I hope so too. By starting them early you are greatly increasing the chances. My basement where my plants are is a few degrees cooler than the upstairs. Are you going to mix them with other plants. What plants do you like growing? I grow mainly natives with a few non natives thrown in for pollinators, caterpillars, and herbal medicines. I'm growing shiso for the first time.

Oh god. We have our yard gets infested with shiso every year ever since my dad just threw seeds of them in the yard 15 years ago. They are extremely vigorous self seeders. They pop up just about anywhere they can. Even in dry shade under a maple tree they thrive. My grandma loves shiso and was desperate to have some in her yard as well so I I transplanted about 3 of them from my yard to hers couple years back and now she is complaining they are too weedy. I mean I thought you wanted them? Lol. Anyways, I grew up with shiso and they are delicious in my taste. We pick them almost every day for our dishes in summer. And when they flower we harvest that too and fry it. My dad also made shiso flower vodka. I personally don’t like it but it’s his favorite. All in all I love this plant but I hope they behave a bit better.

Right now I am in the process of rooting chamaecyparis obtusa from cuttings. Going very well so far. Pretty soon I am going to start Japanese melon, watermelon, and momotaro tomato seeds. I am also going to try artemisia princep seeds soon. In my gro lights I grow basil, mini tomatoes, and Japanese cucumbers.

Probably not going to mix it but will grow them in different time periods. Next seed to grow will most likely be artemisia princeps then all the annual fruits/veggies in late March/early April.

Wow! That's fascinating about the shiso. I never heard about the vodka thing before. This year is my first time growing it. That's great that it likes dry shade. I happen to have a lot of that, I'm going for it! This year I'm growing Codonopsis pilosula, Tojin. I want to try growing the Japanese Angelica pubescens, shishiudo next year. I like the cut foliage on the Artemisia princeps. What do the young leaves taste like? You said you had tomatoes, basil and cucumbers under lights. Is that just for starting them out, or are you growing them under lights all the time? And which lights are those? I'm confused lol! I'm getting hungry thinking about the delicious dishes you make with those awesome veggies.

Forget-me-nots are classic biennials and will not bloom in the first year. Whilst I will defer to those who experience zone5 and below weather, I am not sure what you mean, Jay, by saying 'harden off but not in a good way'. For sure, the natural cycle of myosotis never requires artificial light and heat - they set seed and germinate around mid May, growing all summer in neat little rosettes, generally remain green all winter (especially under snow) and flower in their second year....although any plant can be induced to perform outside of their normal cycle, under controlled lighting conditions.

I can see the value of lighting and heating, especially for short, intense northern summers, but using it for bone-hardy, super-easy, almost infallible WEEDS is just making work for yourself.

Gods yes, I have an infestation of Shiso on the allotment.I grew it ONCE for the colour of the foliage (a handsome plant) and now, like fat hen and lamb's lettuce,, it seems to live forever...although I quite like the taste, especially in umeboshi plums.

I meant harden off as in hard frozen solid lol. That's not a good way! I usually have done the opposite and cooked more than enough seedlings by not rescuing them from the hot sun. Very expensive seeds can we talk lol! Thanks for chiming in about the Myosotis. I grew them for 2 or 3 years decades ago. They were sweet, little benign entities, but no strong lasting memories. I have a love/hate relationship with my exponential Echium vulgares!

Uh yeah, viper's bugloss. Can't believe I deliberately searched out seeds growing by the road, then planted them. What are neat little 2.5 - 3foot spikes along the A11 are romping (and flopping) 5foot monsters with a 3foot diameter leaf rosette (same thing with the salvia pratensis - massive).. Beloved by bees though.

The bees love mine so much, I'm torn to part with it. I've never grown S. pratensis. I grow coccinea, gregorii, and farinacea. I've tried clary, argentea, a few hybrid cultivars, and azurea. Also a few large tropical Salvias from Richter's Herbs. The Mexican bush sage was a huge, beautiful shrublike plant. Grew S. divinorum twice. It's magnificant. Would like to try growing S. mellisodora. So there's no chance whatsoever that early started forget me nots won't flower in the first year? This is more like a forget me knot lol! I didn't grow Myosotis long enough to observe flowering patterns, but I do know that the closely related Echium vulgares never flower in their first year. I think because they're too busy sinking that long taproot. I have this wild little Hydrophylloideae plant called Ellisia that appears every spring. It's an annual. I thought it was an ephemeral. My bad, apologies to all at name that plant lol.

