Draba Sphaeroides

Description

One of the very choicest and rarest of this group of plants, with relatively large fragrant yellow flowers, on thin, lax flower stems that are covered in delicate branched hairs giving them a "frosted" appearance. These arise from compact, tufted rosettes of silvery-grey leaves in earliest spring. Steens Draba is found on open rocky ridges on Steens Mountain, which is a large fault-block range in the south eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon.

Sowing Advice

Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks. They may still take very many months to appear, so please never discard the pot or tray.

Key Facts