Cyanothamnus ramosus seeds – ( Boronia ramosa, Blue Boronia)

Description

This plant is a native of Australia. It is a small shrub growing to about 40 cm high and 30-40cm wide. It produces lovely, delicate and fragrant blue or white  flowers, and makes a pretty bush for your garden, and can be grown very successfully in pots on your patio to savour their fragrance so long as the soil is well drained, and gets  consistent water without being waterlogged. The flowers are a favourite of florists, making an unusual and  fragrant cut flower. The scent is typical of the boronia family , and is a light perfume which will not overpower other plants. The flowers are usually produced during the late autumn and winter, which is a very useful time of the year , flowering when many other plants are finished . It likes a free draining soil , in a sheltered spot, and can withstand some frost as well as being drought resistant. Plant it  where it gets  full sun in the morning but dappled sunlight in the afternoon if the sun gets hot where you live.

Sowing advice

These seeds germinate best with smoke treatment .

Method 1

Buy a custom smoke treatment such as:

• Biogrow seed soak

Method 2: A cheap option and one which has worked well for us  is to use a covered object such as a kettle barbecue or  large tin can with lid or similar which can contain the fire. Buy some vermiculite from your garden centre.

• In  the  BBQ or tin can object, put  the material you will use for generating smoke , such as dryish grass or wood chips or dryish leaves, in the base of the container.
• Light the material, and allow it to smoulder.
• Place the vermiculite in an open  container , and put this container into the  barbecue , tin etc, on a  rack above the base fire. Put the lid on the barbecue ,tin etc
• You may need to replenish the fire material a few times if it stops smouldering
• Leave the vermiculite inside  the covered BBQ /tin /etc for  about 30 mins
• Remove the vermiculite, and store in a sealed container

Follow the makers directions for Method 1.

For Method 2 mix a small amount of the smoked vermiculite into the seed raising mix about 1 cup for about 4 cups of seed raising mix. Sow the seeds on the surface of the  seed raising mix when the temperatures reach the ideal temp range  of about 18-22 deg C. .Sprinkle the seed lightly with some smoked vermiculite. Do not let the mix completely dry out, but don’t waterlog them . Place in a warm shady position.Germination should occur within a month, but can take longer .  Should this occur, set the seed pot aside somewhere and keep them warm and moist ,  and don’t discard as they often germinate when conditions suit them.

We can sometimes supply a very small  amount of smoked vermiculite with your seeds if you ask us .