The offer of cardinal flower seed, which accompanied my article in the September Horticulture, has brought a flood of requests from all sections of the country. They range from Maine to Washington and Wisconsin to Texas, with many states represented in between.
At the time of this writing, September 22, some 65 packets of seed have gone out, and more than 30 other requests remain heaped on my desk. One thing is evident about all of them: they have come from real gardeners.
To fill these orders in the best possible way, I have gathered every available seed from my garden and the gardens of two friends I gave plants to in former years.
To get the seed ready for mailing, all the trays in the house have been pressed into service for drying, the cooking sieves are being used for the sifting, while my best silver tea strainer does the final processing.
At this point, it would not surprise me to find cardinal flowers germinating under the dining room table or behind the parlor sofa!
A Wilful Plant
What I regret is that I do not have the time to acknowledge at length the many interesting letters that came with the requests, nor to give the detailed instructions for planting.
In any case, it is difficult to give instructions for growing a flower that is such a wilful individual — one that may or may not respond to careful planting and which, on the other hand, may decide to establish itself and flourish in places where it had never been carefully planted at all.
Nature plans to scatter the seed as soon as it is ripe. Since the plant has a long season of bloom, this may occur any time from mid-July until the end of September or even later.
If one wishes to follow Nature, seeds should be scattered in likely places in the fall.
Orthodox Methods of Planting
Those who wish to follow more orthodox planting methods should treat it exactly like any other perennial. Under this method, it should be planted in seed beds or flats.
As the seed is exceedingly fine, it is advisable to mix sand with it before planting and then not try to cover it. Merely press it into the ground with your fingers.
Germination is uneven, and the seedbed should not be disturbed for a year except to transplant those seedlings that appear.
Some may come up in a very short time, some only after many months. It is possible that the fall-sown seed will not germinate until the spring.
It would be very interesting to have reports next year on the success or failure of those readers of Horticulture who have tried to grow cardinal flowers from this seed. My hopes for success have indeed gone out with every packet.
44659 by De Ette B. Jacobs