2015 Seed Starting, Part 6

Oof, what a shame about the Iris blooms Kathy. Glad you've been busy though.

As far as ornamentals I've never started anything inside except Tithonia, sunflowers and marigolds indoors. And those were just last year as companions to my veggies. So I decided to venture into new ground, so to speak. And I do have new soil to populate! So far something of everything is up and growing, but some more heartily than others. In addition to the three from last year I'm trying:

Platycodon
Liatris
Scabiosa/?
Dianthus this
Dianthus that
Dianthus the other
Heliotrope 'Marine'
Salvia farinaceae
Salvia viridis
Sweet marjoram
Satureja
Gaillardia
Stachys officinalis
Sphaeralcea coccinea
Agastache foeniculum
Foxglove
Pennisetum sp.
Nigella sativa
Stock
Virginia stock
Snapdragon
Geum
Matthiola incana
Gomphrena globosa
Borage - one time start!
and...
Cosmos - selecting for pink!

Plus whatever I've forgotten. I think it's a good thing I've got three new gardens, since I also went finger-shopping over the winter. And got trades! 😊 Still "bones" to buy or transplant too.

Kathy it seems very weird that you are still in winter. You're much closer to me than, say, Pennsylvania, but my spring started in January. Unusual. I hope you thaw and dry.

Donna you are so inspiring. I love reading about your very thoughtful combinations. Sorry if I'm repeating myself!

Dear Turtles, you are so sweet. I was typing away with suggestions when I saw it. Made my day!

For the plants you have mentioned that I have germinated:

Platycodons are easy, but definitely should be done in the spring so that you can get a pot with a nice taproot. If you do, it will overwinter easily. This is the kind of plant I start germinating in January, Germinating it in the fall and putting it in the ground has not been successful. I actually started Pam's double perlemutter at the end of December, had them on the front sun porch in March and put them in the ground in early May. So my guess for plants ready for the ground is six months.

Salvia viridis is so easy to grow that it germinates in two or three days. So you can start it at any time. The fabulous thing about it is that it will bloom through successive frosts in the fall! I had grown it for many years but did not realize that until last year. So I just seeded it last week. I usually do it in April. I love the blue and pink, and sometimes do the white too. I sometimes grow it in single color clumps, and sometimes mix them up.

Salvia farinacea is quick, germinating in a couple of weeks. I have actually delivered two of the new Red Jewel to a client. They are in the ground! I started perennials salvia verticillata and salvia Rose Queen and they have been in the ground for at least three weeks. The salvias are an amazing group of plants. Easy to germinate (I love seeds you start on the surface), easy to grow and long lasting. Red Jewel is a new farinacea. There are so many great ones now that I sometimes put them in one pot for fun. At the bottom are Victoria white, strata (two tone) and some form of blue, which might be Victoria, Reference, or Rhea. Occasionally they overwinter as plants. Often I get them from seed on the ground.

I started digitalis mertonensis last year and overwintered it. No matter what you do or how early you start it, unlike a lot of other perennials, it will not bloom the first year. And you tend to lose some of it. I started five to get three and have four. I LOVE this plant!

I love the pennisetums and like to grow villosum, the annual white grass. I have grown setaceum in the past.

Borage is a piece of cake. I have blue and white. If you put it outside it will volunteer. It's a wonderful plant.

Do try to keep records of some of your activity. After a while you know what works and what doesn't, that telling you to sow seed 1/8 of an inch down (huh?) means that they think you are starting outside and don't want the seed to blow away. But if you are starting indoors without nature's interference you can start those seeds right on the surface (took me years to figure it out so I want to pass it on).

I just have an obsession with records. The great thing about it is that I know what really works (and I tried to germinate some seeds three or four times before I figured out what really worked) soIi like passing it on. There are a lot of really neat people out here, like you!

Has anyone had any luck germinating Salvia f. outside insitu? With all this moisture I thought I might give it a try, comments?

Yes.

I had it come back from seed on the ground in previous years, so it makes perfect sense to give it a go. It is, even inside, a surface seeder (love those guys!)

Wow Turtles, that's a long list with alot of nice selections!

Donna, your photo is stunning! Is that salvia (forgive my ignorance)?

Forgive me. I should have said.

It's three kinds of salvia farinacea.

Victoria (may be Reference), Strata (blue and white) and Victoria White.

Thanks Donna, I'll give it a try. Suppose to have sun most of the day today, Hope, hope, hope!

Donna ~ l love your salvia farinacea in a pot. What a nice idea! Thank you for sharing your germination tips for salvia with us.

Since we had such a mild winter, the S. farinacea as well as most of my petunias overwintered this year.

We had no snow at all this winter. I have not experienced this in all the time since l moved up here in 1987. We did have "snow on the dogwoods" in April, and very little and only a mild frost afterwards.

Sorry, l have been MIA lately. I have been working on getting the property ready, and of course that means getting the landscape and gardens in tip-top shape as well. I will send you some pictures, once l take them...

Kathy, I've had S. farinacea reseed itself (not in a bad way), I think you'd be fine. One of my favorite fill-in annuals.

