wildflowers in containers
djjjuk
Posts: 211
Hi,
OK so i have 4 seed packets of wildflower varieties. these are 2 coneflowers and 2 love in a mists -
- centaurea cyanus
- centaurea cyanus 'black ball'
- Nigella damascena 'Oxford Blue'
- Nigella damascena 'Miss Jekyll'
i also have some marigolds -
- Calendula officinalis
- Tagetes tenuifolia Golden Gem
- Marigold Dainty Marietta
these were bought to plant with tomatoes but ill have a plethora of seeds left from these packets.
and lastly, a field scabious - knautia arvensis.
now ... is there time to create a border from a section of lawn for these (ill stick some other plants in it as well, if its a doable plan to start with) to sow directly this year? i know it will be unwise to start digging and compacting soil now, so that can wait. as i see these seeds are sown during spring will i have time to wait til the soil might be better to handle, create the border and sow? or is the timeframe too tight.
failing this, would it be viable to stick these seeds directly into a container within the next few weeks? i have a handful of 40cm pots i can put them in. im guessing in that size pot i wouldnt need to fill the compost all the way down. would halfway up (assuming its a standard height) be enough for these?
Posts
Hi Hollie
thanks. did you germinate these indoors first then plant them out then?
Just for information, only one of the varieties mentioned is actually a British native wild flower - the Knautia arvensis. Centaurea cyanus is not native, and any found in the wild are probably garden escapes.
I agree with Hollie, you do have time to make a new border, and you can start off the seeds in small pots or modules to plant out later. They will do much better like this than trying to grow them in a large pot, in my experience.
OK great thanks. makes sense to start them in trays first then see how they go, at least that gives me time to either do a border or decide what else to do with them.