2015 Seed Starting, Part 5

I use Fertilome or Pro Mix seed starting medium. Both are excellent.

I wish there were better potting soil options than MG locally, I'd prefer not to support that company, but often it's the best I can find easily. Even when I find other brands I like, they're inconsistent (and so is MG for that matter), sometimes great, sometimes full of big chunks of bark and stuff- it's a roll of the dice. I have formulated my own potting media from well rotted mulch and leaf mold, which worked amazingly well, but most years I don't have enough for all my potting needs, or don't have any at the right time of year.

Donna, your Digitalis babies look wonderful! I've never had much luck getting D.mertonensis to return for more than a couple of years, but I think they're gorgeous. I also love D.grandiflora and had it for several years. I lost them during the neglect years, but that soft yellow is hard to find and I will definitely replace them.

Gemini, I have lots of D grandiflora and would be happy to share in the spring, just send me a Dmail.

Thanks Pam, that's so sweet of you! I'm sure I've got goodies to send you in return :-)

True to my word, I have been quiet......as the saying goes "close mouith, open ears and you'll learn more" (or something like that! LOL)

BUT...somebody mentioned something about penstemon seed. Since I've just updated my Master Garden Plan to include increasing my penstemon from lone plants to clumps. . . it had me looking up propagation methods. But according to PlantFiles, both of my penstemons either can't be propagated from seed or don't come true from seed??? ( I have one Red Riding Hood and one Delft Blue Riding Hood. The blue had been "trimmed" for shipping from Wayside Gardens by a very enthusiastic person, who cut off the only central spire/growing point at its base - so it didn't grow at all last year but the 3 flowers the base put out in the fall were stunning!! The Red I got locally and it's been MAGNIFICIENT!! )

So, other than by having patience and over several years increasing by division or cuttings: I REALLY am interested in types that can be started from seed. So PLEASE tell me more!!

(Besides quietly learning, I'm not-so-patiently waiting to be able to start all my seed and "building" a drip-irrigation set-up for two of my flower gardens. . . ... patient I am NOT! LOL)

This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 8:41 PM

Bet:
Yes, your Penstemon schmidel RR Hoods are lovely. I have found plants a couple of years at WM. Absolutley Beautiful I have been unable to find seed. it is a hybrid from the Netherlands. I believe they have taken cuttings to create the Red Riding Hoods. There's red, pink and now, blue ones. They are beautiful. Because it's a hybrid, seeds will vary. It was developed from a Penstemon called Penstemon 'Red Knight'. Now, you probably know more than you want to know about this lovely plant. :)

I have, however, found a Penstemon barbatus praecox f. Nanus 'Rondo' or just Penstemon barbatus 'Rondo' from Swallowtail Seeds. I grew it one year via WS, and I believe every seed germinated.
The seed is mostly pinks and reds, but there are some purples in it as well.

Here's another beautiful Digitalis if you like D. mertonensis. I have grown D. m., and I think this one is even prettier. Just my opinion. Digitalis mertonensis is a perennial, but I think it's short lived. D. p. 'Apricot Beauty is a biennial.
Digitilis purpurea 'Apricot Beauty'
http://www.perennials.com/plants/digitalis-purpurea-apricot-beauty.html
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/DIAB.html

This one is just as beautiful "in the real". It's easy to grow and does re-seed.

Oh, that Apricot Beauty is GORGEOUS!

I DO like the way Digitalis looks!

BUT......I live in an apartment and the Management has height limits (**sniff sniff** MOST of the plants I like are too tall) plus the Landscaping Manager also put HIS two cents in and has started compiling a list of banned plants (ok, they WEREN'T banned before I planted them, so most of mine are "grandfathered in! LOL) I wouldn't even TRY to plant anything poisonous (there's little kids running around); for SURE, they'd be immediately up-rooted and banned.

I don't have the luxury of having acres to plant (my flower beds are scattered plots of 10 sq ft more and less), so to have attractive designs means generally one type of flower, one color!

I keep thinking and wishing there was a site devoted to plants 18 inches tall or less (I DARE someone official to come out with a measuring stick and tell me some of my plants are too tall! . " Gee, I'm sorry: I must have added too much fertilizer!" hehehe)

Bet
The Penstemon barbatus 'Rondo' is 18" tall. Also, there's a Penstemon I have that I purchased from a local box store called Penstemon barbatus 'Pina Colada'. It's a very well behaved plant and very cute. They stay quite short. Mine were probably 15" tall. They come in a mix of colors of pink, blue, and white. The colors look very attractive together. Swallowtail Seeds has a similar mix called Navigator. I think it may be the same plant or very close.
Here's a pic of the Navigator:
http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/assets/penstemon_navigator_mix_3.jpg

Yes, Donna, Digitalis p. 'Apricot Beauty' is beautiful. It's my favorite Digitalis. I also like Digitalis purpurea 'Candy Mountain'. It's stunning. While Apricot Beauty is quietly beautiful, Candy Mountain yells "I'm here and I'm beautiful". It has a very strong stem and color is red-violet.

http://www.perennials.com/plants/digitalis-purpurea-candy-mountain.html
They are exactly the color shown. Also, note the blooms turn slightly upwards vs. downwards as most Digitalis.

