Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Wednesday - March 12, 2008
From: Queen Creek, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation
Title: Germination period for Snow Mountain beardtongue (Penstemon purpusii)
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Why is the germination period for the Snowmountain Beardtongue so long?. I understand it to be approximately 690 days.ANSWER:
I did find a record on The Seed Site from UK that reported "679" under the column heading "Winter-Out" for Penstemon purpusii (Snow Mountain beardtongue). According to their Germination Page: "Out = seeds sown in pots of compost and kept in uncovered trays outside in the open or on a shelf unit with covered sides."
Tom Clothier's Garden Walk and Talk web page has a Penstemon Germination Database that gives the germination time for P. purpusii as 8 weeks at 40° F. Perhaps the The Seed Site number was an entry error (maybe it was meant to be 67 or 79) or perhaps the outdoor temperature in the UK was not sufficiently consistent during the winter to germinate the seeds in the same amount of time as reported in the Penstemon Germination Database.
More Propagation Questions
Transplanting roughleaf dogwood in Pflugerville, TX
March 28, 2007 - Hello.
My rougleaf dogwood is suckering enthusiastically, and rather than mow off all the root suckers, I'd like to transplant a couple of them to the stream bank in the greenbelt behind my house. ...
view the full question and answer
Can trees survive if trunks are buried under 3-5 ft of soil?
January 27, 2012 - We have two cedar elms and a mesquite that I protected from backfill as our Texas Hill Country lot was leveled in preparation for building a house. The bulkheads are now holding back 3' to 5' of ma...
view the full question and answer
Growing butterfly weed as a girl scout project
July 30, 2012 - We have a group of girl scouts who want to sell 'crafts' at a farmers market. I am wanting to steer the moms and girls in a different direction. I was wondering if you think that butterfly weed woul...
view the full question and answer
Will blue eyed grass grow under black walnut trees?
January 18, 2016 - Will blue eyed grass grow under black walnut trees? I know the Siberian Iris is tolerant but the scientific names are not the same yet everything I read indicates that blue eyed grass is not in the g...
view the full question and answer
Care of recently propagated Century Plant from Litchfield Park AZ
April 24, 2011 - To germinate some century plant seeds I put them in dirt and put the pot in a tray of water. Now, I have 3 sprouts about an inch tall and they came up about an inch apart. Question is, how should I w...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |