Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas Fir) seeds

Graceful conifer, native to North America and now widely grown throughout Europe for its high quality timber and for Christmas trees. Needles are dark green or blue-green with very good needle retention and one of sweetest fragrances of all the Christmas trees. A distinctive feature of the Douglas Fir are its unusual, downward hanging cones, a rarity among conifers. A lovely specimen tree for a large garden and an easy, reliable tree for home grown Christmas trees.

Hardy Tree
Height: 3m (10 yrs), 25m when mature
Position: Sun or light shade & moist, well-drained soil

Packet of 10 seeds

 

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GROWING GUIDE

Sowing Instructions: Sow at any time of the year. Mix equal parts of good quality seed compost, eg. John Innes, with vermiculite, perlite or horticultural grit and water until just moist. Sow seeds very thinly on the surface, then just cover them with a fine layer of vermiculite or perlite. Seal inside a polythene bag and place in the fridge for 14 weeks, checking them weekly to ensure the compost is still moist. [If sowing a large quantity, mix seeds with the compost/vermiculite and place in a resealable bag in the fridge, then sow into trays or directly outdoors in a nursery bed] After this, move to a propagator or other warm place and maintain an optimum temperature of around 20-23C. Germination should take place in 1- 6 months. Note: Germination can be very slow and erratic, so sow thinly and prick out the seedlings as they become large enough to handle disturbing the rest of the compost as little as possible.

An alternative method is to sow in pots as above during late summer to early winter then place in a cold frame and let nature take its course as the seasons change with the seedlings emerging the next spring.

Growing Instructions: Transplant seedlings when large enough to handle into 7.5cm pots and grow on in a cold frame or nursery bed for a year or two then plant in their final position in sun or light shade.