Thank you for the link. I'd no idea the plant information there would suggest cold stratification, if needed. Another place for me to check when I have questions.

I'm sure I could have written to the seed company but thought asking here might be faster.

After reading your post, I decided to try two methods of preparing the seed. Some seed I planted dry in the germination pot and some seed I soaked overnight and planted this morning in a different pot. Of course, both pots contain damp potting mix. The seed seems to have a hard covering so I wondered if soaking first, before planting, might speed up the germination process. Thanks again for taking time to help.

Mary

I understand your concerns about the hard seed coating. Most perennials native to this area insist on optimum conditions before they germinate, so I was just as surprised by the information from the Wildflower Center.

Unless otherwise contraindicated, I soak all native seeds overnight in liquified seaweed (1 oz/1 gal), add a thin layer of earthworm castings to the medium, then saturate the medium with seaweed (again 1 oz/1 gal) before sowing. I wish I could claim that this method always yields a bumper crop, but the results vary, even with reputedly easy natives like pavonia. I'll definitely have to give your half-and-half approach a try.

Thank you for this additional information. I will try to remember to come back and report on the time to germination and which option worked best for me. With what you've reported, I suspect the soaked seed will be the first up, assuming I have success.

I am so excited to grow this 'new to me' plant! :-)

Mary

Success and surprise, the un soaked seed is the first up. To be fair, the soaked seed is planted in a larger pot and that might make a difference. The smaller pot might be warmer. I didn't think of that when attempting my experiment. Both pots were placed under grow lights indoors and both pots are covered with a clear covering to maintain humidity.

Just checked my dates and the soaked seed was planted a day later (April 2) than the dry seed (April 1) so could possibly see seedlings pushing up tomorrow on the larger pot, which would be comparable to the dry seed planting. At least this one experiment indicates little difference between soaking Pigeonberry seed for a day before planting and planting un soaked seed.

Six days from planting to first seeds pushing up, while sitting under grow lights. No heating mat, NO cold stratification applied and planting medium used was ProMix.

Mary

For next time, for wildflowers with hard coatings from Texas, I will scarify them . Some I will nick, some , if they are smaller, I will rub between two sheets of 100 grit sand paper.., but it sounds like none is needed here.

When I germinate xeric wildflowers from New Mexico, I am shocked how quick they germinate. Once that water hits, they are off to the races.

The pidgion berry does dryish shade very nicely here in Texas. I see them crawling over rocks high on a river bank , Like 30' high above the river in a jumble of rocks. I do not know if the populations vary from place to place. Its range is large. I seed it growing in shady dry soil, not moist as the mention in LBJ's entry. Mine were seen growing in West travis county above the Pedernales River. I wonder if they very significantly from those grown in Florida or Arkansas. I saw it growing for years at a artist supply shop and it looked very different from what I normally see, that is why I wonder about variation.

wantonamara Z8 CenTex, thank you so much for this report and for sharing your observations. Lucky you, that you've seen Pigeonberry growing in so many different locations. That is what I love about this garden site, people sharing and exchanging their gardening experiences. I have never seen this plant, other than in photos, so I'm very excited to watch it as it grows and matures. Flowers, berries and fall color. Woohoo. :-) What's not to love!

One of the reasons I decided to try it is because of it's size at maturity and for it's long season of bloom and berries. I have a very small garden so must be selective and make the most of my space. We have a large variety of birds in my neighborhood so providing them another food source is my goal, not to mention, a lovely plant for my garden.

The presoaked seed in the larger pot began pushing up the day following the smaller pot of unsoaked Pigeonberry seed so it appears soaking the seed prior to planting provided no benefit regarding speed of germination. All four seed planted in the small pot are now up so I've had 100% germination in the small pot in 8 days from seed purchased this year.

Mary

Where did you get your seed from?

Native American Seed. They offer seed for quite a few native plants.

Click here to visit 'Native American Seed'

Mary

That is my seed source for many of my needs. I was wondering if others sold them from different populations.

It would be ideal if the seed was available from different production sites. There probably isn't a huge demand for this seed to date. Thank goodness Native American Seed makes it available. I think they were the only one who popped up for me when I went searching for seed. Slowly, gardeners are beginning to consider native plants. Maybe with discussion, more people will consider growing Pigeonberry and sharing their experience. On the surface, it sounds like a fabulous little plant. Do you grow this plant in your garden?

I will try to remember to come back and add photos and information as the season progresses. There really isn't a lot of information out there regarding the behavior, growth habits, etc. when comparing this plant in different areas of the country.

The temp range I've found says it is hardy to zone 7. Most reports I've read concerning birds eating the berries is very positive. One person reported that birds in his area of the forest (I think this was in Mexico) were slow to consume the berries.

Overall, the consensus seems to be that they are a good source of food for the birds and that they grow, flower and produce in shaded conditions throughout the growing season. That was enough to convince me to try it! :-)

Time will tell. If Pigeonberry performs well and the birds like the berries, it will stay. If not, out they go and I'll try something else in their place.

Mary

Mary, thank you so much for sharing your propagation details. I'll put that information to good use in the future.

You have good reason to be excited about pigeonberry. It may be one of the few species that flourishes in the shade and provides food to both birds and adult butterflies simultaneously. Don't be surprised if the birds keep the plants stripped of the fruits. If pigeonberry has one drawback, it's that it requires supplemental irrigation in the summer to prevent it from going dormant — at least in this neck of the woods. Your summer droughts may be less frequent.

NAS has been one of my favorite resources for over two decades. Last fall I ordered seeds for black-eyed Susan, frostweed and butterfly weed. The rudbeckia has been blooming since March and the verbesina patch is gaining height at a vigorous rate. Two out of three ain't bad! (The asclepias seeds just came out of the refrigerator, so the jury is still out.)