Wintersowing......have you started yet?

It's been probably 20 years since I planted my MG and I still get them. Since they are in the "wild" part of my backyard, and I have lots of backyard birds, I will always have them. Grrrr. :(

blomma, I too am afraid the seeds will not germinate. I have a LOT of trouble doing seeds in the house. I don't have a problem getting them to germinate. My problem is they get lanky reaching for light. I have the lights right on top of the plants with them sometimes touching the bulbs, but they still get lanky.

I put the set up right next to my south facing french doors. I am wondering if I would have better luck putting them downstairs where there are NO windows and use the lights. Temps down there are warm--maybe 70 degrees. What do you think?

I just haven't had good luck trying to grow stuff indoors. It blows that I had 15 jugs of seeds that had to be stratified. The past couple of years we have gone to Florida in the winter to visit my son and get out of the cold. I have tried winter sowing seeds when I get back, and this year, I tried to do them before I went. We had an unusually warm winter until two weeks ago. So, I haven't been able to figure out a way to WS my seeds. I have excellent germination and successful plant maturation with WS, but not doing stuff indoors. I guess I could tell hubby to go w/o me. Trouble is, I think he'd do it!! :)

blomma,
I think I will forget the Morning Glories for now, they might get a little too happy here. I do like the Nasturtium a lot. Very colorful and they also attract hummers.

birder17, I love the Gomphrena globosa 'Buddy'. How long do they bloom? Do they reseed?


valal, I just wanted to try a new vine. I am going to do the Nasturtiums. Also I forgot I bought a purple clematis last fall.

Hi birder17, I first got a dried flower from someone and pull it apart and soaked the seeds overnight. I use a plastic container with a lid and then put moist potting mix half way up in the container , then using a pencil I make holes in the soil and drop a seed in every hole, then cover them up . Put on the lid tightly and place the container on heating mat or on a warm surface .It may take about 4 to 5 days to germinate.When they get 2 leaves and are about 2 inches or so high I transplant each one into indivual pots , as they get many more leaves I pinch of the tops to get them to bush out. I usually fertilize them with a very weak solution of Miracle grow throughout their growth indoors, and gradually begin hardening them off by putting them out when then weather begins to be 65degrees or higher. I plant Gomphrena globasa, the deep purple color. Your border looks very nice . What a great idea, do you have the white one too? I always wanted to get the White ones but have not come across them. I will appreciate some dried flowers if you can spare any.

Va.rose: For a purple flowering vine, I like Hyacinth Bean. It's a lovely two tone lilac. The blooms look fragile, but the plant is very tough, easy to grow. The flowers and the bean pods are both very attractive. The picture is accurate for the flower, but the seed pods are really a dark red-violet. Flowers and seed pods are very attractive. I may have a picture of this vine, but it's late. I will look later.
http://parkseed.com/hyacinth-bean-seeds/p/05234-PK-P1/

The Gomphrena globosa 'Buddy' blooms ALL season until a hard frost. Easy.

cytf: I'm curious about where you got your Gomphrena seed? Self harvested or purchased?
Thanks for all the good instructions.
I started Globosa on my deck in cells when the weather warmed up.
Yes, I think I have the white one. The colors are lilac, purple and white in the picture. I will check on the white G. globosa 'Buddy'. If I have it, I'll send you some.

I keep mentioning the 'Buddy' to the Gomphrena because there's another globosa that gets much taller than the 'Buddy'. You can see the taller one in my picture; it's purple, sort of on the right side of the picture behind the 'Buddy'.

Again, my problem is not growing Gomphrena. My problem is getting the seed out of the husk, thus making it difficult to germinate. Purchased seed germinates easily. So far, harvested seed has been a challenge because of trying to get the seed out of the husk. I just wonder if anyone has had success growing self harvested Gomphrena.

