Agrimony Seeds
(Agrimonia eupatoria) Perennial. 90-130 days to maturity. Hardy in zones 5-9
Agrimony is an Old World woodland herb that part of the Rose family and is native to Europe. It is a well-known as a dye plant with the best yellow dyes made from leaves and stems harvested in late fall.
The plants grows to 5 feet along a hairy, slightly rough stem. It bears egg-shaped yellow flowers around July and August.
Growing Instructions:
Seed stratification: For improved germination Agrimony does best with a 4-6 week cold/moist period in the refrigerator. Place seeds in a resealable plastic bag with moistened soil, not too wet very important, and not too much soil that you'll lose track of the seeds in the bag. Please check on the soil moisture every couple of days, if it appears drier than at the start add a little water. It's possible seeds may begin to sprout in the bag, transfer the sprouted seeds to a pot.
** Begin this process immediately or as late as end of January or early Feb for a Spring germination. Agrimony needs a long growing season to bloom but once established it is self-seeding.
Seed sowing: Sow the stratified seeds in tray cell or container 4-6 weeks before last spring frost. Use an evenly moistened grow mix, place 2 seeds per cell, 1/4" deep. It is okay to cover the seed tray with a cover to help retain moisture. Lightly mist soil surface when it begins to feel dried out. Bottom watering is ideal for evenness of water distribution. Providing bottom heat is not required but it would be beneficial and it improves chance of germination. Daytime temp 18-20, nighttime 15 degrees. Reduce expose to bottom heat as seedlings appear.
Direct Seed: Possible 2 weeks before last frost, but may not bloom same year. Next year established plant will bloom between August to September.
Transplanting: Harden off Agrimony seedlings 2 weeks before last frost. No nighttime adventures yet! Expose gently to partial light to eventual full sun.
Sun: Prefers full sun but tolerates partial sun. An area of 4-6 hours of sunlight is the minimum.
Soil: Agrimony does well in average to dry soil, and also tolerant of a wide-range of soil Ph. A well-draining soil is very important, add sand, clay pellets or perlite to aid drainage.
Spacing: Agrimony loves space from its kin, 12 inches apart will do and leave room to spread
When to Harvest: Be patient, Agrimony will need most of the season to grow. Leaves, flowers and seeds can be harvested end of grow season. Agrimony self-seeds aggressively, maintain control by cutting back flowers before self-seedings occurs. Cutting and hanging flowers away from your garden and collecting seeds as the flower stalks dry and seeds mature is a great solution.