Hi! College freshman here experimenting with hydroponics and currently looking for seed donations. If you would like to help me out (and i will be sure to pay it forward) please email me at makenziejordyn@yahoo.com Much appreciated!!! Jordyn

I am going to attempt to grow lingonberries from seed. They are related to cranberries and blueberries, so some things about their culture are similar. As has been stated, cranberries grow just fine without being in a bog. Being flooded aids commercial harvest, but that's the only reason they would ever need standing water. Like other members of the family, they like somewhat acid soil. They also benefit from lots of organic material in the soil. Lingonberries have similar health benefits. I know they do best in nutrient poor soil, though like others in the family, they like acid soil and organic matter. Peat moss, and lots of it, mixed in to the top few inches of the soil does the trick very nicely for both requirements. I think lingonberries are probably the better choice for me because while they are similar in taste, lingonberries have a higher sugar content when fully ripe. Some people even like them raw on their morning cereal. I can't imagine doing that with cranberries. That makes them that much more versatile in my book. I'm growing them from seed because they will be dual purpose, landscaping as well as for harvest. I will need at least 20-25 plants. Buying that many plants will set me back over $ 200, versus $4 for a pack of seeds, a little bit of shipping and some seed starting supplies. The seed starting instructions I've seen for lingonberry are probably the same for cranberry. Seeds should be stratified for at least 30 days. Plant very shallow in a well draining medium with lots of organic material and keep slightly damp. As always, when growing from seed, there is some variability in the resulting plants and fruit, as opposed to complete predictability with cuttings, rhizomes and other vegetative propagation.

I'm not sure if it's difficult or just time consuming...Boxwood grows quite slowly; most gardeners prefer the faster reward of cuttings. Buxus microphylla , sow @ 70ºF, if no germ. in 4 wks, move to 39ºF for 4 to 12 wks, recycle (multiple cycles may be required) Buxus sempervirens , sow @ 70ºF, if no germ. in 4 wks, move to 39ºF for 4 to 12 wks, recycle (multiple cycles may be required) But I've never found ripe seed on my own (and I've looked). My 16 plants in three very dwarf varieties don't lend themselves to cutting for wreaths either, wish they did...

I have several Hostas in my gardens and the only mature one that produces seeds is the Yellow River. One of the younger ones I grew from seed in 2006 produces a white flower and seeds. I don't know the parents but all those babies have blue foliage. I would think it would be quite difficult for Hostas to re-seed. The seed would fall on all of that dense foliage and it probably would not come into contact with soil to germinate. It would probably rot in between all those wet leaves over the winter. I sowed Hosta in my first year of winter sowing. My records show I sowed them on April 5, and that year I used those berry containers, not realizing they were not deep enough and I had to water every day. I did not keep records of germination dates in those days, but I do not remember them coming up that late. But then maybe some are easier than others to germinate. You may want to collect the mature seeds and throw them under the leaves in the fall. Maybe that would be the way to get volunteers.