They might (flower) I guess - depends how much energy they can store up to enable the sort of one-off profuse flowering (and seeding) before death...which differentiates between short-lived perennials such as nicotiana sylvestris and true biennials which set seed and die (like campanula pyramidalis and c.medium).

Aw, I would love ellisia....and claytonia.

Have got s.azurea (seed)...but so far, no show..I have a quite a few salvias (who doesn't?) Just sown farinacea and coccinea.

Jay I willingly have dozens- hundreds of Myosotis at first and second years of growth. I agree with Camp that there is a very outside chance of first year bloom. I have seen extremely tiny plants blooming but assumed they were very late starting second year plants.

Not trying to make it harder to eliminate the Echium v. but apart from the bees I find watching Goldfinches eating the seeds endlessly entertaining. I do not grow it in the garden but it grows all around in my rural setting.

I didn't know goldfinches ate the seeds. That makes it harder. I think I'll just keep the mother plant for the bumblebees. It's a huge food source for them. I'm growing a couple native Anemones and Cirsiums for the goldfinches. I felt bad because of I'd see them looking for seeds in my tiki torch wicks. I was wondering why I wasn't getting more Echium volunteers. Now I know why. They are tough plants that take a lot of abuse and are hard to kill. I think I know the perfect person for it lol!

Jay, they taste a bit bitter but in a very satisfying tone. I grow the veggies under the gro lights shown in that pic I posted with the myosotis under it. I just start them there but once the get big enough I plant them outside. Wow didn’t know you had an interest in Asian herbs ! I am really big on that and plan on growing more.

Wow campanula you just gave me an idea. We have a 20 ft prunus mume in our front yard and if the weather permits hopefully I can get fruit out of it and make umeboshi and then enjoy it with the shiso. Gotta ask my dad this since he’s good at fermenting and preserving.... btw I grow the green variety of the shiso and not the red. But I don’t think their tendency to spread matters on either version does it?

Am excited for the myosotis. I am also going to sow them outside under my prunus mume tree. Hopefully the rabbit or deer won’t devour them...

Heruga I am inundated with deer and they have never touched the Myosotis.

Asian herbs are very popular with UK allotmenteers (and veg growers in general). They are an easy, late summer sowing opportunity after we have lifted our beans and potatoes...(although I am not keen on pak choi).

Not Asian, but I ordered some oca and yacon tubers from RealSeeds and, intriguingly, bizarre tomato seeds called millefleur or centiflor type...which have enormous trusses of small (but not as tiny as Sweet Million et al) 'maters.

I think I have seeds for the red shiso. They came as a freebee with a seed order. I'd been wanting to grow it for a long time; just never got around to it. The green one is more useful for every day eating right? I want the green one to eat fresh. Is there really a noticable flavor difference between the red and green shisos, or are its uses based solely on color??? So you eat the fresh green shiso with the umeboshi. Do you use the red shiso to make the umeboshi? The slight bitterness of the mugwort means it's good for the health. Have you ever tasted that green mochi cake they make from it? There's also an Asian green Pandanus cake I'd love to try. I'm just starting out growing medicinal herbs. I have 4 plants. The 2 mentioned earlier plus Astralagus propinquus and Gynostemma pentaphyllum. I'm just growing a few non native herbs for my health. The rest of the yard will be stuffed with natives to help feed and sustain all the wildlife. We've taken most of their habitats away. It's time we made all our yards one continuous native, green corridor! Have any of your seedlings gotten their first true leaves yet? If you have any Myosotis seeds left you can sow them near the others next spring so you will have continual flowering without skipping a year.

Peren.all how about rabbits? Rabbits in my area eat every perennial they can including my ferns, peony, iris, yarrow, and columbines. Its actually more like taking a bite and spitting it out right in front of the plant. Idk why they do that but it is very annoying.

Campanula not sure what country in Asia those veggies/herbs are from but never heard of them. Are Japanese herbs popular in uk?

