have both the variegated and lime green jewels. one of my favorite and easy to propagate plants in the garden. never had them self seed? some are over six or seven years old, freeze to the ground every year and pop right back up each spring. great plant! cuttings are so easy! will be watching to see how the seeds do.....m

Hummmmm, maybe I jumped the gun. Guess I'd better start some seeds to see if they are viable....

Tom

I had one of these show up in a pot and it's come back for the past few years. Last year I didn't get any of the seeds from the previous year to germinate but this year a few have but they did so on their own, I had given up saving the seeds (in unheated shed.) Judging from the number of seeds each plant makes, I may be sorry for putting this plant in a bed but they seem pretty easy to pull and will be right at home with the 27,000 oak sprouts also in that bed. This native is too cute to not keep around though, and what a long bloom time, still sending up new stalks! I wonder if they need light, like Coleus seeds, to sprout?

Hi Tom - I've never tried Jewels of Opar, but sure would like to, if convenient for you please could you send me a few seeds? I appreciate it, and if there's anything in my garden you would like, it is yours- for the digging! Thanx again, sally

Beautiful M, I love this plant too.

Folks, hold off and let me see if this seed idea is worth bothering with....

Tom

I had some of them. They reseeded readily in every pot in the greenhouse and on the floor.

Not much luck with the varigated, but the common plant grows all over the place. I don't think you could kill it. It volunteers freely.
theo

Sorry if what I said gave the impression the seeds were difficult to grow. My thought at the time was that I didn't why my seeds failed (either in storage or sowing) and was hoping this thread would help. After reading the other anecdotes, sounds like it would do well with winter sowing. Hope it's not one of those annoying types that only wants to sprout where it's not wanted. (wink!)

Like I said it shows up everywhere in the greenhouse. Easy to pull out or transplant if you don't want it in everything. They are quite cute when they are flowering. The varigated one is even prettier. I bought one in Melbourne, Fl. years ago and they were charging about 5 bucks for a tiny pot of it.

Mine reseeds well,the regular and the lime green one

mine must be sterile....:) glad it works for ya. cuttings here, much easier.

No sprouts yet but I just sprinkled seed in some small containers Sunday 7/29 and have them outside in the shade. Do they need to be pressed into the soil or covered? Anybody know?

Tom

I love this little plant, it has such spirit. A certain little bee hovers around and they take no notice of me as I walk around. I think the seeds just blow in the wind, grow where they want to, but it is not invasive.
There is another slightly bigger plant similar to the Jewels of Opar, but I don't know what it is. I like plants that just 'grow'.
theo

Mine was never covered that came up by themselves in the greenhouse, unless watering them disturbed the soil some. The seeds are so tiny I would think that watering would sink them enough. I used to work for a man that would lay his tomato seeds on the seed mix and water them in. It worked well for him.

Looks like the seed is viable, only three of the five came up but the seeds are so small maybe I didn't get them in all the pots....

Tom

i stand corrected, found a bunch of the lime green ones coming up, first year i've had it. variegated one, nothing! have had it in the ground for years, never a one. looks like yours are the lime ones. started twenty five pots of cuttings from the variegated, much quicker than seed, but sterile i presume...:)

Thanks M, I'll try some cuttings. I just love to watch seeds grow....

Tom

This is turning out to be one of my favorite plants. I love the lime green color. I'm transplanting it all over my yard.

Nice looking plant!

Speaking of taking cuttings, last fall my plant was in the way of other plants, so I hacked some chunks off of it and left them laying on the ground, where they almost immediately started making roots. I had to put those in the compost.

This year, I've been deadheading old spikes when they become mostly balls of seeds and this plant seems like it's just getting started making serious stalks of blooms. For every one I cut off, 2 more grow. Just wish they were more upright. Kind of a messy-looking plant but the deadheading fixes that for a week or so. The bloom stalks don't attempt to keep growing if left under the plant.

I haven't found any seedlings, which may be due to deadheading but I didn't think I was very strict about it at the end of last year.

I have this plant and have some for sell Arlington Tx.