Ourisia coccinea

[Mitchell]

Anybody out there with experience germinating and growing Ourisia coccinea?  Most likely not hardy for me without protection in zone 4, but I've got some seed and might as well experiment.  Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Donald

[Todd Boland]

I've tried Ourisia several times from seed, but no luck.  I have the feeling you need really fresh seed.
Todd

[Gene Mirro]

The seed germinates easily in about 17 days at around 60F.    No special treatment.  I've grown them in pots in the greenhouse.  I will try some outdoors this spring in the Pacific NW.  Once they are established, they make above-ground runners and start taking up a lot of room.  I've never been able to grow Ourisia macrophylla.

I will probably have some fresh seed this summer.  Let me know if you want some.

[Kelaidis]

I believe this is the species I saw from the chair lift on San Martin de los Andes in Argentina and walked back down to check it out: it grew rather like a mimulus along a stream bank. I have slides which I have not scanned: it is stunningly beautiful.

And I suspect it ought to be zone 5 at least hardy (it is a ski area!): keeping it moist and yet well drained is the challenge.

[Jan Jeddeloh]

I've grown it from my own freshly harvested seed and it germinated like cress, as they say.  You'll all probably kill me when I say I eventually ended up throwing out plants when I couldn't give away any more.  I grow it in my garden (zone and it's taken temperatures down to the low teens.  I find it is a shy flowerer, maybe because it's in a rather shady spot.  I've only gotten seed off it one year.  It's  shady spot however, gives it the summer moisture it needs.  Since I had so many seedlings I've now planted it in various other places around my yard so we'll see how it does.

We'll see how it flowers this year.

Jan

[Hoy]

Neither have I had luck with O. coccinea seed but microphylla sprouts as you say Jan, like cress
Can think of two reasons, either the seed is too old or it is sterile.

[stephenb]

I saw a nice patch of Ourisia ruelloides in the Tromsø Arctic-Alpine Botanical Garden in Northern Norway a couple of years ago (picture) - I was given a piece but it didn't survive. I'm fortunate having seen this species in the wild in Chile when I was there at a conference a few years ago.

[Hoy]

That was a fine Ourisia, Stephen! A pity it didn't survive