortune to our customers in the form of a more generous seed count.