Melanoselinum decipiens seeds – ( Madeiran Giant Black Parsley)

Description

picture thanks to www.plant-world-seeds.com

This is a  plant from madeira, which grows to a large size and is extremely sought after and  handsome . It bears very large sprays of bright pink flowers, and the sprays can be up to 60 cm wide .The stems are bronze tinged when they first sprout , in the second year from seed, and the leaves are finely divided.  The plant is very attractive even without the flowers, but altogether the flowers make it a very handsome specimen indeed.   The plant may flower in its second year, but it may wait for a few years before it flowers.  The plant will die after flowering, but if you leave a flower head to ripen it will self seed for you.

Sowing advice

Sow the seeds on the surface of moist seed raising mix. Cover them with about 3mm of mix.  They are best sown in autumn and left outside to overwinter naturally outdoors .  They should germinate in the spring.  However you can also sow them at other times, if you give them 3 weeks at about 20 deg C,  and then 8 weeks in the fridge at about 4 degC. germination can be erratic so don’t throw the seed pot out prematurely!