The green one is solely for eating and I think the red one is more for ornamental purposes. I’ve never tried the red ones before. And I love the mugwort mochi. They have those in an annual fair in my local Japanese supermarket and I would always buy those. Of course the cherry(Sakura) Mochi is my absolute fav though. I might have my dad preserve the leaves off my weeping or Kwanzan cherry this year. Many websites say cherry leaves are poisonous though. Idk what in the world they’re talking about. But good luck on your herbs. Not too familiar with those two plants but now I’m interested. In my garden We currently have zingiber mioga, petasites japonicus, aralia elata, artemisia princeps, thymus quincecostatus, Agastache rugosa, mentha piperescens, sanguisorba officinalis, and the shiso as our main herbs. The first four are pretty invasive though.

The only plant I’m growing from seed right now is the myosotis. I’ll be growing more as soon as these guys set true leaves. And oh yea, I’ll be sowing them every year to ensure a permanent groundcover. They’re only 1.99 per packet

"Many websites say cherry leaves are poisonous though. Idk what in the world they’re talking about. "

You just need to be a bit more thorough in your research :-) The toxicity is targeted towards livestock, is related primarily to wild cherries (Prunus serotina) and requires the leaves to be wilted (storm damage, fallen trees, broken branches) which releases the glycosides to combine with naturally occurring enzymes to form prussic acid, a hydrogen cyanide toxin.

Cherries are considered toxic however. Cherry pits contain a concentraton of amygdalin (contained in the pits of all stone fruits), which if released via chewing or crushing will react in the body to form cyanide. But you would need to eat an appropriate dosage and actually chew up the pits - accidentally swallowing a few whole will have no effect.

Heruga the rabbits are tasting the plants to see if they like them. If they don't they will spit it out and leave it, if they find it to their liking they will continue eating the plant. Knock on wood, rabbits are not a huge issue for me. They are certainly in the area though. One day I was pruning an apple tree and when I got off the ladder to sit for a minute a very bold rabbit was happily munching the trimmings not 2 ft. from where I was sitting. I have had issues with groundhogs too but it is the deer that are a huge problem here. My best guess is that the rabbits will leave them alone just as the deer do.

Heruga pak choi is Chinese cabbage. I don't know the Japanese word for cabbage, maybe nappa? I'm growing the green shiso for sure. They use the red one to color pickled ginger and other foods. I hear they sell mugwort mochi at health food stores I'm going to try it but I'm sure there's no comparison to the fresh ones you get. The two plants I mentioned have Japanese names too. The Astralagus propinquus is called oji and the Gynostemma pentaphyllum is called amachazuru. It makes a sweet tea. I forgot one, the Cnidium monnieri snow parsley, Jashoshi. It has some amazing health benefits. There's a nursery in North Carolina that sells these herbs. They have videos about their plants on youtube. That's how I found them. I'm posting the video about amachazuru for you. You have some beautiful plants! I'm in love with Agastache rugosa. I just love that plant! Korean mint! You said you had Mentha piperescens. I looked it up and it does not exist lol. Did you mean Mentha piperita? I had no idea there was a ginger hardy to zone 6! That's incredible! The Artemisia princeps sounds like the monster of all Artemisias. 2 meters high with massive aggressive rhyzomes. Wow! I'm sure you all have experience taming those beasts. I love Aralias. I have the native Aralia racemosa. I didn't know there was a Sanguisorbia with such deep colors. Very cool! Your momotaro tomatoes look delicious. I was planning on growing just one type of tomato this year. I'm going to try to find seeds for that one. Turns out that momotaro tomato is also sold as 'Tough Boy' tomato. It's a F1 hybrid. If you look for momotaro seeds online, they are much pricier than if you search under Tough Boy, but they're the exact same tomato lol! Do you harvest your tomato and kyuri seeds from your garden? Are you able to find any decent quality produce during the winter? There's another Angelica I want to grow. Angelica keiskei, ashitaba. I think it's even better for your health than the A. pubescens. Heruga, I think after you sow more Myosotis seeds next spring that should be enough, because they multiply like 'rabbits' and they don't need any help lol.