On a side note, have you noticed I grow "easy" plants? :)

Va-Rose, Have you tried the Cathedral Bell (Cup and Saucer) Vine? That is one I'm going to try/plant that one this year; bought seeds. It's purple, but now sure how "Bright" purple. Maybe more lavendar....I dont know that it re-seeds, tho. I'll let you know :) Hope to gather. Isn't Hyacinth Bean a purple too? I see Birder recommended that one also. Birder, does it take over/reseed alot like morning glories?

Birder, Ctyf grows hers from harvested seed/saved blooms.
I am DEFINITELY with you as far as "easy" plants...are we talking for germinating, or growing, or both? For me, both categories!

Hi birder17, I do not take the seed out of the husk and I got the dried flower from a garden center. I just soaked the whole thing husk and all.thank you birdie17 I will appreciate lilac and white seeds .Thank you I have the taller type, will send a picture in my next post

Here is my picture of the tall ones.

cytf: I have been out of the house today, so I haven't checked on the seed yet. If I have it, you are welcome to some. Too tired tonight. :I(
When you soaked the seeds overnight, did you start out with very hot water? I will try your method.

No just warm water.Thank you for considering me for the seeds. The white ones remind me of our garden in the the Caribbean where I grew up , we always had them blooming and they reseeded themselves.

cytf,
I see that Harris Seeds has the white ones. They are so pretty but I love the purple ones! Maybe a mix would be attractive too.
http://www.harrisseeds.com/Storefront/p-14085-gomphrena-audray-white.aspx?_cr=paidlist|davesgarden|plantscout
Love your photo!


binder17,
Thanks, I love the Hyacinth Bean! Thanks for the link too.

valal, I will try the 'cup and saucer', it is 10-20 feet tall and hardy in zone 9-10. One person on DG said it did not bloom till November and gets really big. The foliage to flower ratio is too great. It takes up a lot of room for so few flowers. Again everyone loves the flowers, just not enough of them I suppose. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/621/

The Hyacinth Bean is 6-20 feet tall with violet and lavender flower trusses and showy dark violet pods. There were two negative comments on DG and one said the beans are poisonous unless cooked throughly, and one said they are a bit invasive, she referred to it as a prolific seed producer. But everyone rants and raves about how pretty it is.

http://www.selectseeds.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/015798.44.7941843898010600017

Va. I grow Hyacinth Bean every summer experimenting where I place it.

Once, I put it with Okra. My Okra gets 7 feet tall so thought it could grow up the plants and draw hummers to the Okra plants to eat the aphids. NOT! It was too aggressive for the okra plants, kind of strangled them.

The next year, I put it around the 10' pillar that supports one corner of the deck. It did really well there and was quite beautiful. I have Clematis 'Belle of Woking' on the same pillar. They did fine together. Clematis bloomed earlier than the Hyacinth Bean.

One year, I planted it in terrazzo planters with 6 foot trellis in them on my deck. The Hyacinth Bean grew up the trellis and up into the Gazebo roof on the deck. It was pretty. I did have to keep up with tying it up.

I had one plant re-seed from the okra area. (one). I was pleased to find it.

I'm thinking I may try it in one of my pale pink rose bushes this year along with re-planting it up the pillar. I try to find places to plant it because it's so easy and pretty in my opinion.

I like the idea it's an annual that is easy to germinate and move around where I want it the following year..

If you should decide to grow Hyacinth Bean, plant it in 50% sand/soil with good drainage. The bean seeds rot easily. Keep the seed wet, but have the water run through the pot. Hyacinth Bean seed germinates in warm soil: 70* in about 2 weeks; keep an eye on it.

Birder,
Thanks much for the info on the hyacinth bean vine, esp'lly the seed germinating. Guess I'll have to get some sand! I have mixed feelings about an annual vine..I want lots of flowers and with being in the NE, I wondered how much the vines will flower, but see I am in the same zone as you!

Va-Rose, I love the flowers on vines, but already committed as I bought seed for the cup and saucer, so will let you know! LOL

Not to deter you all from the beautiful gomphrenas (which cytf was kind enough to share with me to try this spring), but doesnt armeria look quite similar (tho not as purple-y)...This is a perennial and on my list for sowing next winter. Here's a link to swallowtail's 2 offerings, different heights:

http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/perennials/armeria.html#gsc.tab=0

Learning so much from you ladies! Thanks for sharing all your knowledge!

