Am I just being impatient?
Hi
At Christmas I was given a small growhouse and this has opened up a whole new side to gardening for me. For the first time yet, I grew all the plants for my hanging baskets from seed (starting in propagators on the window sill) And some plants such as cosmos and verbena ????????
I then grew brave and have grown Rosemary, dogwood, lavender, sedums from cuttings, giving some protection initially. ????????
I then bought some heliborus and aquilegia seeds. I planted them all at the end of May and once again started them in the house. The aquilegia packet said they would take 3 months to germinate and the heliborus18 months! ( didn't read the packet until I got home????) The thing is , there is no sign of anything happening with either set of seeds - not expecting heliboruS to start yet but should I give up with aquilegia or am I just being impatient? We went away for 10 days in the summer and they were all quite dry when I got home - could this be the problem? Should I just start again ? Maybe some diffferent seeds? - although I do want both of these plants for the garden - - any suggestions please?
Posts
aqilegias and hellebores are cold gerninators, sown when ripe for hellebores and same for aquilegias or in mid-winter. Never in the warmth of the house, outside or cold GH.
Always worth thinking about what happens in nature. Seeds ripen through summer, then drop onto the ground. Some germinate first time it rains
Others sit all winter getting cold, then not so cold, then wet etc. And germinate in spring. Especially those plants in the ranunculaeae family and the apiaceae.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks Nutcutlet
Am learning all the time, as I said this was my first year of growing from seed - as these are plants I want in my garden I was pleased to see the seeds, just glanced at the packet to see when they could be sown and did the same as I had with the other seeds that had grown.
think I need to do a bit of research in future when thinking of what to grow. The trouble iS, now I have started with seeds and taking cuttings etc I just want to grow everything and not have to wait.
really exciting g though watching things grow from seed rather than always buying ready formed plants - trouble is I will run out of space in the garden!
thanks for your reply
Growing from seed is like magic
I have been doing it for decades and I still get all excited at seed growing time and rush out of bed to see what has popped up overnight - the propagator sits on my bedroom windowsill as it gets the best light. Well, that's my excuse
Check on websites like Chiltern seeds or Plantworld when you buy something new as they have good seed raisng instructions and make success more likely. Some seeds need cold and you can sometimes kickstart these by putting them in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Some need to be soaked or have the seed coat weakened by chipping or rubbing in sandpaper and others just have a long germination period. It all adds to the fun.
You can grow some of the cold-lovers in a plastic milk carton. Cut round three of the four sides about a third of the way up, leaving the handle side as a hinge. Put moist seed compost in the base, sow seeds and close top, leaving the lid off. Tuck it somewhere cool and shady and forget about it till spring. Seedlings get benefit of the cold but have slug protection
Wow BCD. That is the toppest tip I've seen in ages. Instant mini cloche!
Milk container removed from recycling bin.
Thanks Buttercupdays
Thanks for that BCD. Would you mind posting a picture of the milk container cloche if you have one, please.
Many thanks for the advice Buttercupdays - great to hear that I am not alone in getting excited about seeing the seedlings coming up. The milk carton idea sounds interesting ?
I'll hold my hands up and admit to being another seedaholic Standen.
In fact it becomes a bit of an obsession in the spring as germinating seed trays take over the conservatory