What has germinated so far?

EVERYTHING has germinated! You name - they sprouted!

I have pink malva, I even have Sweet Autumn clemantis (man, am I excited about this!) I have yarrow, and oriental poppies, and larkspur, and delphiniums, and pink cone flowers, and purple coneflowers, and bachelor buttons, and california poppies, and persian jewels, and lavender, and liatarius (spelling?) and linaria, and violas, and shamrocks, and lupins, and baby's breath, and clasping coneflower, and columbine, and foxglove, and sweetpeas (yes, more sweetpeas!), and impatiens, and petunias, and snapdragons, and carnations, and red poppies, and coleus, and thyme, and candy lily, and mexican sunflower, and Japanese Andromeda (shrub) and inside the house, I have Easter cactus and amaryllis germinating! I am sure I have forgotten things. . .

oh yeah, - still waiting to see if I can germinate datura. sigh . . . so almost everything has germinated . . .

I am so totally hooked on winter sowing!

Woah...I'm jealous! But, I'm happy for you! Want to sprinkle a little of that WS fairy dust on my seedling-less containers? ;-) Tamara

I think it was just plain dumb luck. Now the trick is whether I can keep the seedlings alive!

I moved them to my front veranda in February when it seemed like the contents of the containers might cook in the sun (despite the snow). The front veranda gets some early morning direct sun, but is mostly in shade, and is sheltered.

I really dispaired of the larkspur, delphiniums, and lupins ever germinating - but I kept them watered and put them under the adorondack chairs. And now I have lots! (well, the lupins are slow - but some have germinated).

Of course, being on the veranda meant I had to be vigillant and water them.

Congratulations, Seandor! I too have lots of germination now - they're all NOIDs.

xxx, Carrie

Yeah - but of course being noid means you get to name them anything you want, Carrie!

I've already planted a couple of things out! Yippeee!! Here's my latest. http://lakehousecreations.com/wintersown_2007.htm

Yes, Seandor, but even if I name it Clark Gable, if I plant it in a windowbox where I was planning for trailing lobelia and it turns out to be sunflowers, that might be a problem. I could name something Katherine Hepburn and it could be short and squat.

xxx, Carrie

True - but I give my plants names anyway . . . the primrose lilac is Ron, the Maragret Murriel Rose is moi - Seandor, etc. Of course, DH thinks I'm nuts when I say Harry is finally leafing out!

Yes, my DH names everything. He goes in for alliterative names - Fiona Fuschia, Harry Hibiscus, Bob Lobelia (after Bob Lobel) et al. He IS nuts!

xxx, Carrie

your DH sounds totally sane to me, Carrie lol

My husband gives his own names to my plants, too, like "that big stupid orange thing that you planted over there"

Karen

Karen, that's the type of response i get from my husband! too funny

i have to give him credit for taking the brugs out for a day trip in the sun....totally his idea :-)

lynda

LOL.

Tamara, I have quite a few things that haven't sprouted yet. on the other hand, I have lots of seedlings...plenty to keep me busy. more than enough to make w/s worthwhile in my book.

yesterday I found, balloon flower (blue & white), chocolate daisy (wonder if it's the real thing?), rue, fennel, dill, parsley, cosmos, nemesia, a couple varieties of columbine and victoria blue salvia

Gram, the "real" chocolate daisy seeds I got were flattened and sorta papery looking around the edges... I'm running off now, but remind me next week if I haven't posted seed and seedling photos for you (my seedlings are just getting their first true leaves.) If the "Choc Daisy" seeds came from me (they'd say "critterologist" on the label), then they are a different plant -- twice as tall, similar blooms, but no chocolate scent -- still, they bloomed like mad their first year from seed, and I think they're returning this year, so they seem to be perennial.

My balloon flower started popping up this wek also. :-)

new today
lewesia (2 containers)
geranium reflections
digitalis
primula
aster pink
heuchera
arabis
ornamental pear tree
pink baby's breath
nicotiana nikki lime
columbine

What does the pink baby's breath look like, please?

I'd say I have like 60 - 80 % germination so far. I just don't know what's what. Except for Al's helenium! Every time I take pictures of seedlings, they come out blurry and useless.

xxx, Carrie

critter, I didn't get the choc. daisy from you...I was just teasing

OK, I counted one batch of containers which were all sowed 3.19.07 and out of this one batch, I have a 72% success rate. Woo hooo! That's pretty good, I think. My helper, when I was pulling out my hair trying to remember what was what, said "remember in the winter, you told me this was an experiment, and you didn't know if it would work at all." All true, it sounded like a good idea, but who knew if it would work? Well, I guess it works.

xxxx, Carrie

Well, I am sold on winter sowing, though DH is a little chagrinned at how plants are taking over the veranda. Here are some pictures :-)

and another view. The aluminum pans have delphiniums (lots!) . The foreground shows large dahlias I have probably started too early, and behind them are nursery pots with larkspur - lots of those too!