Hi valal, armeria is was a difficult one for me . When I first saw it I fell in love with the plant ,it flowered one year for me ,then it was not doing fine the next year , I gave it lots of sand ,tried to put it in the conditions it needs then I lost it. I gave up on trying it again but I still think it's a beautiful plant.

birder17,
Let me know how it goes! I still want to see your picture whenever you get time, no rush. My only problem is this, if something is even a little invasive in zone 5 or 6 then it would be a lot invasive here in zone 8. Plus we get a lot of rain and things just get real happy too fast. Especially the weeds! Thanks for the advice.

valal,
thanks for the link, I love those! So cute. :)

I actually found a user friendly website with all these seeds and they are organic, plus they had the Nasturtiums!

http://www.selectseeds.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/015798.61.519204438410600017

Varose: I do understand aggressive. You may not want to do the Hyacinth Bean. You might want to look into Nasturtium Vine, some grow 6 feet or more.
Another less aggressive vine is Black Eyed Susan Vine. It comes in yellow, apricot, orange, or white. It's a wonderful vine and blooms all season until a hard frost. It likes to meander (and behaves) or will climb. I like annual vines because they bloom all summer whereas, perennials have their glory at most for 4 weeks-then it's all over.

One Clematis Vine that does bloom all summer for me, is Clematis 'Durandi'. It's a beautiful, bright, periwinkle blue. I have it in rather poor soil and has good drainage. Imagine how great it would be if it were in great soil! Clematis generally like really good, fertile soil. The only drawback with C. Durandi is you have to tie it to the trellis. It doesn't have tendrils to grab onto the trellis. It wants to climb, but needs help attaching.

Here's a picture:

http://www.joycreek.com/Clematis-durandii-150-147.htm

valal:
1. The Ameria blooms are smaller-and because it's a perennial, it blooms for awhile, then, it's over. For a border or edger, I like blooms all summer.
2. The Ameria leaves are more grass like vs. the Gomphrena.
I'm not saying one is better than the other--just what the difference is.

I appreciate ALL your input..it's a learning experience, esp'lly for me.
I wonder why (ctf) you had problems with the armeria...sorry to hear you lost yours. For me, the perennial benefit is that they come back and hopefully are not that difficult to keep happy (I Just want it ALL! LOL)
Birder, I want to hear stuff like that, as I have no experience comparing one to the other. I'm not big on annuals because they are so shortlived (dont come back), but you have to give them the fact that they bloom all year (hopefully) vs. just a few short weeks. If WS'ing works well for me with annuals, then I will definitely grow more. I have been concentrating on perennials big time because I want those that come back year after year.

Blomma, can you give me your ice plant transplanting experience? I have 22 little ice plants in a produce type plastic container (very shallow) that I started them in the fridge. When do I transplant them? Do they do OK transplanting, or should I move them to peat pots soon until they get bigger? I bought some mail order last year, and they came in those jiffi pellets.

This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 10:39 AM

valal:
I mostly plant perennials for a couple of reasons:
1. They come back
2. They are much more expensive to buy

On the other hand, if you want "many" annuals like I do for a border, then, I like to start them from seed. Or, if you want something like a border that blooms all summer, then it's going to be an annual.

Regarding Gomphrena globosa 'Buddy', they do come back true to form.

I bought my Gomphrena plants at a farm store last year. They did not have a label. I assumed they were "Buddy". Now, I think they are Gomphrena globosa 'Gnome'. They will also come back true to form (heirlome). Both plants will re-seed. I would like to see baby plants from last year's plants in my garden. But, I may have to re-seed and re-plant which would be alright. I enjoyed the Gomphrena border.

The Buddies (10") get two inches taller than the Gnome (8").

I was perusing seeds on the internet...tsflowers.com has 9-10 gomphrena seed varieties for sale...colors from white to orange!