Just got my new JL Hudson catalogue and he has 'Apricot Beauty'. And I have a South African Foxglove seed that Pam sent me, which is going to hit the seed starting mat soon!

Speaking of poisonous! The Chicago Park District plants TONS of ricinus all over the place. Looks like 'Carmencita'. In planters, near Lincoln Park Zoo - everywhere. The seeds look like jelly beans, and when they ripen they spray everywhere. And in Hawaii there are literally acres of them, like forests. I was stunned when I saw them. They are completely out of control.

When I lost two double file viburnums (well, I actually lost five but that's another story - one unusual winter took out three mature and two developing ones). I put in three ricinus 'Carmencita', which completely filled the bed, but it was away from anyplace children could get at them.

And then I learned that a loss can be a gain. I planted Austin rose 'Constance Spry', which was bigger than the two shrubs. In the area where I had three, along the property line in the rear of my house, I put in several 'Sea Foam'. Nasty neighborhood kids used to come up behind my viburnums, invisible, and tamper with the rear of my property. The would move the rocks, which were sandstone, into the alley where they would be crushed. They would leave garbage. I couldn't see them.

But when they tried to cross with 'Sea Foam', which is quite thorny, although low growing, would rip their ankles off. Same spot. Problem solved! And no more trespassing, either.

Well done Donna! Beautiful and effective! I love Seafoam, looking to replace mine this year (one of the RRD casualties). I'm also looking to get Constance Spry this spring. Where did you get yours? Have you grown African Foxglove before? I grew them several years ago, they were really lovely- I think you'll really enjoy them. We had a hot, dry summer that year, and they were un-phased.

Your yard is beautiful Donna, I love it. Great story regarding trial and success, lol.

I got my first Constance Spry from Pickering, but I got my second from Roses Unlimited. Although an own root, it is doing a quite nice job jumping out of the ground.

It arrived on May 2, 2013. It's the one on the right.

I put it in a pot, and by July 24, 2013, it was quite substantial. It's on my front parkway.

Early June of 2014, first bloom.

Mid-June, flowering in clusters.

In late July (the 26th), with Salvia 'Swan Lake'. lilium 'Anastasia' and lilium 'Silver Sunburst'. Those lilies are bullet proof.

Amazing that an own root rose could grow so quickly! I expected it to be slower, but it pretty much kept pace with my Pickering one, which was grafted. I have never lost a grafted rose from Pickering.

Donna - so pretty.

Well, I had this brilliant idea that I would put different types of Gaillardia in an area in my front yard where the deer always eat everything. So I have like seven types of them in trays in the greenhouse only to find out that the seeds (from the seed robin and from trades) will probably revert back the old red/yellow Gaillardia. Boo hoo, I don't want those.
OK rethink. Now I'm thinking foxglove. Nothing eats foxglove and if they do, well they are no longer a pest. Anyone have any other flowering plant ideas I could use. I already have lots of lavender out there, and daffodils, they work good. I could go cottage garden look if I can find enough non-tasty flowers.

Neal, I haven't grown African Foxglove, but I have plans to do so. I have been the grateful beneficiary of seeds from my gardening friends on Dave's, and tend to prioritize them.

The great thing about 'Constance Spry' and Sea Foam is their drought tolerance and hardiness, not to mention the disease resistance. You can only fuss over so may plants, and it's great to have flowers, particularly roses, that are so undemanding.

Gallardia likes full sun. Digitalis likes part shade to shade. Dome, you may want to re-think that one. I'm sure someone will have ideas.

Strawberry Digitalis and Gallardia , will grow together here , half day , morning sun , or less than half day , only not much less ,,,
That is Grandiflora Gallardia , other types ? I don't know ,,

So Far I am hoping my outdoor wintersow efforts go well ,,,

Donna, I think you'll enjoy the African Foxglove- they fit perfectly with your aesthetic. I've never ordered from Roses Unlimited, but that is a really nice own root plant- so many vendors sell them in little 4" pots. I like to handle own root plants the same as you- potting and giving a little TLC at first does make for a substantial plant that can establish in the garden easily. I found grafted Constance Spry offered at Garden Valley Ranch, and I've heard good feedback about them.