Campanula, very nice tomatoes! Multiflora tomato craze yeah!!! Who would have guessed! (?)

https://youtu.be/S5DwcnZ8XYk

Cabbage is cabbage in Japanese but Nappa is a word for another type of cabbage. It’s more oval shaped and the tip is slightly pointy as opposed to the round shaped cabbages. The mint is mentha arvensis var pipersecens. I will definitely check out on the oji And amachazuru. They sure caught my interest. I’m actually ordering momotaro seeds from Kitazawa seed probably around late March. I don’t harvest seeds from my crops because most are hybrids and most likely fruit won’t be the same as their parent. But definitely worth an experiment to see. Although by the time they fruit it’s so late in the session that I can’t grow them from seed anymore at that point. I don’t have a greenhouse Nor do I know how to store seeds either. Those Angelicas sound nice. Crimson sage nursery carries both. Weird I never got around angelicas. Another plant in my interest list! Thanks for the vid . I will check it out

Heruga, I know about nappa cabbage. It's used for kimchi, Korean fermented cabbage. To make it you must use the Korean chile pepper. I've heard of the shoshito peppers but haven't tried them. The Japanese mint sounds very aromatic. I wonder if it would be a good bug repellant? Is your mioga variegated or plain? I'm already growing several seedlings so I'm just going to buy 1 or 2 tomato plants instead of starting them from seed. I hope someplace is selling momotaro or tough boy tomatoes. I ordered green shiso and sungiku seeds. I figured the shungiku would be less work than trying to grow yomogi lol. I store my seeds in the fridge. Just make sure the seeds are dry and put them in a ziplock bag, seal it and put it in the fridge. Many seeds can last for years that way, but each species has it's own viability length. Your messaging isn't open. You should turn it on. Noone will bother you because trolls love audiences lol! ( Proverbs 18 )Thanks for the Crimson Sage tip. I've never heard of them before.

Wow. You really know a lot about Asian food culture. My fiance is Korean so I get to have homemade kimchi often and they're delicious. It is very aromatic just like other mints. I guess whenever I take a nap in my yard I'll do so around my mints so mosquitoes won't bother me. My mioga is the plain species. Dad dug a few up from my grandmas 15 years ago, planted some in our front yard, and has now become a might colony. They grow up to 5 ft tall. Good luck on your seeds. Don't think any places sell Japanese tomato plants. So once you dry it and put the seeds in the fridge, how long does it have to stay in the fridge for? Or do you just keep it in there? What do you mean my messaging isn't open? That you don't get notifications whenever I post?

You have a messaging option and when you have it on, other members can send you private messages. It's another opportunity to talk to people. It's nice for discussing trading and giving away plants and seeds privately. It can also work for sorting out personal issues with others and keeping it personal lol. Some really nice people have hit me up through it offering me seeds and things. You might be missing out on something. I do get notifications for this thread and all others. I have all the spices to make kimchi, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I've never fermented anything willingly lol. You should start watching how your dad does it so you can pass it on. I'm from eastern European descent, but I do love Asian food. Out of all of them though, I think the Japanese have refined it to the highest art. They've been quite artistic in their gardening too! I have a ton of kombu laying around. I must have hit the wrong button when I ordered it and they kept shipping it monthly, until I put a stop to it. I really wanted some great tasting miso soup but it came out horrible! I'll have to find my big cookbook and learn the real recipe again. Storing the seeds in the fridge won't lengthen the time the seeds stay viable. It will keep them viable for as long as each seed is normally viable. The fridge won't increase the time the seed stays viable. Some seeds like those in Fabaceae and Apiaceae should be sown fresh, and those don't stay viable for long.(angelicas :( ) Sometimes like with legume seeds, the longer they sit, they go into a deeper dormancy that's harder to break. Every seed has a lifespan. A lot of aster family plant seeds can stay viable for 8 years. They have germinated magnolia, date palm, and Silene seeds that were thousands of years old.Congrats on your engagement!!! Good thing you love kimchi lol!

Stachys affinis is eaten in some European countries. ('Europeans' are not a homogeneous group and there are multiple national cuisines.) In the U.K. it's usually called Chinese artichoke or we borrow the French word crosnes. But it is extremely fiddly to prepare and not hugely popular.

You are right floral. Sorry for bunching you all together. You were the normals on the plains and we were the crazies in the mountains, big difference. Tubers are a hassle when they're knobby. I read it was called those other names. It just caught my interest because I'd never heard some Stachys species had edible tubers. I've never grown any Stachys. I'm going to research it more. It must be from Asia if the main common name is Chinese artichoke. I will have to watch it. This is my second time being called out for this. No offences intended, seriously!!! I'll try to focus on the relevant areas and not group everything together. I was having second thoughts about it. Thanks for the confirmation!
Heruga, I was just checking out that Crimson Sage nursery. They have some cool, off the wall plants. And their medicinal herbs OMG! And some beautiful rare natives too. Thanks!