I have purchased daylily seeds from TSflowers 5 years ago. No complaints.

birder17,
Funny you mentioned BESV, I had a packet of seeds on my desk from where I was sorting my seeds. I threw away some old ones, and this package of Superstar Orange has no date on them. They came from Georgia Vines. I decided to keep them but I was cautious after my run in with Rudbeckia, it was very invasive for me and took over a whole bed in one year. I might grow them again sometime but not in a moist fertile flower bed. They will be out in the dry part of the yard where nothing else will grow.

Yes, unfortunately, I decided against the cup & saucer and the Hyacinth Bean. It was a tuff decision because they are so gorgeous but they are invasive here. I am getting 3 different Nasturtiums and 2 sweet peas. I already have a vigorous clematis that I got in the fall from Lazy SS Farm called Clematis 'Krakowiak'. This is what it looks like,
http://www.kauppila.fi/images/webkuvat/taimisto/koynos/tk_51201a.jpg

valal.
I am getting these and the Nasturtiums from http://www.selectseeds.com/

http://www.kauppila.fi/images/webkuvat/taimisto/koynos/tk_51201a.jpg ( called Globe Amaranth 'QIS Pink') Look more of a pinkish purple to me.

Hi birdie17, sometime ago one Gomphrena globosa reseed in the full sun garden bed , but have not seen any more do that since.Annual vincas reseed sometimes too in the same area.

cytf: The only experience I have had in the past (meaning past last summer) has been with Gomphrena haageana 'Strawberry Fields'. I grew it from seed I purchased. Germinated well, grew well with NO care from me. It re-seeded slightly here and there in my garden/s. Now, sadly, it is gone. It's probably because I used a pre-emergent to stop weed seeds from germinating. Of course, that takes care of your flower seeds germinating as well. Strawberry Fields grew about 28 inches to 24 and put out the best red color. You could see it across the yard, but it wasn't garish. The blooms last forever. I guess if you want lots of color for long periods of time with little care, I would recommend Gomphrena. The blooms are certainly different than what you think of as a flower bloom. On the other hand, the bloom adds texture and variety to your garden. Our gardens are always an interpretation of us.

So, based on Strawberry Fields and cytf's experience, I "may" get some blooms, but it appears I better grow them from seed.

Hi valal, birdie17 and virginiaro these are my some of my gomphrena seedlings that are really doing fine under my grow light, and cuttings of coleus that I rooted and potted.

Birder, Strawberry Fields sounds like a great performer. This year is my first year trying cytf's shared seeds....if they do well, I will definitely look at others given your inputs and photos!
CYTF -you're way ahead of me with those seeds! Dont have room for inside growing, so i'll have to settle for later plants (bummer!)

cytf, those look wonderful.


Strawberry Fields sounds great!


valal, I do not have room to grow inside, that is the glory of winter-sowing!

I just remembered :( I did start some Gomphrena last spring. I waited until the weather was warm. I planted them outside in cell pots. They germinated quickly and were planted into the garden probably in six weeks. They took off quickly. That is what I will be doing again this spring.
If I can't winter sow them, I pretty much wait and do them outside.
I don't like starting seeds indoors. It's messy and tedious. I do a few indoors. Heliotrope comes to mind. But, these will wait until closer to Spring. I usually do mine 6 to 8 weeks before last frost date. For me, it's April 15.

Edited to add:
cytf: Your little Gomphrenas look great - no reaching for light.
Your coleus look like they are chomping at the bit to go outside. I think I would cut them and make more cuttings?

This message was edited Feb 22, 2015 10:31 PM

Yes birdie17,I usually do that with the coleus, so by the time spring comes I have an assortment of colors to plant in containers or in the beds. I will try sowing my Gomphrena seeds outdoors next year. Last year was the first time I sow Marigold outdoors and they germinated very well so I will do that again this year.

