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Acantholimon caryophyllaceum ssp. caryophyllaceum

 
Acantholimon caryophyllaceum ssp. caryophyllaceum
Seedling in June

Synonym(s) Acantholimon parviflorum
Family plumbaginaceae
Life cycle perennial (Z6)
Flowers pink (summer)
Size 2-4"
Light sun
Cultural notes well-drained soil
From seed germinate at room temperature
detailed seed-starting info below

Tuft-forming perennial with grassy leaves and five-petaled flowers, similar in appearance to dianthus, native to rocky slopes in western Asia. I hope I can coax my seedlings along – my previous attempts with Acantholimon species have been unsuccessful. They are certainly finnicky: there were originally three seedlings; by the time I set them out in a hypertufa trough, one had perished; and by late June, only one survived. Luckily, that one stayed healthy, growing a bit more through its first season. It was one of the few surviving plants from the troughs I brought into the garage over the winter (I think that means it tolerates very dry conditions through winter). That's all good, but I'm not impressed with its second-year performance: it's just sort of sitting there, not getting any bigger, certainly showing no inclination to flower. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for next year.

Acantholimon caryophyllaceum ssp. caryophyllaceum
A little more robust by late August
Acantholimon caryophyllaceum ssp. caryophyllaceum
Not much bigger a year later

We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston.

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Seed-starting details for this plant

  1. Seed from NARGS '11/'12 exchange, all seem flimsy. Baggy 70F (no G, 3w)
  2. Same seed as above, cold-stored through summer. Selected most substantial of the remaining seeds. Baggy 70F (27%G, 4-7d)


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