Sowing seeds again!!!

15 years ago

Hi Everyone,

Last year I tried my hand at growing from seeds for the first time - was a lot of fun, mixed in with fear and frustration and a LOT of work getting things planted. This year I thought I might have gotten over the whole seed thing but NOOOOOOO - OK so I thought I'll just order a few pretty things and maybe that would do it. Before I knew it, I had a giant order placed with Swallowtail Garden seeds. Below is a list of everything I've sowed so far:

Gaura linheimeri (the bride)

Echinacea (White Swan)

Cobaea scandens (cup & saucer vine)

Meconopsis cambrica (Welsh poppy)

Crocosmia masoniorum

Anchusa azurea (Feltham pride)

Lobelia Compliment mix

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial sweet pea mix)

Meconopsis sheldonii (Lingholm hybrid)

Linum narbonense (Heavenly blue flax)

Scabiosa caucasica (Hous'e hybrids & Perfect clear blue)

Malva sylvestris (Zebrina, Brave heart & Mystic merlin zebra hollyhocks)

Alcea rosea (Indian spring hollyhock)

Asarina scandens (Snow white & rose)

Petunia hybrida (Double cascade blue, Avalanche tropical red)

Sutera cordata (Snowtopia & bluetopia bacopa)

Ipomoea alba (moon vine)

Ipomoea multifida (Cardinal climber)

Lobelia erinus (Regatta mix)

Alpine strawberry

And I've still got a few more packets awaiting sowing - it's not even like I have a huge estate. What am I doing? Not that I expect any answer to that question. I guess it helps to just write it down, eases the guilt :-)

Of course now I'm worried:

What if the seeds don't germinate?

What if I started way too late and nothing will be big enough to plant in time to see it bloom this season?

etc., etc.

Last year the Cosmos (Sensation mix) really took off, lobelia (Crystal palace), viola cornuta, and Portulaca (moss rose) were so beautiful and floriferous as were the Malva sylvestris Zebrina (wonder if they'll come back on their own sine I let pretty much everything go to seed). I know they're annuals, but has anyone had moss rose or lobelia come back from seeds dropped by parent plants in the Boston area?

Morning glory struggled but produced a middling number of blooms (enough so I could see them and feel happy) but the moon vine absolutely refused to flower. Has anyone had success getting this vine to bloom? I was told that our growing season is too short in MA but I decided to try again & see what happens.

I had a bunch of Columbine (McKannas mix) and campanula seedlings too but of course they did nothing last year (wonder if I'll see anything from them this year?) also nothing for the false rock cress (Aubretia I think). The nasturtiums were gorgeous in the window boxes but I'm not doing those again because they're too much of an aphid magnet - if the loblia regatta mix germinates and grows, that's going into the windowboxes this year.

Would love to hear if anyone has any tips or tricks or experiences with growing any of these plants from seed and if anyone in zone 6 (MA) is as far behind schedule as I am i.e. started 3/10 and still sowing

Happy growing and blossoming,

Amna

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Comments (3)

ohsillyme
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Amna,
I'm in the Boston area - Wow you sowed alot of seed! These are all under lights? I started really early on a few things - I've got hibiscus, hollyhock, foxglove, pansies, lupines, coleus, primrose, datura, and a few others underlights and Aerogarden.
You should see some blooms from the columbine and campanula this year - I'm also waiting on first blooms from alot of perenn's sown last year - cant wait!
I have soo much seed to still sow but will be using the Wintersowing method, well,,at this point it will be Spring sowing - some people in MA are getting Poppy sprouts already! (Outside!)
You should really checkout the wintersowing forum - seed/sprout addicts- Including myself, and sounds like you are right up that alley as well!
maidinmontana
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Amna, I just wanted to let you know, I had moss roses 2 summers ago in a wood barrel, I bought the plants, we got winter early that year so I didn't get them pulled, and I'm glad I didn't, last summer I had a barrel full of moss roses from the previous year. I don't know if they were from the plant or from seeds, but nonetheless, I had em. I live in Montana and our winters are probbly pretty much the same, cold, snowy, below zero temps, late spring and on and on and on and. . . just thought I'd share.

Looks like you'll be busy when all those babies get going :)
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amna
Original Author
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks ohsillyme & maidinmontanna! I didn't pull the moss rose plants from last year either (until yesterday). They were completely brown and dried up stems so I don't think they would've bloomed again. Lightly raked away the top layer of winter debris (pine needles, leaves etc) - hopefully didn't destroy my chances of getting the seedlings to germinate/grow. We'll see what happens - I really did like them :-) Wintersowing sounds so daunting to me - to put so much faith in the whims and vagaries of a New Englan winter! I know that sounds stupid but I can just never get the nerve up :-)

In other news, the cardinal climber that I sowed yesterday after an ON soaking has ALREADY sprouted!!! My very first seedlings of the season. The cotyledons anren't properly out yet from within the seed coat so I'm leaving them covered for now. Not much action from any of the others :-(

Thanks again,
Amna

Sowing seeds again!!!

Comments (3)

ohsillyme

maidinmontana

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amna
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Sowing seeds again!!!

Comments (3)

ohsillyme

maidinmontana

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amnaOriginal Author

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amna
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