9) Gentiana

I'd be curious to hear what experiences people have had with germinating gentian seeds with gibberellic acid. Also could someone recommend a source for GA3 that they've had success with?

Does anyone grow any of the Swertia species?

I would like to find information on seed germination of Swertia hookeri

Does anyone grow any of the Comastoma species?

I would like to find seed germination information for this relative of the Gentians.

I have a single plant of this rooted into the sand of a neglected alpine bench. I should have moved it many months ago but forgot about it and it is now in full flower, 18" or so high. It is nominally in a 2 1/2" square pot (it was the only seed/plant that survived from Nargs seed) but is now obviously rooted well through the 1" layer of sand. I can pull it all up and cut the pot off and try to keep it going, but when would be the best time to try this removal. It will be eventually grown in the open garden.

I am in the southern UK.

The background to this question: every year, my NARGS chapter has a display in the Philadelphia Flower Show. The challenge (OK, one of the challenges) is to force plants into bloom by the beginning of March. This year, one of our plants is Gentiana angustifolia. To figure out when to start forcing the plant, I'd like to know when it normally blooms. So if you've grown this plant, when does it bloom for you? And, given that your climate differs from mine, what else is blooming when Gentiana angustifolia blooms?

Thanks,

Janet

[Moderator note: Split from "Not Gentiana but Gentianella" thread.]

This small tufted gentian of the damp meadow is native to the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, south through the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and Nevada.
There are two recognized varieties. The larger more northerly variety is var. newberryi the southern and some what smaller variety is var. tiogana. Both varieties display white or light blue flowers freckled with brown. From what I have read the blue flowers are more common in the northern populations. I know I have never seen them with blue blossoms when I've been out botanizing in the Sierras.

I haven't grown Gentians before but having created an ericaceous bed (my garden soil is pretty neutral) in an attempt to cure a sick Camellia I bought a few to give them a try. Here are the first two to flower:-

Gentiana 'Strathmore'
Gentiana 'Serenity'

A new one for me today... Gentiana glauca.
Its habitat is described in Moss & Packer as "(m)oist subalpine and alpine banks and ledges", and indeed, we saw these in alpine tundra in northern Banff N.P., along streams and growing on vegetated hummocks in terrain that was wettish from snow melt. The flower colour is very unusual! These plants, though forming nice little colonies, were diminutive in height, up to about 4 cm.

An image of the impressive Gentiana punctata captured on the Bindelweig in the Dolomites of Northern Italy. A true alpine, but grows to 60cms in ideal conditions.