Carolina Gardening: Winter sowing in the Carolinas, 0 by Clementine

Clementine wrote:
I have wintersown for two seasons now and I would say with very good success, but of course a few did not work out for various reasons.

I use the milk jugs and I put duct tape over the horizontal cut to be able to keep them closed (but no caps!).

As usual, and like everybody else, I always have way to many jugs and I don't get around to planting them, so I still have a couple that I nursed through the summer. Maybe I can still put them out next spring.

The Salvia 'Blue bedder" did extremely well, BTW, and I planted them with a bunch of white Angelonias - unbelievably beautiful. (The Angelonias came from cuttings).

Lavenders did quite well for me too, that is, they germinated and grew, but looked kind of measly, so I bought some, and they are great.

An idea for newbies: be sure to mark your jugs with something that won't wash off. I used to use Sharpies, but they fade or come off, so I am going to try some cheap dark nail polish this year. Also I used coffee stirrers on which I write the name and stick it into the pot, but that fades too. So sometimes I cannot identify the contents of the jug,, except perhaps by its proximity to something that I know what it is and comparing it my Excel spreadsheet (which is also essential to have, or some form of list).

I also had lupines (Russell Hybrids) the first year, they flowered extremely beautifully and then up and died, don't know whether it was my doing or they just don't do well here (as someone told me).

I usually start annuals in about end of February, more likely in March or early April.

Here is a picture of one of my last year's collections.


Good luck to everyone!

C.