Question
Hi

I have done summit illegal. This spring, I bought a yellow Osteospermum and on the pot it said 'This plant is protected and unlicensed propagation is illegal'. I looked up what it meant and it said that the plant is 'patented' and even if it is in your own garden you can not reproduce it. Then i went ahead and rooted a cutting from it. That is how eager i am to better my knowledge about propagation.

I have also taken a cutting off my Pelargonium 'MRS. Pollock' and it said on the label 'This is a protected plant and unlicensed propagation or any other way of reproduction is illegal.

Tom, what do i do about these two crimes i have committed?

Time for my question.

My Lupin has grown from seed this year and flowered, it now has ripe seed pods and producing premature shoots at the base. When do I take cuttings and collect seed?

The plant is purple, what color will the seedlings be?

I have dug it from the garden and put it in a plant pot and i do not know if this was wise.

I also have a young Hydrangea in a plant pot and this plant was dug from the garden after it had two flower heads that were pink. This shows the soil is alkaline and what do I feed it to make the soil acid which makes the flower heads blue?

Where do i plant Vinca Minor for the best effect?

Can I train them as climbers?

These are young rooted cuttings from spring and have not flowered yet.

Them Lily bulbils that i have planted in little plant pots; when do they start shooting?

The one that i had already, I have now put it outside for the winter and it has gone dormant. When will it start flowering?

I planted it this spring and it had a rosette of leaves but no stem. Why is this?

The new ones that I have planted are from the base of one of my other Lillies and i planted them a couple of weeks back.

The second lot are from the stem of the same plant and are a lot smaller, so these will take longer to reach flowering size. All of them are outside. The basal bulbils are in a little plant pot and i have only three. I have about 8 of the stem bulbils.

When will i get signs of growth and should they be in the greenhouse for the winter or should i leave them outside?

I have a Hemerocallis 'Stafford' that is in a container and that had one flower stalk this year and it is now in the greenhouse. Before i put it in the greenhouse, I potted up an offset and now it has rooted and the other day I put this into a container of its own. This is in the greenhouse too.

Should both parent and offspring be outdoors or are they too tender?

How long will it take for the 'young plant' to flower?

One last question.

I have a variegated Hosta and it has flowered the last two years but has never had seed pods.

How do i pollinate them next year and get seeds?

If i do get seeds, when do i sow them and will the offspring be all-green because it is variegated?


That is all for now.

Hope you can help me.

Thank you Tom.

Bye for now.

Jonathan.

Answer
Hi Jonathan,
Thanx for your questions.

Hi

Basically, if a plant is patented, you are prohibited from propagating it without permission and the appropriate royalties paid to the hybridizer.  This is an ethical and a moral issue and it is for you to decide what you should do, now that you know what you have done is illegal.  But, put yourself into the position of the hybridizer.  S/he spent a lot of time and money developing the plant.  If everyone were to go out and do whatever they want, what is in it for the hybridizer and how does s/he reoup his/her time and money?  

Take cuttings of lupin in the spring.  Gather seeds once the seed pods are fully dry.  You can tie small bags around the pods to prevent the seeds from falling onto the ground.

Most likely the seedlings will eventually bloom purple.

Lupin doesn't transplant well because it has a taproot.  If you break the taproot the plant dies.

Use acidic amendments such as Miracid or some other acidic supplement available at your local garden center to acidify the soil and return the blue color to your hydrangeas, however, if this is a variety that is truly pink, all the acid in the world isn't going to cause a color change.


Plant Vinca Minor in partial shade beneath trees for the best effect?

Can I train them as climbers?  No.

Them Lily bulbils that i have planted in little plant pots; when do they start shooting? next spring

The one that i had already, I have now put it outside for the winter and it has gone dormant. When will it start flowering? approximately 2-3 years

I planted it this spring and it had a rosette of leaves but no stem. Why is this?  It is still immature.  It will eventually grow a stem.  It takes 2-3 years.

When will i get signs of growth and should they be in the greenhouse for the winter or should i leave them outside? you don't need to put them in a greenhouse and in the spring you will see new growth.

Should both parent and offspring be outdoors or are they too tender? outdoors, they need a cold period of dormancy

How long will it take for the 'young plant' to flower? 1-2 years

One last question.

I have a variegated Hosta and it has flowered the last two years but has never had seed pods.

How do i pollinate them next year and get seeds?  some hostas are sterile and if there are no pods, then it is a sterile hybrid.

If i do get seeds, when do i sow them and will the offspring be all-green because it is variegated?  Sow seeds barely covered with soil, indoors 8 weeks before last frost.  If it is a hybrid, the progeny will most likely bear little resemblence to the parent plant.

I hope this helps.
Tom