I switch my date to Mar 1 for the petunias. I started mine last year on Feb 14 and they were humongous and in 6" pots at plant out, which is usually April 22. In fact I had to trim off the flowers when I planted them out, they were actually straggly.
The date was okay for the container petunias, but it took up a lot of under-lights shelf-space, plus it was awfully big holes in the garden for the in-ground ones. I dislodged a lot of little flower bulbs making tose big holes.
Stoke's Seed Swa-Op Babies!
So far I have winter sown anchusa blue angel, cupid's dart, and the delphinium
I started the viola already so I can put them outside as early as possible. And the geranium. I want the petunias for containers and was planning to start them in a couple of weeks - but now I don't know. . . last date of frost here is April 29 so maybe I will start a few for containers and the ones for the gardens I will start March 1.
Ok, I was getting nervous. I thought I was too late on the geraniums. I know they won't be blooming size for early spring or anything, but as long as they bloom some time this summer, I'll be happy. I just got my heat mat, so I'll get them going in the next couple of days.
I've already w/s Veronica 'Sightseeing Mix', Primula 'Pacific Giants', Dianthus 'Ballad Blend', Cheddar pinks, Bergenia cordifolia, Delphinium 'Pacific Astolat', Pulsatilla vulgaris. I should get some more out this week.
question: can't the violas be w/s? I haven't looked it up yet, but they self-sow
Gram both the violas and the primulas wintersow like a dream EXCEPT, when they are big enough to be planted out, and they want to take off and grow, the heat comes in and stopps them in their tracks. The timing is off, is all, and you having cooler summers there, might be in an ideal place to wintersow those.
Suzy
How hot does it get in Indianapolis? How fast? Is it humid?
Very hot, very fast. May is a month of uncertainty....it can rain every single day, the lilies get Botyritis, the babies from Bluestone all drown. OR it can be 90 degrees and hot and sunny.
Oh,yeah, humid it is. Not as bad as St, Louis, though
so, it's sort of like here in Springfield. My own gardens are largely in shade until May and then only parts of the garden get full sun - so I have few worries about winter damage to my plants from getting too warm too soon. But the terrace gardens will be in full sun, and "cool" annuals will have a short life unless I can start them early.
I'm actually holding my viola Pansy Purple Picotee (whatever they were) from Stokes until July so I can have fall and spring bloom from the same seeds, but that is only because our spring weather in Indianapolis isn't condusive to long-blooming Pansy growing.
Suzy
critter and basil lovers, when do you start your basil seeds?
ummmmm . . . never thought of holding the violas back - maybe I can collect seeds and start again in July :-)
Basil getting transplanted into 2 inch pots gets as much as a 10 week start, 6 to 8 weeks if it's going into 48 cell flats.
I have a picture of ONE of my three lonely burgundy Summer Showers Geraniums (left) and also a four pack of Rose Showers (right) which I bought because I wanted it, too. :) The other two Burgundy Summer Showers are still in the basement under lights. I couldn't carry everything upstairs for the photography session. ...photographed by Dryad
What a cutie-pie! I sowed half my Burgundy Summer Showers seeds on Friday, then sowed the rest of them on Monday. One seed is showing signs of germinating already (heat mat set to 80 degrees).
Marking thread; will post photos soon.
Suzy, nice pictures of your geraniums! The burgundy is already starting to show foliage color how neat! I till haven't started mine yet just trying to get all of these seeds sorted before we get our swap seeds in LOL I've got enough seeds here now to last the winter!
I decided to hold my violas back never really thought of that either but when you plant them in July do you start them in the house or outside, it's too hot for them outside isn't it? And it will be damp in my basement. Last year I tried to plant some old seed by the garage but so far I haven't seen anything amount to it, I have some violets there protected from the hot sun by columbines and some french tarragon that bloomed all summer they were the hardier ones though I guess never sure about violets lol
I just can't imagine it being any more humid than what it is here I can't hardly breath outside in the summer as it is, running around watering plants!
Lea, I start them outside the morning that first morning my feet are cold on the bathroom tile, which is usually late July. I find a bare patch, usually where I pulled something that I didn't like the color of and direct sow them, then transplant them to their blooming spot after I cut things back a bit. Usually where those smaller Figaro Dahlias grow, but also some shorter Zinnias that get mildewed, or Gaura that I can't seem to grow -- you know what I mean.
Your basement would be ideal for a mid July sowing....my trouble is I don't go down there often enough to keep an eye on things and stuff dries out from inattention.
I did notice they like shade/protection in the winter, and didn't perform as well in an exposed spot I have. It is a semi-raised bed that sticks out and gets full winter/spring sun....they just seem to like it better when they are tucked in, even if they are only protected by short evergreen foliage around them (like Heucheras).
