Campanula,

How 'bout spreading the joy with some hints/instructions for successful sowing? I'll be receiving some soon, too, but I haven't sown a seed in years. Don't know a thing about this particular one; my experience is limited to tomatoes. In my neck of the woods, we have 3 months of deep freeze and April/erratic springs. I really want to succeed with these!

Recently retired and profligate garden spending is out of the question. I'll being doing a lot more dividing and seeds in the future.

Rouge, anticipating my gift and thank you very much! Campanula, anticipating success with a new angle on gardening, with some help.

Marie

Well it is completely new to me, Marie, so in the absence of instructions for that particular species, my default position is to emulate the normal cycle and sow in autumn. I make use of the cold greenhouse or allotment coldframe for hardy perennials, but mainly to keep the rampaging collie and blackbirds away. If (when) I run out of space, I keep the pots outside against a wall (despite the ever-present danger of being kicked over or trampled under my lumbering boots ).Cycles of freeze and thaw are beneficial while the seeds are under the soil and eventually, this hardy plant will show itself when conditions are appropriate (I suspect it might be sporadic).

There is a lot said and written about various sowing mixes...and I confess to being quite blase myself, cheerfully re-using the mix from previous season's plantings.

I like to use soil which is heavy on loam (I can't get on with these so-called 'soilless composts') ...and if absolutely nothing was available, I would use some garden topsoil which had a brief spell in the oven to wipe out potential pythiums (I think you can also water with dilute peroxide).If I have any leafmould, I will definitely add some of that (but as it takes a good 2 years or more to make, it is a precious resource. I don't like using flats - they dry out and have far too much surface area so it is tempting to sow too many seeds. I use 4 -5 inch square pots (I/2 litre/1litre), water from the bottom till the pot is wet or use a very fine rose to soak the soil, then sow the seeds thinly - big ones get a thin covering while tiny ones get sown on the. surface. To keep liverworts and such off the surface, I dress the top with a fine layer of chicken grit (flint, not soluble oyster).

I will sow mine, then keep notes and photos. We can update and support each other.

Rouge - yep, the delivery was lightening fast. I have your address so naturally, will be reciprocating (of course gardener's do this).

Obviously, I like the instant gratification of buying mature plants as much as anybody...but there are some surprising advantages to sowing seed. I currently still have a single 'Ruffled Swan' anemone rupicola which has sat on the wall while I faff and dither - where should I put it...and what if it dies? (an expensive plant, not easily available)....while the numerous seed sown plants are stuffed about willy-nilly with zero anxiety.

Rouge, my bet's on the US postal system just being slower. I hope they have better things to do than go around looking for imported seeds. Geeze.

/\ What she said. I'm not worried yet!

Folks.....sending seeds, plants, and soil/compost across international borders without first being inspected is prohibited by law....on both sides.

On a small scale, it is very much against the rules of Gardenweb.

Um, well that told us. I am considering applying for a permit (I can get stuff validated through my college) as small seed packages which don't fall foul of the restrictions makes the sending of small amounts of personal non-agricultural (or a few other obvious categories) not as problematical (or costly) as I feared. Within the EU, there are seeds flying willy-nilly all over the place...I am actually fairly scandalised at how lax the phyto-sanitary laws are, particularly sending live plants and even soil.