Dome,
Saw yr comment about gaillardias....I, too, was planning several types from seed....so are you saying it's not possible to grow other types from seed??

vatal ,, seeds from My " Burgundy ") Gallardia . Grow Grandiflora ,, Only Hybrid seeds from commercial source ,, Will produce the Hybrids ..
I have heard an Occasional Arizona Red Type will occur . from seeds of Red Shades ,, only most will still be Grandiflora "

Neal, you have truly nailed my aesthetic!

My grafted Constance Spry from Pickering was wonderful. The fact that the own root one from Roses Unlimited was comparable is amazing. I found RU when I was at a presentation by Peter Schneider, author of the Combined Rose List (every rose grown everywhere, some 15,000) as well as "Right Rose, Right Place". He recommended them. I had always been a little wary of some of the own root heirloom companies because they marketed teeny tine roses that took forever to establish. There was one that was heavily promoted by someone who used to be on these forums. A cutting for $18.00. And you have to wait a year for it. PLEASE!

I have also had exceptional experiences with High Country Roses. I installed two Gruss an Aachen in late September of 2013, and they thrived, blooming all season, looking like far more established roses than they were. I also installed roses at the same time from a company in a warmer climate (at their recommendation; I wanted them for spring) and they died, and replacement was refused. I think the reason HCR's did well is because they are in a more extreme version of my climate. I also got two smashing Stanwell Perpetual plants from them.

The grafted vs own root thing is interesting. I ordered from Pickering after reading recommendations from a book written about magnificent local gardens. One family SWORE by them. I just counted, and over time I have ordered 21 roses from them. I never thought about grafting - and I have seen lots of people with grafting issues (my neighborhood is Dr. Huey land)
But I have never lost a Pickering rose to grafting issues. In fact, for years I knew that their roses were grafted, but it never sank in, simply because there were no issues.

1/2 my seeds were bought from a commercial seller, about 1/2 from trades or my saved seeds

valal - the commercial seed will come true but the rest probably won't. It was a real blow to me. I may go ahead and buy some seed for a few of them. If they don't have them locally I know Geoseed has an excellent selection of most flowers florists use for cutting.

Juhur and Dome,
THANKS SO much.....I may buy a few commercial Gallardia seeds given yr info.....thanks for making me aware.....I knew this was the case with some of the newer coneflowers, but not capillaries!

This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 8:33 PM

In the last few days I have potted up 7 salvia verticillata 'White Rain' and six salvia superba 'Rose Queen'. I seeded 8 of each seed. I started them on December 14, not bad! Hazzard and Swallowtail seed, respectively.

This message was edited Jan 12, 2015 6:58 AM

Donna ~ I bet that you have more than enough seeds from each of them.

I wanted at least four of each plant, so now my job is to keep the seeds moving forward. I am more likely to lose them by failed to pot them up after they have their first true set of leaves. I get distracted (read lazy) and then I have to start all over again! So I am trying to impose a little more discipline on myself.

Heuchera is proving to be the slower germinator they predicted, but those seeds are starting to germinate too. Tiny little seedlings - I had forgotten.

blomma - what a nice patch of Gaillardia. I just have to find a spot to mass plant them. They are so easy care and I feel like any really easy flowering plant should have a place in my garden. I do garden for the birds, butterflies and bees after all, LOL.
Singingwolf just came by for a visit and brought me some more seeds for my butterfly garden. I'm going to be a busy girl with all these. Right now I have hollyhocks and monarda germinated on the mat this past week. They seem happy to go into the greenhouse and are growing on fine. Having some trouble keeping the Aristolochia fimbriata seedlings alive. Not sure if they are too wet or too hot or what the problem is.

domehomedee, Thanks. They bloom their fool head off all summer. I did find when I grew them that trimming off the dead flowers really refreshes them and improves their looks.

They are so easy to grow from seed. Generally sprouts in 5 to 10 days.

Here is the info on your Aristolochia fimbriata seedlings.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/63661/

Potted up some PMG double perlemutter platycodon
Potted up some Hazzard's nepeta sibirica
Potted up Swallowtail and JL Hudson Heuchera Firefly

Come on spring!

Oh Yay, Donna! I was hoping they germinated for you!

Beautifully. Coming from an expert like you I knew they would.

Haha... Ya nevah know...

Does anyone have the thread site for Dave's on winter sowing in milk jugs? I'm trying to find and not sure what the Threads name is.....

WWK) here is one ; there are more ,

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/684550/

and, Hi ya !!!

This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 8:39 PM

ok, I just gotta ask. . . . . .what the hecj is winter sowing and what do milk jugs have to do with it????

BetNC,
I hit the wrong button.

This message was edited Jan 21, 2015 5:55 PM