Suzy
Well Miss Suzy would you let me know when your feet get cold in July LOL My feet are always cold in the house LOL
I had a Gaura I just destroyed getting out of the ground last year because it spread so much in my part sun and took everything over, I plan on getting another this year and planting in another spot where it can spread I just loved that plant! I hear they don't live very long in our area? I bought one of the variegated ones at the same time but it died.
Don't ask me - they are an annual for me, if they live that long. I have given up on them, anyway, and they were the first perennial to be replaced by my beloved annuals.
Suzy
I'm giving them a hearty try this year, as they're a native plant. Lea, perhaps we can compare notes on this one as the season progresses?
Sure sounds good, I would love to get a bunch of these started by my garage and mail box, I want all different kinds! I have a few in each place now just adding to them. The ones by the mail box are in a pot, I need to get them in the ground this year, keep forgetting about them lol
hi, I finally planted my summer showers geranium seeds today!!!!!! Suzy I love your little babies :) I hope mine grow.
So so far I have that planted, the lilac petunia, alternanthera royal tapestry (seeds I bought separately from Stokes) which just start to show their straggly skinny red necks today!
Are we talking about the swap before the swa-op here too? I started to WS some of those seeds. Little Joe Pye weed and Indian Summer from Suzy, and Helenium Wild Sunflower from rachierabbit :)))))
I have a question about violas...it is confusing...which is better WS or start inside? and if you start inside do you have to refrigerate the seeds first?
the lilac petunias germinated today!
I started my violas inside because I want to put them out EARLY like in April.
If you winter sow them, I suspect you will have lovely violas in June.
However, next time I would not start them until mid-summer, and them plant them when I tear out the impatiens. That way I could have lovely flowers in the fall and possibly even bigger flowers in the spring :-)
wow, you tear out your impatiens? ours usually keep blooming right up until frost so I couldn't do that option.
So I guess you plant your violas right in the ground then? I have to think of where I will put ours.
I have johnny jump ups too, I got because my mom loves them :)
I wish I had window boxes! I can picture cute little violas in them among a collection of various blooms...
Well, my impatiens are planted in May, so by the end of August they are pretty leggy and past their prime. I could cut them back, but by the time they would look decent, they would probably be hit by frost, so I would rather spend the first weekend in September tearing out the impatiens and planting pansies :-) Just never thought of it before.
I want violas everywhere! I had some yellow jj-ups that bloomed all summer and most of the winter (in z6!). they were under the snow when it melted in a January thaw. they were volunteers from a basket I got as a Mother's Day gift. A few started to revert to the bicolor after a couple of generations and I loved those, too. I don't have too many left, because I caught my landscaper spraying them last year. he thought they were weeds. he's not allowed to spray any more unless he asks me first, mostly because of the bees & b'flies.
For shame!! A landscaper spraying!! And without asking permission first!! Shame on him!!!
guess what I found! Two more geranium seeds hiding under the pink label-insert!
I have five growing now, so I guess I better get these last two started :-)
Six!! Pam sent me ten geranium seeds, six have sprouted, and two already have leaves! It's been 7-9 days since they went onto the heat mat (sowed 5, then 5 more).
I hope mine sprout ~ it has been five days so far...no heat mat. I have an instant read thermometer lying across a seed container so I can keep tabs on the temp near the seeds.
I started mine today on the heat mat in my room :) How soon did you transplant yours Seandor did you wait until they got leaves on them, I wouldn't ask but I don't have them under the lights right now :)
Mine are now potted up into 4 inch pots. The two runts are catching up, and the other three are doing fine - and I found two more seeds . . . so I will start those - and then I started a bunch of geraniums from seeds I received from pamsue, and are they ever eager to germinate! I will have soooo many geraniums! This is terrific!
I FINALLY got my geraniums planted last night - whew!!
Hurray!
Has anyone been able to germinate Chaenarrhium origanifollim "Fairy Snapdragon" ?
I started mine Jan. 10 and I have ONE. sigh . . . . and it's probably a weed . . .
Yikes! I knew there was another one I'd forgotten to start earlier... Fairy Snaps go on the heat mat too, right?
Well mine did - for what it was worth . . . lol and they had light 16 hours a day.
No, I am in the dark on those...I just sowed them like all the other ones that need a long time and am crossing my fingers.
I can't find the thread with the Blue Nasturtium seed conversation, but they germinated I THINK. The seeds were fairly large, but the thing that came up out of the pots is just a bare thread. I truly thought some of my spagnum moss had germinated.
Suzy
Blue nasturiums? I don't recall getting those . . . Do they have another name? I am not worried about whether I got them or not, I am only inquiring in case these are something I need to start now :-)
No, Nobody got them except me, and they came from R.A. Schumann, not Stoke's....4 seeds for $3.00. I thought this was the thread, but it's not and now I can't find it, but Wrightie was in it and some other people form last year's swaps... durn it! Some other people were going to order it and I wanted to see if their seedlings looked as weird as mine.
I guess I'll have to do a search and I hate doing those!
Suzy