Propagation: WHEN to sow these annuals, 3 by speediebean

speediebean wrote:
Good morning Peoples! =)

Just a few things about the annuals you'd mentioned JVW. If you look at any flower's native habitat, that should give you a good idea of whether or not they will do well winter sown. Take Salpiglosis for example. Their native region is in the Andes. Those mountains get COLD in the winter time, and lots of snow. Salpiglosis self-seed also, so there you have their natural habit and habitat together: self-seeding followed by cold and snow. Perfect for winter sowing, in my humble little opinion.

Now let's look at some Cosmos. Most varieties of Cosmos occur naturally in meadow lands... yes, it is true that these are meadow lands of more southern regions like Mexico and Paraguay, but meadow lands indicate COLD. Cosmos also self-sow abundantly. These two factors together indicate success with winter sowing Cosmos. (my own personal successes also indicate to me, at least, that I will winter sow them again and again). ;)

Limonium... that one is a bit trickier. They are often grown in the fall and winter in western Europe, both indoors and out, by growers, and they also self-seed, so my guess would be YES, they are ok for winter sowing. (this is a guess, however). Natively they are "Mediterranean", but I'm really not sure specifically WHERE in the Med. they originate from. They can tolerate wetlands and dry. I figure, if commercial growers grow them outdoors in the winter time, why the heck not? =)

Now, about those Cosmos... heehee

Here are a couple pics of my own. I winter sowed these the second week of December of 2009, the year my area had that MASSIVE snow storm Dec/Jan and we had feet and feet of snow. These pics were taken in April 2010.