Guelder Rose, European Cranberry Bush, Snowball Tree (viburnum opulus)
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£1.25
£1.25 - £20.00
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Seed Prices
2 grams (approx 58 seeds) £1.25
5 grams (approx 145 seeds) £1.85
10 grams (approx 290 seeds) £3.10
25 grams (approx 725 seeds) £7.00
50 grams (approx 1450 seeds) £12.00
100 grams (approx 2900 seeds) £20.00
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The Guelder Rose is a deciduous shrub growing up to 4–5m tall and is native to Europe and Asia. It is commonly grown as an ornamental for its flowers and berries and vivid red or yellow Autumn colouring It grows best on moist, moderately alkaline soils, although it tolerates most soil types well. It is tough and adaptable and will also survive temperatures as low as -30°c, plus it attracts many forms of wildlife into your garden
The Guelder Rose's flower is snowy white with flat heads which are 3 to 5 inches across. The flower is wheel shaped and the outer flowers have five petals and are sterile. The inner flowers are fertile and very small. They provide nectar for the insects that pollinate them. The berries are bright red and attract many species of birds that spread the seeds.
The Guelder Rose's flower is snowy white with flat heads which are 3 to 5 inches across. The flower is wheel shaped and the outer flowers have five petals and are sterile. The inner flowers are fertile and very small. They provide nectar for the insects that pollinate them. The berries are bright red and attract many species of birds that spread the seeds.
Germination, Sowing and After Care Information for
Guelder Rose (viburnum opulus)
Guelder rose seeds have a deep dormancy within them, this requires a degree of patience to overcome and it is usually quite easy to get high levels of germination if the correct procedures are followed. The germination period is also lengthy and highly unusual.
First prepare a free draining substrate into which the seeds are to be mixed, this can be a 50/50 mixture of compost and sharp sand, or perlite, vermiculite or even just pure sharp sand has worked well for me. The chosen substrate needs to be moist (but not wet), if you can squeeze water out of it with your hand it is too wet and your seeds may drown and die.
Mix the seeds into the substrate, making sure that their is enough volume of material to keep the seeds separated. Place the seed mixture into a clear plastic bag (freezer bags, especially ziplock bags are very useful for this) If it is not a ziplock type bag it needs to be tied.
Write the date on the bag so that you know when the pre-treatment was started.
The seeds first require a period of warm pre-treatment and need to be kept in temperatures of at least 15 Celsius (59F) for a period of at least 10 weeks - it is not critical if it lasts a week or two longer than this. During this time make sure that the pre-treatment medium does not dry out at any stage or it will be ineffective!
Next the seeds require a cold period to break the final part of the dormancy, this is easily achieved by placing the bag in the fridge (4 celsius or 39F) for at least 10 weeks, again if it is for a little longer it does not matter. It is quite possible for the seeds to germinate in the bag at these temperatures, if they do just remove them from the bag and plant them up - they are strong and will easily tolerate the disturbance. For small quantities I tend to just leave the seeds in the fridge and remove the germinated ones every few weeks and plant them up. I find that this way you can get the maximum number to germinate. Any remaining ungerminated seeds can have the whole warm and cold process repeated again -several times if necessary.
It has also been found that fluctuating pretreatment temperatures can give the best germination results and I have myself had excellent results by keeping the mixed seeds in a cold shed through the winter for the cold stage of their pretreatment and allowing the temperature to fluctuate naturally.
Germinated seeds can be planted in small pots,seed trays or plug trays in a good quality compost. Guelder rose has a mainly fibrous root system and is well suited to container growing.
Guelder rose has a 2 stage germination process. The germinating seed will grow a root approx 4 cm long in stage 1 then it needs to experience a long period of cold (such as the following winter for the second stage of germination to occur and for a shoot with leaves to appear above ground. Keep the partially emerged seedlings out of strong sunshine, well watered and weed free.
Growth in the first year above ground is usually between 10 and 30 cm but will accelerate in the following year. Allow them to grow for 2 or 3 years before planting them in a permanent position.
First prepare a free draining substrate into which the seeds are to be mixed, this can be a 50/50 mixture of compost and sharp sand, or perlite, vermiculite or even just pure sharp sand has worked well for me. The chosen substrate needs to be moist (but not wet), if you can squeeze water out of it with your hand it is too wet and your seeds may drown and die.
Mix the seeds into the substrate, making sure that their is enough volume of material to keep the seeds separated. Place the seed mixture into a clear plastic bag (freezer bags, especially ziplock bags are very useful for this) If it is not a ziplock type bag it needs to be tied.
Write the date on the bag so that you know when the pre-treatment was started.
The seeds first require a period of warm pre-treatment and need to be kept in temperatures of at least 15 Celsius (59F) for a period of at least 10 weeks - it is not critical if it lasts a week or two longer than this. During this time make sure that the pre-treatment medium does not dry out at any stage or it will be ineffective!
Next the seeds require a cold period to break the final part of the dormancy, this is easily achieved by placing the bag in the fridge (4 celsius or 39F) for at least 10 weeks, again if it is for a little longer it does not matter. It is quite possible for the seeds to germinate in the bag at these temperatures, if they do just remove them from the bag and plant them up - they are strong and will easily tolerate the disturbance. For small quantities I tend to just leave the seeds in the fridge and remove the germinated ones every few weeks and plant them up. I find that this way you can get the maximum number to germinate. Any remaining ungerminated seeds can have the whole warm and cold process repeated again -several times if necessary.
It has also been found that fluctuating pretreatment temperatures can give the best germination results and I have myself had excellent results by keeping the mixed seeds in a cold shed through the winter for the cold stage of their pretreatment and allowing the temperature to fluctuate naturally.
Germinated seeds can be planted in small pots,seed trays or plug trays in a good quality compost. Guelder rose has a mainly fibrous root system and is well suited to container growing.
Guelder rose has a 2 stage germination process. The germinating seed will grow a root approx 4 cm long in stage 1 then it needs to experience a long period of cold (such as the following winter for the second stage of germination to occur and for a shoot with leaves to appear above ground. Keep the partially emerged seedlings out of strong sunshine, well watered and weed free.
Growth in the first year above ground is usually between 10 and 30 cm but will accelerate in the following year. Allow them to grow for 2 or 3 years before planting them in a permanent position.