Good growing! I know what you mean about the containers taking over... DH keeps pointing out that he needs to be able to reach the grill if I want his help with dinner! It's only going to get worse, too, as I've discovered that I have better luck if I pot seedlings and divisions up and baby them along at the edge of the deck for a while before planting them out into the wild blue yonder. Stick to the HOS method if you want to be able to walk down your veranda, LOL!

Actually, all the plants I really want I plan to pot up - so as many are perennials, I will be potting up all spring . . .I doubt the letter carrier will even be able to reach the front door!

Thank goodness this is the last week of class and I can start focussing on planting in the garden next week (in between final exams)

Wow I really figured that everything was done, but lo and behold my zebra grass came up today! Guess I'll hang on to those plantless containers just a lil while longer. :-)

Here is my full list of sprouts sorted by the date that I first noticed sprouts (I count the container when I see three sprouts the look the same...to rule out weed seeds).

Plant, Date Sown, Sprout Date
Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Arizona Sun', 2/18/07, 03/20/07
Salvia x superba - Blue Queen Salvia, 2/11/07, 03/20/07
Thymus serpyllum - Creeping Thyme, 3/9/07, 03/20/07
Thymus vulgaris - Common Thyme, 3/9/07, 03/20/07
Iberis sempervirens - Candytuft, 2/11/07, 03/22/07
Leucanthemum x superbum - Shasta Daisy, 2/22/07, 03/22/07
Lunaria annua - Money Plant, 2/18/07, 03/22/07
Festucus ovina glauca - Blue Fescue, 3/9/07, 03/24/07
Nepeta x faassinii - Select Blue Catmint, 2/11/07, 03/24/07
Rudbeckia hirta - Black Eyed Susan, 2/22/07, 03/24/07
Salvia farinacea 'Blue Bedder', 2/11/07, 03/24/07
Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly Flower, 2/11/07, 03/25/07
Penstemon digitalis, 2/18/07, 03/25/07
Penstemon smallii, 2/11/07, 03/25/07
Heuchera sanguinea 'Firefly', 3/9/07, 03/26/07
Penstemon smallii, 2/18/07, 03/26/07
Monarda didyma, 3/9/07, 03/28/07
Osteospermum, 3/23/07, 03/28/07
Platycodon grandiflorus - Balloon Flower, 2/22/07, 03/28/07
Heuchera americana 'Hybrids', 3/9/07, 03/30/07
Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Sundance Bicolor', 3/23/07, 04/02/07
Echinacea purpurea - Coneflower, 2/22/07, 04/04/07
Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan', 3/9/07, 04/04/07
Heliopsis, 3/23/07, 04/04/07
Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Burgundy', 3/23/07, 04/11/07
Ceratotheca triloba - South African Foxglove, 3/23/07, 04/15/07
Liatris spicata, 2/22/07, 04/18/07
Asclepias curassavica - Silky Red Milkweed, 3/23/07, 04/24/07
Verbena bonariensis, 3/23/07, 04/24/07
Millet 'Purple Majesty', 3/23/07, 04/25/07
Rudbeckia fulgida - Black Eyed Susan, 2/22/07, 05/01/07
Catharanthus roseus - Vinca, 3/23/07, 05/04/07

I have been trying to keep good record, but I had to update a few sprout dates that were obviously wrong. I also have that Salvia forsskaolii (from bluespiral) has not sprouted but I think that it has. That means that I have 4 or 5 containers left with no sprouts.

- Brent

Yoo hoo, Bre-e-e-nt honey? Any chance you might be willing to trade some of your extras for some empty potting soil? For anything? Like I know I planted Asclepias, but I don't know which (if any) of my sprouts they are. Same with Burgundy Gaillardia. Any chance you could post a picture of those two? Also, I planted a few salvias, not blue ones, but pink or red ones, but still, they should look similar at these ages.

One thing I don't think I mentioned is I mixed California poppies 'White Linen' and 'Mikado' (cinnabar red) and sowed them in a large shallow cobalt blue planter I splurged on at HD. They came up like gangbusters! We have to quarter turn the pot every few days so they don't all come out growing sideways.

And another thing.. I know I posted somewhere about my wonderful idea about WSing directly into hanging pots. I need to amend that to wintersow directly into washed hanging pots with fresh soil! Duh. I should have known better. I have some germination, but not a lot, except for the weedlings I don't recognize. I cannot recommend this with old dirt, although I did cultivate it pretty thoroughly. LOL!

xxxx, Carrie

new this week
maltese cross
jack be little pumpkin
lychnis alpina
primula
platycodon fuji blue
hosta
platycodon pearlmutter
amsonia
orange butterfly weed
carex comns
lambs ears
blackberry lily
shasta daisy alaska
green eyed grass
platycodon mix
primul
perilla
echinacea
st john's wort
monks hood
matt's wild tomato
fragaria vesca dwarf lambs ears
lavatera white
milkweed
cleome
innual
mutisia ilicifolia
mystery (name washed off)

Excellent! You have germinated a lot of plants I want to try this coming winter - keep us informed of how they do. I am particularly interested in the monks hood. Platycon also germinated with week for me- white.

so far I've had 82 containers germinate (lost two to heat). I think I'll just buy annuals from now on as I think our season is too short even when starting them this way.