I had something of a craze for odd root vegetables (and evidently still in the throes as I am messing about with oca again). Complete failure to grow apios. I have not grown crosnes (but remember using my sons pressure washer to clean a plot neighbour's haul of roots including horseradish and a disgusting thing called skirret. Perked my interest now though - may look for some stachys seeds for next year.

Kimchi though - bleurgh (not a cabbage lover in ANY form).

Camp, a few years ago I tried growing mashua tubers but they hated our blazing midwestern summer so no yields

That's when I heard about oca. I currently have an Apios craze and got 3 americana tubers yesterday. I'm trying to find A. Priceana tubers. It's very rare and hard to get. I want it SO bad! I love legumes as much as milkweeds and umbellifers. The Astralagus propinquus is the new name for Astralagus membranaceus. Do you have any moist areas where you can grow the umbellifers needing that. Did you do anything special when you sowed all those Sedums like use chicken grit on the surface or anything. I need my morning coffee lol! The growroom revisited.

Asclepias curassavica, Calotropis procera Dregea sinensis, Tweedia caerulea Tweedia solanoides, Tithonias. Will be pricking out soon.

Ah, I often look at tweedia (caerulea) but have not gotten around to it. Keep u. s updated (on all of them)After too many years of promising myself to 'keep on top of the watering' (I never do), I have to accept that I am an idler and will never manage to make a moist area through any intervention of my own.(although, once again, i am chancing my luck with chaerophyllum roseum and pimpinella major). Apios are just one of many insane fads (wasabi, .various tropolaeums, marsh orchids, on which l have wasted (too much) time and effort.

Hur hur - pricking out...then potting on, potting up, planting out (you will be praying for some fails).

I was sowing less seeds in the past and also getting poor germination. I sowed many this time as a precaution and had almost 100% germination. I wanted maybe like 2 Dregea sinensis, not 30! Fresh seeds sent from a gwer in California. I will have to give a lot of them away. The pink Tweedias came as a freebee with the blue ones. I'm not into pink flowers but I was still curious to grow some. I might keep one vine for observation. The new Calotropis leaves are starting to display the massive veining on the undersides. The upper surfaces have the most amazing suede-like texture. They were just repotted from the starter tray, but with a bit more root growth they should take off. I've been big time into native legumes for eons. I got a bunch of awesome new native legumes in a large trade! You avoided my Sedum question again lol. I'll sow the rest of mine in potting mix covered with chicken grit for stability. Seems to make sense to me??? The moist loving plants like Sium suave and Cnidium monnieri I'll grow close to the hose. My dream is to create a bog garden for them by burrying pond liner, but like you more often than not I'm a chronic idler.

O soz - yep, I did use chicken grit...but then again, I top all my pots with the fine flint type (not oyster shell) - costs less than horticultural grit as I buy it from the ag. store. I do the grot first, then add the seeds and water by soaking from the bottom (as watering from the top just makes the seeds float off and clump together, even with the grit.). Bottom watering sort of pulls the seeds down into contact with the soil. I cover the pots so I generally only need to water once intil they sprout.

Well I finally took them outside today in full sun. Today is a high 48F so I figure it would be warm enough. Another wintry mix we're having tonight though. Hoping this is the last.

So it looks the they aren’t getting any bigger at all since I last posted here. I have been tying to give them enough light and water. I take them outside every chance I can in full sun. They’re still so small that I can’t even thin them out yet! Why does this happen to all the perennial seeds I grow? Not enough humidity? Temps not warm enough? Too much water? Last year I failed on growing artemisia princeps, which is a vigorous almost weed like plant! Wow I can’t even grow a weedy plant.

Heruga, can you take a picture of them? Maybe they just take a long time. I'm growing yomogi from seed. Did any of your yomogi plants make it last year?

Heruga - if you plotted a size/time graph for seedling growth, you would not see a nice smooth curve but a series of stops and starts - periods of rapid growth followed by periods of consolidation. Sometimes, they remain resolutely minuscule for weeks (months even). They are following an internal imperative which is also mediated by loads of variables - daylight, temperature, soil type, plant location (aspect, elevation, interference (potting on usually causes a slight set-back to growth). Looking at many of my seedlings, it is hard to imagine that some of them will rise up past 4-5 feet in a matter of weeks, while others are snailing along in the slow lane.

