Are you wondering why your Angelica seeds STILL haven’t germinated? Don’t worry. It’s not you. And you’ve come to the right place.
Angelica is a genus of 60 perennials and biennials in the parsley family (Apiaceae). Traditionally grown as an herb, Angelica is gaining favor as a landscape plant for its striking white or purple umbels. I am growing Angelica as a filler for floral bouquets.
Despite its growing popularity, Angelica is known for being difficult to propagate from seed. When I purchased Angelica seeds from Plant World Seeds the seed packets warned, “If your seeds don’t germinate right away, do not throw away!” Perhaps they’ve received an angry email or two from gardeners who thought their seeds were dead.
Based on research, I knew that my Angelica seeds would need some coddling to germinate. Several sources recommended a “cold stratification”: providing the seeds alternating cold and warm temperatures. Another suggestion was to put them in the refrigerator for 30 days. Since North Texas temperatures were still in the 90s when my seeds arrived, I decided to give my seeds a chill in the fridge.
I sowed my Angelica seeds (4 different varieties) in damp #20 soil blocks inside plastic meal prep containers. Because Angelica seeds need light to germinate, I placed one seed (they are medium-sized) on top of each soil block and then dusted the soil blocks with a light layer of
After 24 days, I removed the containers and set them on my kitchen countertop where they received light from the under-counter fluorescents during the day.
After 5-6 days on the counter with no activity, I placed the containers outside on my courtyard patio in the shade. By this time, we were getting highs of 65-70 and lows in the upper 40s.
After another 5 days on the patio in these conditions, we received a freeze warning, so I brought the containers back indoors. After two days on the kitchen windowsill at 70-73 degrees, I noticed that seeds in two different containers had germinated.
The total time from seeding to germination for Angelica gigas and Angelica hispanica was 37 days. (As of publication, still waiting on Angelica archangelica and Angelica sylvestris.) I was worried about mold developing during this long period of staying damp, but only 2 or 3 of the soil blocks showed evidence of mold growth.
Summary of how to start Angelica from seed:
Provide seeds with cold temperatures. Either place into refrigerator for 30 days and then move into warmer temperatures, or provide alternating warm and cold temperatures by placing seeds outdoors in the fall or spring when evenings are cold but not freezing. Or like me, explore both methods until you get some signs of activity.
Most importantly, just as Plant World Seed recommended, don’t give up! These babies need to literally chill out.
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