Patience is a virtue with tropaeolum...

As usual, I was retrieving labels from pots that had failed to germinate and had been ousted from the propagator to make room for new stuff. Fortunately I noticed just in time that something had grown - tropaeolum speciosum - 3 seedlings, from AGS seed that I had sown on 25/1/2020! They have now been top dressed and given a few slug pellets as they sit on the bench - promoted from the pile of 'dead' pots in the corner.
Do others find (like me) that they are too impatient with seed? For some eg peony, I have learned to wait, but for others...

 

I tried these last year got one or two to germinate , unfortunately they didn't like being removed from the propagator and died . I am going to get some plants this year instead.

 

Pretty difficult to grow, so I hear, unless you live way up north.
I think they like cool damp spots without harsh frost.

I only hang on to seed if I know its from a reliable source, lots of dead seed out there for sale in my opinion.

 

I bought roots before in Nottinghamshire and had wonderful flowers but they didn't survive the winter. At least here is more like the West of Scotland where they do best.

Yes, it's annoying if you pay good money for seed and get nothing.

 

As a grower of palm seed, I know it's a long term project not just a one season thing. I must have sown over a hundred thousand seeds of different species and varieties of everything, I know that tagetes will not germinate after twelve months and tree peonies not normally before. I leave all failures for another season or two in the lower shelf 'graveyard'. It's where pots go to reminisce on lost opportunities. I've had seeds germinate on the compost heap. This all shows me I've either kept them too wet/dry/hot/cold or that they were not viable to start with. Case in point, I sowed fifty ensete ventricosum, I had four germinate. these were sown in a zip bag in vermiculite in the airing cupboard approx. 30 degrees c, a standard method. A year later, they were tossed out on to the closest flower bed, once again standard practice for me as it's closest to the back door. My surprise was not unsurprising, as three more decided to germinate that summer. Moral of the story, if you have room, give nature a chance as it can't be rushed. I have loads more stories of spilled seed and spore, that I think the best method for growing things is to chuck 'em over my shoulder in the greenhouse

 

@flounder
It's where pots go to reminisce on lost opportunities

I love that! Mine go on the greenhouse floor beneath the lower shelf as even that is full! I reuse the labels because otherwise the growing set of gravestones would be too depressing. You have far more patience than I do - palms from seed!? Though I did once grow a cycad from seed...

 

What a lovely surprise Caroline. I have Tropaeolum peregrinium to plant. I love all of that family, have lots of different Nasturtiums.

 

Are they not a plant for slightly acidic conditions, only the grit looks a bit like limestone.
Or is it granite?

 

Yes, the grit is possibly limestone, but the nice lady at Travis Perkins allowed me to get a sample, shake it up with water and then test pH (in their loo!) to confirm that it wasn't making the water alkaline. So I then bought a bulk bag... Amongst the things that make my handbag weigh a ton, I carry pH paper. Has proved handy when at Botanic Garden volunteering too.

 

I've seen one locally to me ( Trop specimen ) really nice climbing over a hedge . They not to easy to find plant wise either, larch cottage have some but when you add P+P it cost an arm and a leg , it be a similar price for me to do the 170mile round trip.

 

There waa a good vendor on eBay selling the roots quite reasonably. Not sure if he still trades