Did 2 more "crates" last night with 6 gallon jugs & 4 one-liter bottles in each... better speed it up before the cold snap ends! It's time to start indoor sowing, too... some of the hot peppers and flowers can use a long head-start, and as Mark's article reminded me today it's time to start some cold-tolerant veggies also. :-)

cytf, soaking my gomphrena seeds over night and will pot up tonight after work :)

I've decided to start a few annual vines (new to me!) indoors to get them started earlier. Hubby is complaining I'm taking over kitchen counter (under cabinet lights). I have one little corner with my inside stuff. Next year might have to get a shelf with a couple shop lights to keep him happy (?) Going to have to start a new "wintersowing results" thread so we all can post our WS sprouts when they happen!

Boston achieved breaking the snow accumulation record last night - YAY!?? Now can we move onto spring! LOL
Have a great day everyone!

Hi valal, I use a part of my kitchen counter too,hubby tells everyone he has to stay in a particular chair in the house because the plants have taken over. Lol. My son in law has given me the name Farmer Brown and he gave me a gift certificate for a Nursery for my birthday gift.
Happy gardening

Love it, CY! :) That son in law sounds like a good egg! Knows what you like!

Hi all, boy everyone’s been busy eh? :D

Once again a busy winter left me scrambling to sow before “winter” truly ends. Once January came and went, I just thought "oh well, that ship has sailed.." but when they started calling for a late snowstorm, I said what the heck and finally got my jugs set out.. 2 weeks ago. I just prayed it wasn’t in vain. LOL it takes a looong time for me to prep my jugs!!

Good news is today I saw sprouts in my jugs of Cerinthe, Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth, and Cerise Queen Yarrow. I did 79 total containers (a combination of gallon milk jugs and 2 liter soda bottles). The hardest part was narrowing down the seeds I planned to sow. I never managed to save up the 100 containers I had originally wanted and 100 was being verryyy selective as it is!! What can I say, I am a seed hoarder ;)

So this is what I managed to WS, if you even want to call it that..

‘Purple Majesty’ ornamental millet
Lantana camara
Sedum xenox
Echinacea ‘Paradiso mix’
Echinacea ‘Harvest moon’
Echinacea ‘Sombrero salsa red’
Variegated lemon balm
4 ‘o clock ‘Marakesh’
Mina lobata ‘Spanish flag’ vine
Echinacea ‘Cheyenne spirit’
Rudbeckia ‘Cherry brandy’
Mexican fan palm
Amaranthus tricolor ‘Splendens perfecta’
Cerinthe ‘Purpurascens’
Echinacea ‘Pow wow wild berry’
American beautyberry
Echinacea ‘Pink meteor’
Gaura ‘Whirling butterflies’
English lavender
Purple butterfly bush
Bronze fennel
Asclepias incarnata
Salvia ‘Lady in red’
Gaura ‘Siskiyou pink’
Red columbine
Crazy daisy
Dahlia ‘Unwin bedding’
Spanish lavender
Echinacea ‘White dove’
Asclepias tuberosa
Echinacea ‘Tomato soup’
Echinacea ‘Secret affair’
Monarda didyma, Red shades
Dichondra ‘Silver falls’
Salvia ‘Coral nymph’
Rose yarrow
Echinops ritro
Celosia cristata, Amish cockscomb
Salmon Echinacea
Amaranthus ‘Love lies bleeding’
Allium schubertii
Wheatstraw celosia, Flamingo feather
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
Pavonia, Rock rosemallow
Dietes iridoides, Fortnight lily
Armeria, Sea thrift ‘Alba’
Canna ‘Black Knight’
Clematis ‘Rooguchi’
Yarrow ‘Cerise queen’
Korean angelica gigas, purple angelica
Datura ‘Black currant swirl’
Obedient plant
Asclepias variegate
Asclepias curassavica
White-veined ‘Dutchman’s pipe’ vine
Castor bean
White liatris
Blue ‘Mongolian bells’ clematis
Pink ‘Mongolian bells’ clematis
Dwarf red coreopsis
Asclepias ‘Soul mate’
Hare’s tail grass
Coleus, rainbow mix
Yellow flowered false yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora
Pink astilbe
Senna alata
Aruncus dioicus ‘Goat’s beard’
Yucca ‘Adam’s needle’
Purple fountain grass, pennisetum
Pampas grass
Yucca ‘Spanish bayonet’
Palo verde ‘Jerusalem thorn’ tree
Texas mountain laurel tree
Oriental arborvitae
Paulownia ‘Empress tree’
Senecio, Mexican flame vine
Sweet autumn clematis
Magnolia tree

If half of these germinate, I’ll be busy finding homes but that’s half the fun, right?

