That's correct, plants grown from seeds will be more like the common variety Nepeta cataria. However, it is easy to get more identical plants by dividing it (done in spring or autumn) or softwood cuttings taken in summer.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Perennials with cultivar names and hybrids will not come true from seed. Hybrids have a x in the name
as
Nepeta x faassenii
All species will come true from seed, that's the basic plant before anyone has crossed it with something else or selected forms of it and grown them on and given them names with capital letters and a couple of ' ' round them.
There are lots of nepeta species that can be grown from seed
Campanula lactiflora is a species, Campanula lactiflora 'Prichard's Variety' is cultivated variety of that.
Do you mean seeds of named varieties? Not all named ones are hybrids so do come true to seed as long as they are grown isolated from other varieties. That is the result of many years of isolation and inbreeding with the regular removal of any plants which revert or are different from the desired form. More work = higher price.
F1 hybrid seeds of named varieties are produced by crossing the two original parent species and collecting the seeds. That can take a lot of manual work and the parent plants have to be grown isolated with insects kept out so all of that work makes them more expensive.
I do agree with nut though as some named varieties are not much different from the species and not worth the extra writing on the label in my opinion. I would say that if you want a named variety, buy a decent sized plant in a one litre or bigger pot.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
I bought some Nepeta x fassennii seeds in the spring and they are growing into young plants now. Will these be true from seed or not? If not, what am I growing?
If you bought named variety seeds from a reputable seed company then you will have what it says on the label (barring very unusual mishaps in the packaging department).
However, if you bought seeds from someone unknown on eBay, then they could be anything.
“I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh
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That's correct, plants grown from seeds will be more like the common variety Nepeta cataria. However, it is easy to get more identical plants by dividing it (done in spring or autumn) or softwood cuttings taken in summer.
Perennials with cultivar names and hybrids will not come true from seed. Hybrids have a x in the name
as
Nepeta x faassenii
All species will come true from seed, that's the basic plant before anyone has crossed it with something else or selected forms of it and grown them on and given them names with capital letters and a couple of ' ' round them.
There are lots of nepeta species that can be grown from seed
Campanula lactiflora is a species, Campanula lactiflora 'Prichard's Variety' is cultivated variety of that.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks nut, that makes brilliant sense. i guess it makes sense why plants are priced at what they are, especially named pernnials
Some seem to be over-priced for what they are.
In the sticks near Peterborough
So are these seed companies selling named perennials a big con?
Do you mean seeds of named varieties? Not all named ones are hybrids so do come true to seed as long as they are grown isolated from other varieties. That is the result of many years of isolation and inbreeding with the regular removal of any plants which revert or are different from the desired form. More work = higher price.
F1 hybrid seeds of named varieties are produced by crossing the two original parent species and collecting the seeds. That can take a lot of manual work and the parent plants have to be grown isolated with insects kept out so all of that work makes them more expensive.
I do agree with nut though as some named varieties are not much different from the species and not worth the extra writing on the label in my opinion. I would say that if you want a named variety, buy a decent sized plant in a one litre or bigger pot.
I'm a little confused sorry :-/
I bought some Nepeta x fassennii seeds in the spring and they are growing into young plants now. Will these be true from seed or not? If not, what am I growing?
Thanks
Sounds like you're not
If you bought named variety seeds from a reputable seed company then you will have what it says on the label (barring very unusual mishaps in the packaging department).
However, if you bought seeds from someone unknown on eBay, then they could be anything.
The process of hybridisation as BTG explains above, has produced the Nepeta x fassennii seed, which you have bought.
As Dove says hopefully what you have in your packet is what it says on the label.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.