Gentiana Olivieri

Description

This rare, exceptionally beautiful gentian opens its unusually-large, white-throated, up-facing blue flowers, normally three to ten in terminal clusters on shortish stems, in late spring to summer. In the wild, it grows on grassland over limestone, marl or clay at up to 2300m in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and eastwards to the Tien Shan mountains.

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