Dormant seeding of fireweed-Epilobium angustifolium

10 years ago

I've got a tree farm up north. This year, we planted 6000 seedlings.......that sort of thing. But, there is still a bit of open land, mostly given to Solidagos, asters, and the like. I would like to start a few patches of fireweed-the native version-in this area. I am leaning towards a fall dormant seeding, which for this area is usually sometime after mid-October.

Does anyone here see anything wrong with this plan, aside, that is, from the fact that you don't like fireweed? It is native to the area we're in but as far as I've seen, not currently present on my property. That area did in fact burn in the wave of forest fires following the 1930s dustbowl/drought. But that's too long ago to know if any colonies of this Epilobium arose back then.

In any case, I'd like to get some going. I'm well aware of its colonial growing habit, but this is a big area and I can afford to have it spread.

Thanks in advance.......+oM

Comments (4)

Nick4Natives
10 years ago
Your plan should work. Make sure to remove weedy competition in the area you are planting though. Seedlings will struggle if there is any sort of competition. Fireweed is a great plant and I'm glad to here you are planting it!

Here is a link that might be useful: Improved Ecosystems
wisconsitom
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks Nick. Yes, I look forward to seeing some sweeping patches of this stuff in a year or three. Any tips on the "best" seed source? I may want to cover as much as two or three acres, so some quantity will be needed. So far, I've been in discussions with Prairie Moon Nursery. I'm sure there's about a gazillion other sources for seed of this species.

+oM
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Thanks for that informative link Ontnative. If it in fact self-pollinates you should have some viable seed or maybe some seedlings, and then they would be white?? Sounds like Fireweed spreads aggressively via rhizomes. Hmmmm. My Physostegia is banished to pots because it spreads too aggressively. I plan to make a "Wild Bed" in the back somewhere for the rampant spreaders and let them duke it out with the Pokeweed, but it's not ready. Rosa I just bought some Digitalis 'Camelot white' from Swallowtail too. Along with 4 other varieties of Foxglove. I love to grow natives but am enchanted by the gorgeous spires of Foxglove for some reason and want to grow and mix some pretty varieties. Some other nice white kind of spikey beauties I grow are Phlox maculata 'Flower Power' and P. caroliana 'Miss Lingard'.
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Do you have room for the native conifer trees, like western red cedar, coast redwood, western hemlock, incense cedar, etc? Fireweed won't stop the berry bushes, but these trees will. Once they get big enough, they will shade out the berries. And believe me, it doesn't take very long if you water and fertilize them. Once they are established, they don't need much water. These trees are not prima donnas. They have few problems. Industrial parks should be using these in their landscaping instead of pouring money into a gazillion acres of lawn. A possible disadvantage is that these trees will eventually get very big, especially coast redwood, which has an unbelievable growth rate once it gets going. You can grow them as pyramidal specimen trees, with branches all the way to the ground, or you can prune off the lower branches up to 7 or 8 feet above ground level, and have an open, beautiful parklike effect, and a perfect place to grow ferns, trilliums, erythroniums, and the like.
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Can't help you with the fireweed. Something I've wanted but never got around to buying or trading for. Iris versicolor is easy on the east coast. Plant them in small pots and put the pots in a tray to hold a bit of water. Let mother nature take over. They need the cold and wet to germinate. Put the flat off someplace where it won't get kicked over and won't be forgotten and dry out. Come spring you will see tiny grasslike iris babies. I've done it a few times before and germination varies greatly. I had most sprout the following spring but had others sprout staggered through the summer and into the following year. Some people will germinate them by putting them in an old sock or panty hose and hanging them in the toilet tank so that each flush runs new cold water over them. Then into pots and into the refrigerator for a few weeks. The older the seed the longer it will take to germinate. I've got seed that is just beginning to sprout now that I had planted out last year. Little bit of patience required.
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CMK, I was hoping someone would of answered you by now. I haven't saved seeds of E. angustifolium. I have however let a plant grow up that was the epilobium weed with tiny flowers and then the seed pod opened with the tiny seed attached just as you are describing of its prettier counterpart. I ended up with babies all over the area come spring(thank goodness they were easy to pull!)so I would assume that being tiny is not a problem with your seed. The fuzzy part can be removed. It is as you said only used for wind distribution and does not affect germination. Remy
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Campanula UK Z8
10 years ago
you might like to look at the less invasive but very lovely white: E.angustifolium album. Did a spring sowing and about half germinated - will expect further germinations over winter.
I think B&T World seeds will sell quantities and Plantworld definitely stocks this variety (and ships to the US).
wisconsitom
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks Campanula. I actually found what I sought right here in WIsconsin-EverWilde Farms. I am definitely after the magenta coloration. Maybe someday, if I get this initial effort completed, I will add in some of that white-flowered variant.

Keep in mind, this isn't exactly "gardening" I'm doing on this land. It's our tree farm/forestation project, with things like the fireweed idea just being fun little add-ons.

+oM

Dormant seeding of fireweed-Epilobium angustifolium

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Nick4Natives

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Dormant seeding of fireweed-Epilobium angustifolium

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Nick4Natives

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Campanula UK Z8

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