Wow, Stillplays!

You done good! You have a great variety there! where did you get your Echinecea Paradiso Mix and Salmon Echin.? I am curious if the things you have sown are items you are sowing for the first time, or have grown before?

Also interested in hearing from everyone else as to what they have wintersown, and if you have sown these things before, or are trying them for the first time?

I, too, am hoping WSing (first year) is very fruitful and then my "problem" is finding spots for everything...A good problem to have :o)

Valal, I got the Echinacea from a seed swap over the winter. I know the hybrids won't come true from seed, but I'm still trying to fill beds so I'm not too picky right now.. I love all echinaceas!!

Most of the seeds I WSd are my first attempt. Exceptions being Spanish lavender, 4 'o clocks, beautyberry, A. Tuberosa, coral nymph salvia, crocosmia and yarrow. They all WSd like champs last year :)

Trust me, you'll be hooked after this year!

Becky, I have Calicarpa americana. Sometimes, I get little seedlings. I can send one for postage. It's a beautiful, native plant with little demand of maintenance.
Let me know.

Becky, I have Calicarpa americana. Sometimes, I get little seedlings. I can send one for postage. It's a beautiful, native plant with little demand of maintenance.
Let me know.

Valal - I am having so much fun checking on my jugs every day. I was a madwoman, WS-ing on the solstice and now I'm "spring" sowing. So, like an idiot, I didn't put labels on the bottoms of containers, and some of my sharpie labels are completely washed out, so I'll have all sorts of surprises. I've got baby blooms of sweet william, silene regia, verbena, queen anne's lace, hairy mountain mint, nicotiana, candytuft, lunnaria annua, joy pye, aster, cleome, purple horsemint. Last year I had success with milkweed - but my milkweed seedlings haven't emerged yet, and I did some more of those. Otherwise, I tried all sorts of things and have now just "spring sowed" marigolds, zinnias, and moonflower, all of which have baby plants. And I have these darling butterfly pea seedlings. Meanwhile, how about DH made me a plant bench in our utility work/storage room WITH plant lights - Whoo hoo, he is doomed my plant fetish continues! I love Spring, just love it - and I must say the gray days of winter were so much more fun with plotting and planning with the winter sowing. I think I'll keep doing it, mainly because I HATE not being able to play in the dirt in winter.
Cheers!

StillPlays, Keep me posted on your results. Like you, I really like Echinecea and am trying several varieties, some I got thru swaps, etc. I bought a sombrero plant last summer, and planted some of those, and probably wont come true to parent, but it's an experiment and the more flowers the better..hopefully some will be varients. I am glad to hear Spanish Lavendary WS's well. I planted that kind because I thought it was just a little different, tho I've read different opinons on whether lavendar you can WS lavendar! I wonder how long it will take your Crocosmia from seeds to bloom?

Memays, I remember when you started posting about WS'ing and you were going great guns!
How exciting that you have SO many sprouts! That makes me more excited, as I know you are/were a 1st year WS'er like me. Oh, that hubby of yours - what a guy! My husband just looks at my kitchen counter "corner" and shakes his head! This will be encouragement for a little shelf with a shop light or 2 for next year :)

I DO agree that WS'ing and being able to plant (and the few things I did inside) helped keep the winter blues at bay this year. SO much to look forward to this spring!

Hi valal, you are really getting ready for spring .Echinacea plants are beautiful , I love the pink and the white ones and lots of birds especially the Finch comes to eat the seeds .I planted the Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit last fall and I hope it comes up this year. My Gomphrena plants in #1 are growing nicely and also my Zinnias in #2