Jay, no they did not. Out of the two packets I sowed only 1 made it to true leaf stage and that eventually succumbed to the summer heat and died. Even though it was in complete shade.

Campanula, thanks. Maybe that explains it. For a moment I got discouraged not even being able to grow a weedy plant despite providing them favorable environmental conditions!

I sowed 7 packets of myosotis seeds yesterday on a bare area just pure soil but I am having my doubts. If the myosotis can germinate and grow there that means other weeds will grow there in the same spot and I can’t even use preen because I want my myosotis seeds to germinate. I can’t even try to pull the ‘actual’ weeds out because I won’t be able to distinguish between them and them myosotis at young stage and if I let them get big then it’ll compete for nutrients. How does one go about with this issue when sowing seeds outdoors?(not individual seeds like melons, but for throwing a mass of seeds for almost a groundcover effect)

The leaves of Myosotis are easily recognisable at a very young age. They look just like the adult ones. You're worrying about an issue which might never arise. It's almost as if you're looking for problems. But for future reference you can outline where you sow seed with sand so you can see where it is. Or sow in short rows marked with sand. As time goes on you'll know all your local weeds at an early stage.

Self sown forget me nots are just starting to bloom in my garden.

I started some Lobelia cardinalis seeds inside once and they stayed tiny like yours for almost an eternity. I winter sowed them this time because I don't have the patience lol. Petunias are another one. Heruga, those Myosotis seeds don't need cold pretreatment do they? If they do you'll have to wait until next year for them to germinate lol. So, what did you do about the Artemisia? Did you just end up ordering a plant from Crimson Sage nursery? They have a nice selection, especially their Salvias. I didn't the A. princeps seeds yet. I'm going to steam it with rice. Mochi is too much work and I don't know any sumo wrestlers that will pound the hell out of it lol! My shungiku seeds just came in. Hopefully I'll luck out growing the yomogi from seed. You said your yomogi succumbed to the heat even though it was in complete shade. Could it have possibly been a double whammy Heruga? LOL

Ok but I am also worried when there are other weeds growing right next to the myosotis, how I can pull them out without disturbing the roots of the myosotis and even completely pulling them out accidentally.

I don't think they need any cold treatment as they just germinate in a few days after sowing(if soil is warm). And yes you got it right, I ordered established plants from crimson sage after giving up growing them from seed. I honestly don't know why it died. Maybe it had to do with the mix.. which was a bit on the soggy side. But good luck on your yomogi and shungiku seeds. Keep us updated.

Heruga, when I look up germination requirements for Myosotis it says no treatment required, but cold treatment is recommended for spring sown seed. What's that supposed to mean? Sounds like everything is up in the air, guess we'll see how many seedlings you get. Did you ever get nice roots to form on those evergreen cuttings you were trying to root? I think with sowing so many seeds you will be able to get a good amount of plants even with the weed competition.

Do you mean stratification? I didn't know you needed to stratify for these guys. I had the impression that its usually only tree seeds that need cold stratification. And no not yet, I will wait probably another 3 months to check. Apparently it takes longer than I though.

I was saying that on the internet they say the Myosotis seeds don't need any pretreatment but that cold stratification before spring sowing is recommended. In simple words its ok to sow them as they are but they would probably grow better if you chilled them first.???? If that's the case then why not just tell people to chill them? Anyway, I'm very interested in seeing how many germinate, or not. It's basically a weed so no biggy? Probably someone on your street has vollunteers they could give you. Trees are not the only plants who's seeds need cold treatment. Most perennials that grow in temperate climates have seeds that need cold stratification. Biennials and annuals, some species may need cold treatment. Some of the seeds for the native plants that I grow need 2 years of pretreatment before they will germinate. They need a warm, moist period followed by a cold period, followed by another warm, moist period followed by a final cold period. And ants play a role in the germination of some of them. The forget me nots, after you have them the thrill wears off really fast. I know that feeling though of trying to grow a plant until it almost becomes an obsession and failing miserably at it over and over. Of course, the voles didn't help lol!

Heruga, you're worrying unduly about weeding your forget me nots. They're tough plants so weed away. Do it when the weeds are tiny. If you're really concerned you can snip weed seedlings off with scissors. But this is all normal gardening practice. There's nothing to stress about.

Since your indoor Myosotis have already germinated I'm not sure why you're fretting about stratification.

