Ammi seedlings - advice please

JAC51

Hi, I was hoping for a little advice from you knowledgeable lot.  I’ve started to really enjoy growing from seed and since I’ve had a little lean-to glasshouse built I’ve gone a bit mad.  I know have Ammi, Pyramidalis Campanula, Acquilegia and Verbena Rigida all healthy young plants in 9cm pots.  Problem is, what do I do with them now? My small garden is still full of perennials that haven’t gone over yet so not really much room to plant out the new ones.  How late can I leave it to plant out or shall I just leave them in their pots to overwinter? Thanks for any advice

Fairygirl

Hi @JAC51 - that's a lovely set of small plants you have 
I'd be inclined to wait until spring - just keep them ticking over and pinch out if they get too leggy. 
It does depend on whereabouts you are, and your general climate though. Small plants are always more vulnerable to weather and pests, so the later you leave it, the more difficult it becomes. The aquilegias are pretty tough virtually anywhere though, so if you had a few spaces, you could probably get away with planting those. They're reasonably indestructible 

JAC51

thanks @Fairygirl maybe I’ll find space for a couple of acquilegia then. I’m in Essex and a beautiful day it is after the last few. Put my wooden patio furniture in the garage this morning and of course the sun has been shining ever since 

Fairygirl

You might get away with it down there - with the Verbena and the Campanulas 
It's always difficult to make a judgement. I certainly can't put small plants into the ground at this time of year. I learnt the hard way that my climate isn't suitable 

I was just thinking - are the Ammi perennial? Most are annual as far as I'm aware, so they would probably be best kept undercover.
The problem is that all these plants will be heading for dormancy, so they aren't growing big root systems, and they can get lost in wet, cold ground and frosts etc. That's the main reason for being careful in autumn conditions. 
 

JennyJ

I agree with the others,but if you need your cold frame box for other things they'll be fine in a sheltered spot outside, such as up against the house wall where they'll get a bit of protection. I'm further north than you, but also on the drier eastern side of the country no probably not very different from your climate, and I would plant out the aquilegia and campanula if I didn't have space to overwinter them up close to a wall, and keep the verbena and ammi more sheltered. Having said that, other types of verbena (bonariensis and Bampton) self-seed and take care of themselves fine.

Fairygirl

Yes - I often stick small pots in among other plants in the border @JennyJ . Usually under shrubs. That keeps them protected from the worst of the weather. It does depend on the plant though.
I've done it with Verb. bonariensis, as they don't seed very successfully here, but I also sometimes lose the main plant, so I always do cuttings. They're  often fine just tucked into a little corner against the house, where they get protected 
 
You could maybe experiment a bit - plant some, and keep some protected @JAC51. It's often the best way to see what works for you and your garden, and makes it easier for future sowings and plantings 

JennyJ

I think if I were up there in cold wet @Fairygirl -land, I wouldn't get away with a lot of the things that work fine here.

Fairygirl

I'm always surprised that it isn't wetter where you are @JennyJ ! 
It's surprising the difference between east and west here too though. East is always drier, even in the central belt, where there isn't a huge distance involved. 

JennyJ

We do get rain, just generally not when I want it (eg last November it never seemed to stop). But we get substantially less rain than my parents who are on the west side of Sheffield, only something like 30 miles west of us (and a smidge south).

Fairygirl

It's funny how localised it can be 
Our weather has definitely altered in the last few years though. We had no winter last year - or not what I would call winter, and we had the hottest April on record. April is really not a spring month here as far as gardening goes. Some longer dry periods in summer too, rather than a couple of dry days [ if we're lucky ] then more rain. I suppose we all have to adapt a bit though.