Yes - that is what I am also thinking . . . though the impatience I started look terrific. The petunias - even though I started them inside are soooo puny as to be laughable.

I'm with you... mostly, I wintersow perennials... their slower growth is one reason I've been potting them up and growing them on up on my deck, planting them out in fall or even the following spring. I did WS some linaria (toadflax) and sweet alyssum, and they look OK, but the ones I started inside definitely look better. On the other hand, I can't seem to start pansies or violas inside for anything at this house, slightly better success in WS containers, but the best ones are those that simply volunteer, so I'm thinking direct sowing in fall may be the way to go from now on with them!

well, I'm not ready to give up on anything yet.

Mobi, that's a very impressive list. my primulas came up last week, but there are others on your list that I am still waiting for, notably the asclepias (several varieties).

Now I see that one would wintersow perennials, not annuals. I eagerly sowed MG, BESV, petunias, lobelia, white alyssum, and they are doing fine but no buds yet.

35 F here today and very wet.

xxx, Carrie

Oh, I know lots of folks WS annuals very successfully (just not any that take 10-12 weeks to bloom)... I've just had better luck with perennials. Alyssum volunteers for me every so often and does just fine that way, so I think yours will bloom as soon as it gets a bit warmer.

I think it is just fascinating how people feel now after such an intense wintersowing season. It looks like many of us are either burnt out or had too high expectations.

As for myself, I had wonderful germination, but I have so many plants that I don't know what to do (not many neighbors either). I have planted out quite a few: e.g. alyssum, which looks sort of pitiful, but I am hoping. Centaurea cyanoides - blooming, but scraggly looking. Echinacea - transplanted into pots for fall planting, they look promising, but the white ones did not germinate well, got only four. Wildflower mix doing very well. Iberis umbellata doing very well. Hollyhocks look great, saving them for the fall. ETc. etc.

So, we have mixed results, and there must be a lesson here, maybe we can come up with a concise description, like:

1. Wintersowing definitely works
2. Wintersowing allows us to raise plants that are not available in the box stores or that may be more expensive in specialty nurseries
3. If you want perennials, remember that you are sowing them for the year after, most won't bloom this year. You should pot them up into larger pots until then.
4. I think sowing annuals is a great way to get lots of plants for filling in.

Perhaps someone could enlarge on this list? Maybe a point 5, something about planting out?

I am definitely going to do it again, but I will be much more selective. This year I just sowed everything I got seeds for.

I think wintersowing is also a great way to do perennials that you want in quantity, for borders or for groundcovers... even no-name Dianthus gets pretty pricey if you want it by the flat. I sowed a roasting pan of Campanula (carpatica I think) 'Blue Clips' and got good germination... I broke out 1 row of seedlings and clump transplanted them into a 36 cell flat (deep cells), and I think I have 4 rows remaining.... if they continue to do well, I could end up with as many as 180 little pots to plant out this fall... consider that a 4 inch pot goes for $4-5 locally, and you can see that I'd never have stretched the garden budget to buy half that many, but I sure will have fun with them!

How about a corollary to 4. if you live in a warm enough climate. If not, you may not see your bedding annuals bloom in time to enjoy them before frost.

xxx, Carrie

Well, I am hopeful that I will see some annual bloom! I think it is a great way to get filler plants by the gross - but next year I will buy the plants for the window boxes and hanging baskets - at this rate they are going to be started at the end of July - just when we go on vacation. :-)

I'm for one enjoyed the W/Sing experience. It's good to remember that nature has an affect on gardening in one way or another every year. The big freeze after an extended warming trend wiped out some of mine seedlings, but I WOULD DEFINITELY W/S again. I learned so much in perennial seedling ID as well as some well tended W/S weed seedlings. When I make the comparison to how much I've spent on failed perennials that don't returned or on annuals that bite the dust from pests and fungi, I have to chuckle at my planting weeds in drifts for the borders. One thing for sure, those weeds will be more readily identified in my future gardens! So what about number 5 ~ W/Sing increases your ability to recognize and identify perennial seedlings vs weed seedlings. number 6 ~ what is a weed for one is a flower for another. ;0)

i enjoyed it...came away with more than i expected and it will be nice seeing some of the blooms next year....it has also given me a little bit of confidence to start my veggies & melons...although i should've started :-)