Thanks, I'll try to remember to get some of the seed out.....lol, was pulling weeds all day. With as much rain as I've had over the past month it's been hard to get caught up.....Weed wacked the grass (still working on it) and it was more than 24" tall!!!!) Yikes......and the weeds are OMG....

Thank you Donna! And Val 😌 I'm very excited.

That eighth of an inch tip is worth the price of admission. I am doing my best to keep records, although it's not my strong suit. But they're better than last year's.

My S. farinaceae wasn't doing well when I left home on Friday, but I don't remember if I surface-sowed. I did look up every plant before I sowed the seeds, so I think I would have run into that little detail! Maybe by the time I get back home in a week.

I've never had to pay a babysitter for any being of the animal kingdom, but I am paying one now for the vegetable kingdom. And amazingly, I'm not in the least worried about my plants! My young friend loves my garden and is planning to bring her yoga mat with her when she comes every day. Lucky me. I've done absolutely nothing but watch baseball and read (and be with the family); had no idea what rest I'd been missing, lol.

Turtles,
Glad you're having a great vacation....R&R is great! :0)
I'm planning on so me of that after I get all my spring planting done! Going to have to take week off sometime in August, I think...Something to look forward to!

Thanks Val 😀

I must give a shoutout to two of my fellow Daves Gardeners. Happy-macomb and Pfg (Pam Warren). Below please see the results of wonderful seeds I was sent, beautifully packaged, which is undoubtedly why the plants are so great.

I installed five digitalis mertonensis from seed grown last year from Happ. This is a prized plant I have tried to grow unsuccessfully for years. Four plants made it through the winter and are starting to bloom! I have never had more than one!

And I was completely unable to grow any pink platys. I had not been able to do it for three or four yearsThese are very special ones. I put in blue ones last year that I purchased, and in front of them are the three seedlings I raised this spring.

If you price these plants you know how expensive they are. These are not the only seeds I have received from them and others. I just had to take the opportunity to show you the results of their kindness. My neighbors already know, because I have been whooping in my yard!

Thank you so much, you lovely people!

This is a great forum, it's wonderful to share your knowledge, and I know I have learned so much from so many of you, and many have been so generous with seeds, as well, and I participated in the Spring Seed Robin which was chockfull of some really interesting GREAT seeds.

isn't it wonderful when someone shares plants/seeds and they become part of your garden..I always think of those of you while I am in my garden, and see my plants/seedlings!

Donna, I think you have said what so many of us feel, but have not really put into words. Thnk you! Your plants are gorgeous -- ENJOY!

And I must add to this!

Kathy (warriors wisdomkkathy) worked with me, dealing with new gardening restrictions from my property management and so generously sent me a box chock full of goodies for my de-populated garden! All are ones I've not seen around here, so my new garden will look REALLY unique! I was so dis-spirited over the new regulations and having to get rid of alot of my plants but Kathy, with her gifts, showed me I could still have a pretty garden that I was proud of.

She gave a good home to my two penstemons I had to get rid of (they didn't meet the new height restrictions) and, to boot, sent me oodles of plants/seedlings/divisions out of the kindness of her heart!!

I REALLY had Christmas in June as I delightedly unwrapped each present in her box!

Since my garden helper couldn't come and plant them for 3 days, I put them in "soil" (a stew of potting mix, transplant mix, vermiculite, container mix. . .whatevcer and however much that I had on hand!!) and watered them. Here they're waiting to be planted . . .

Bet, congratulations on getting over that hurdle. Kathy, that was a true act of kindness, bless your heart!

Bet, how wonderful! (A pox on the property management company!) And Kathy, having been the recipient of so many plants and seeds, I know how wonderful I felt when I received them.

Apologies to everyone. Especially to the wonderful close gardening friends I found here, I'm sorry I vanished. Thank you all for your generosity, both in garden and plant lore, and in actual plants. With your help I got hold of an enormous garden that had run amok, and transformed it into a thing of beauty.

DH's back problem has prevented us from going to the garden except for a one night stayover in April when everything was still frozen. We most likely won't get there this month, either. I have nothing else to say about that...

The landscape crew has done the usual spring cleanup of the property and is mowing. A lovely lady I found through the Master Gardener program last year has done some cleanup and maintenance of the beds. Otherwise it will be survival of the fittest this year, as I don't expect to become more active in the near future.

I've had a wonderful time honing my green skills with all of you. I've certainly learned a lot, and hope I've shared enough to keep a good balance of taking and giving. Thank you all again for all the wonderful inspiration and positive energy you have sent my way.

Happy gardening to all of you!

Pam ~ Are you saying goodbye to us? I am grateful that you have been here so much for all of us. You have shared you time, plants, seeds and experiences with us. Words cannot express how much you will be missed. Your generosity is really overwhelming. I, and I am sure all of us, will miss you greatly.

I don't always have the time to come on here, but you did it for so long because you took the time.

We are sorry to here of your husband's back problems. You and he will be in our thoughts and prayers.

My heart is heavy with sadness Pam, you'll be sorely missed. I have to reiterate everything Evelyn has so eloquently said. Thanks so much for your contributions over the years, you have helped Dave's Gardeners find some truly fertile ground.

Warm thoughts and earnest prayers go out to you and yours.