Topic: cross pollinated acquilegias

[aquilegia]

OK, so I'm jumping the gun a little bit here but...

I now have 11 varieties of aquilegia seeds germinating away (I hope!) So in two years time when they flower I'm hoping they will be randomly cross pollinated. In another two years, when those seeds have turned into plants which have flowered (hence the gun jumping!) will they be bizarre and unusual new varieties that I can name myself. Or will they be the same as either of the parent plants?

If I pick one seed pod off a plant and sow all the seeds from that, will all the subsequent plants be of the same variety or might they vary?

I'm just far too impatient to wait four years to see for myself!  ;D

[Muddy_Boots]

In my esperience will always cross pollinate an u def can't call em Aqui!  However will give u years of pleasure.  If want to cross pollinate have to take seriously an do what real aqui growers do!  Soz, didn't mean to put damper on process  :(

[aquilegia]

me take something seriously - don't be silly. Years of pleasure is all I'm after - the naming bit was just me being daft (although I may still secretly name them, just not tell anyone about it!)

[psilo]

Hi Aquilegia. From someone who grows dozens of different varieities I can tell you it is very difficult not to have them cross pollinate. They are sooo promiscuous  :P  Even from one plant you will get various different types. Why dont you give them all names instead like fred, george, mary  ;)

[traceym]

Theres just no escaping some people,where will you track me to next Psilo. ;D

[Hugh_Jones]

Most of them will undoubtedly cross, although if you grow them in `type` groups, most of the seedlings will resemble their parents simply because most of the pollination will take place between plants of the same type. What you eventually get will depend entirely on which particular genes are most dominant in any parrticular type, and quite a lot will probably be rubbish from the growers`point of view.

 However, beware if you have any of the old fashioned non-spurred cottage garden varieties. Being much closer to the species their genes will tend to predominate in the offspring of any plant which they pollinate and you will find that spurs tend to diminish or even disappear, although seedlings of the cottage garden plants which have been cross pollinated by newer hybrids can show some startling and charming variations in both form and colour of the blooms - I have some in shades of deep red and blue with so many rows of petals that they are virtually miniature pompoms

[Tenuse]

I've been told that eventually the offspring end up purple - maybe because purple genes are stronger?

Ten x

[Hugh_Jones]

No, Tenuse, that is not strictly correct. There is a strain of the non-spurred columbines which is dark blue, and which will come more or less true from seed - colours vary slightly in the dark blue/dark purple/almost black range, and some will produce double, triple or even quadruple rows of petals - but the more common `cottage garden` types are predominantly in shades of white through the pink shades to dark pink, and it is to these shades that the products of repeated cross fertilization usually tend.  Even where I have grown the dark blue variety among the `cottage garden` types, the progeny have always tended towards the white/pink shades, so either these are the dominant colours or (quite possibly) the two varieties simply don`t hybridise.

[aquilegia]

 :D fantastic! I shall just have to try to remain patient for the next four years! (Especially as the first seeds haven't even germinated yet!)

I shall have to bin/give away any that are white or pink as these are my least favourites colours! (Mum and Mum-in-law both love white, though!)

[Hugh_Jones]

Aquilegia, do you have the self-coloured dark blue strain (I called them non-spurred, but technically they are very short spurred)? If not, and you would like some seed, please let me know and I will try to remember to save some - can`t promise an actual shade but dark blue/dark purple/almost black.

[aquilegia]

Hugh - no I don't have any. Would very much appreciate it if you could save me some. What do you want to swap for?  :-*

[Hugh_Jones]

Sorry Aquilegia, my garden is now so overpopulated that there`s no room for fresh imports unless I start digging up the lawns, but thank you for the thought.

[Garden Manager]

We have loads of self grown aquilegias in our garden. Too many in fact (- sorry aqui many get pulled as weeds!) they are continualy cross pollenating, to produce colours ranging from light pink to deep purple.  I have been lucky enough to get a couple of near perfect white ones appear, plus another apparently a cross between a spurred hybrid (Mckanna hybrids i think they are called) and a common naturalised  one.

Never actualy tried breeding any or even actively saving and sowing seeds. Nature just does it herself!  ;D

[Wicker]

As a Newby to this site I'm a bit in awe of all the expertise but despite the embarrassment  :-[ here goes.

I've never grown Aquilegia before, bought two packets one pink one blue double flowered, instruction says to sow and put in fridge for up to 33 days and on mentioning this to other lottie holders they thought this hilarious as a few have them growing rampantly from self seeding!

No sign yet of germination - will it happen it's been over 20 now??

[aquilegia]

Welcome onboard Wicker!

I find aquilegia takes months to germinate. I sowed my first batch last year and was about to throw the lot on the compost heap when I finally noticed it germinated.

It does need a period of chilling so when it gets warmer it knows spring is on the way and it's time to germinate. The putting in the fridge replecates the winter.

Naturally, aquilegia sows itself in the autumn, lies about all winter and then germinates in spring - hence why all the other lottie holders have it growing like weeds.

[Ceri]

I don't grow them personally, so I'm not sure why, as I've been tidying through the garden borders, I'm finding hundreds of them!  They are so beautiful that as I find them I'm moving them to a new bed in the back garden next to where we sit.  I've got about 20 so far just through weeding round the garden!  Any thoughts as to what plants would look particularly good with them?

[aquilegia]

Ceri - I think they look good infront of tall, spiky things like delphiniums. I also really like them on mass. Well I would, wouldn't I!

I had two plants last year (yes, only two). Only one was old enough to flower, now I have at least five. One of them even looks like it's already in bud. I can't wait to see what colour it is!

[Granny_Smith]

I've got about 30 sitting in pots which I grew from seeds two years ago after I put them in the fridge!
They were Alan Titchmarsh's double flowered variety - so it should be interresting to see what colours they are when they flower.

[Wicker]

Thanks for the reply Aqui, will just be patient and look forward to next year.

[Mrs Ava]

I have them everywhere - they even come up through my paving, but I don't mind, I do love them, delicate foliage and wonderful flowers, so fragile....and yet they are as tough as old boots!  I think they look great dotted all over, as they are all self seeded they all tend to be in groups, but they are in my woodland area, where they look great with the ferns, and in with my regular perennials and bulbs and shrubs.  Love 'em!