Outside you sowed seven packets so it's unlikely you'll lack plants. But of course they won't flower until next year.

I’m only responding to Jays comment on the stratification. I didn’t start that topic and I didn’t stratify the seeds and they germinated. I am not fretting and what is there to fret about if it germinated succcessfully without stratification ?

PS: The last comment I made on my last post was referring to my hinoki cuttings. Not about stratifying my myosotis for 3 months lol

Jay, yea I might for perennials that need it but certainly not weedy ones like the myosotis. And certainly not for biennials even if they might benefit from it. Just not going to wait months just to germinate them when they can just germinate in a matter of days. From what I know stratification only increases germination rates but not actually how the seedlings do after they germinate?

Heruga, if there 200 seeds in a packet you might end up with 1400 get me nots. You ended up buying an Artemisia princeps plant after your seedlings died? What color is your peony? Just to show you, you think stratification is a hastle, but this is what you would have had to go through if you had grown your paonia obovata from seed. We're just having a conversation about stratifying we're not fretting.lol!

http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=12531.0

I currently have paeonia japonica which has white flowers. But wow couple of years just to germinate their seeds huh. What a hassle! I should probably work on gaining more patience in myself first than trying to grow them from seed lol. Jay I think you are getting mixed up with all the posts I make at the same time, the peony talk was in my other thread lol

You are correct. I am mixed up. The peony ties into Myosotis via stratification topic. What's the big freak out about stratification? All it is, is putting seeds in a certain location and leaving them there for a specified amount of time. Don't we all do that anyways? Put things in places for an unspecified amount of time(forever!) and then leave them there lol. junk drawers???

Well why would I cold stratify the myosotis if it will germinate without it? Why wait longer when you can get results right away?

I wasn't ever saying you should stratify anything. From what they say about germinating Myosotis seeds on the internet you should expect quite a few of the seeds you direct sowed to germinate now. And you have those other tiny seedlings too. I'm very interested to in seeing what germinates, and when. I don't remember what I did when I grew Myosotis years ago. I have a vague memory of scattering the seed and then not seeing anything until the next spring. I grow a related plant. The native bluebell, Mertensia virginica. Sorry for going slightly off topic but didn't you say you were growing Lilium lancifolium? You were going to put them in strawberry pots out of reach of the ravenous rabbits lol. I just planted 6 in the ground today. I'm pretty sure they will be safe but the deer have been getting a lot bolder lately. Oops I'm getting into vermin now and that's the other thread, apologies lol!

Those wouldn't be Myosotis seedlings now would they be lol!

Ok. And yup, they're going into strawberry baskets and its so that rodents won't dig them up from underneath. I'll still have to protect from the surface. You should definitely cage yours and be safe than sorry. On a side note, since we're talking about germination, I'm very excited to see my lily bulbils I sowed in flats last year is germinating now. They are all about an inch tall. Last year when I sowed them none came up so I thought they all died. But to my surprise they weren't!

PS: Yeaa... I think mysotis is on the rabbit resistant list. But who knows, rabbits are extremely unpredictable.

Try not to be too discouraged by long waits Heruga. . Paeonies, for all the lengthy wait, are actually very easy to grow. I pop a couple of fat seeds in a deep pot, stack them next to the north wall (always in shade) and totally ignore them for a few years - they need nothing more from me - not even regular watering. Before you even realise, a couple of years have gone by and you are seeing the first tiny shoot (the first year is all about root germination)...and even then, you can safely ignore the pots for another couple of years until you simply tip the whole pot into a hole. If you sow something every year, there will always be new things to look forward to.

I find lilies, (in fact, many geophytes) to be easy to raise from seed - just needs a bit of time.

Heruga, thank you for turning me on to that Crimson Sage Nursery. I'm having germination issues so I just ordered a few herbal plants from them. Oji, ashitaba, and Tojin. I suppose they have yomogi too, I forgot about that lol. EDIT::: I ordered the yomogi, I'm thinking thats where you ordered your's too. There are literally hundreds of seeds I have germinating already, and I don't want to stress over germinating a few medicinal plants that I decided to grow at the last minute. Very nice little nursery. I ordered the Angelica keiskei var. koidzumi. I decided I had room for it. They like part shade and that's mostly what I have here. You are maybe half a zone warmer than me but most of the native plants for both areas are the same.