Aethionema Species, Fragrant Persian Stonecress

I find this plant very charming. The blooms are a true pink. The leaves are blue-green which compliments the pink blossoms. They are a...Read Morebout 7 inches tall in bloom. They bloom early spring. It's April 23, and they have started blooming. They are supposed to be in full sun with excellent drainage. Mine get about 7 hours of sun in the middle of the summer. They get western shade. I have them on a terrace so they have very good drainage. Mine have not reseeded. I winter sowed mine. They germinated and grew to maturity easily. About once a season, I pull the weeds that sneak in amongst it. I recommend this plant for your garden.

LOVE this charming little perennial!

Following are some germination details for this plant:

1)Sow at 20*C (68*F); if no germination in 3 - 4 wks, move to ...Read More-4*C to +4*C (24*F - 39*F) for 2 - 4 wks.

2) One site says similar to above, except give the warm temperature 3 months, and the cold temperature 1 - 2 months.

3) In the 2nd edition of Norman C. Deno's book, Seed Germination Theory and Practice, Aethionema grandiflorum was researched, but Deno thinks that other species within this genus will follow similar patterns of germination.

He noted that seed dry-stored for 6 months at 70*F or 40*F germinated more quickly than fresh seed, and that sowing the seed at 40*F had a higher germination rate than sowing it at 70*F. Seed sowed at 40*F began germinating in about 7 days, but that process can continue for up to 3 months.

So, although seed of A. schistosum will germinate as in methods #1 and #2, better results might be obtained by sowing seed at 40*F that has been dry stored for 6 months either at 70*F or 40*F.

I would try wintersowing a portion of the seed about 4 - 6 weeks before your last spring frost, and sow another portion with the baggy method to be kept in a refrigerator for 4 weeks to see which works better. Some seeds do better sown outdoors in winter because oscillating temperatures break down their germination inhibitors better than a constant cold temperature as provided by refrigerators.

Information on wintersowing can be found at the Wintersowing Forum on DG

There are basically 2 baggy methods: One uses filter paper for larger seeds, and the other uses a pot for tiny seeds. For the filter-paper/baggy method, see my comment in Allium thunbergii, and for the pot/baggy method, see my comment in Haberlea rhodopensis. Seeds of A. schistosum have their quirks, as above, but they are not known to take as long to germinate as Haberlea, nor to have such tiny roots. Still, don't let the pot dry out, nor get too wet.