I see green!

Yay! I have sprouts in two of my WS containers, both seeds I got from Critterologist: heliopsis ox-eye and agastache "honeybee white." Just a couple ox-eye, but several of the agastache!

Of course, we are supposed to get mixed rain & snow all weekend. Should I cover the little guys, or will they be OK?

Booker

Congratulations, Booker!

We're supposed to get below freezing nights too, possible snow flurries. It's been in the 70s this week, too.

Karen

This weather is just crazy! Upper 60's all week, then snow on the weekend. I'm dreading it!

Way to go, bookerc, on your seedlings!

How are they doing now? Are you still getting snow up there?

Hi, Tabasco! We did get a freeze and some sleet last weekend, but today it is sunny and 70, just lovely. I should be outside digging stuff for the Iowa RU right this minute, but can't start my day without my coffee and DG!

Most of what I WS'ed sprouted:
Swamp milkweed (Ice Ballet)--none
anise--none
Ox-Eye Orange Sunflower--almost all
Bronze Fennel--almost all
Celosia Fresh Look Red--about 2/3
Agastache "Honey Bee White"--almost all
Lupine Russell Hybrids Mix--all
Poppy Blue Himalayan--none

I don't think I'm going to get a single blue poppy. I started 3 different containers outside, and also tried two different methods (seed starting mix and peat pellets) inside, and only have one sickly looking little sprout in a peat pellet, that looks like it is peeping out against its own better judgment. Pretty sad, for having sown about 80 seeds for it! I guess there is a good reason those plants in that collection are labeled "Rare and Unusual," because they are very difficult to get started!

Planning to plant out my little WS seedlings after the Iowa RU this weekend, when I have a better idea what all I have to work with. I need to start hardening off my indoor started stuff (flats and flats and flats of it!) but our weather has been so fickle, I hate to risk losing it!

Booker

Hmmm... has anybody else had germination problems with that Swamp Milkweed I sent out? I didn't sow any (have plenty out there), but there are a ton of seedlings around the patch that I thought were volunteers (maybe they'll turn out to be something else LOL). It might just be too early yet. I just found a first sprout of another Aslepias incarnata a couple days ago, so perhaps it needs warmer weather to germinate.

I'm still holding out hope, Critter, and I just direct-sowed some more of your seed yesterday. The anise that I listed above as not sprouting just did this morning, so maybe that swamp milkweed will still make an appearance! I started a bunch of butterfly weed, also an ascepias, inside, and it took FOREVER to germinate.

Angie

Hi, bookerc--looks like you've had a pretty good WS crop! And I look forward to seeing lots of Butterfly pics this summer! Have you seen any around yet? We've had a few swallowtails, cabbage whites, mourning cloaks, etc.

Sorry about the blue poppies,though. They aren't so easy to grow, are they?

http://www.monarchwatch.org/milkweed/prop.htm

Well the Monarch Watch site (above link) seems confused about germination of milkweed seeds. It does sound like many varieties require 'vernalization/scarification/whatever to germinate though. I haven't had a lot of luck with mine--neither the WSed nor the 'under lights' seeds. Whether or not collected and from trades or purchased seed. I do have it coming up in the garden as volunteers though.

I direct sowed your a. tuberosa seed about six weeks ago, Jill, and don't seem to have anything yet. However, very little else has germinated here either, so I'm not worried. :)

Hmm. I'm trying to remember -- I might have sent you shared seed from a trade (would have been marked on the packet slip), but I don't have A. tuberosa in my garden, so I didn't collect those seeds myself. Not that it matters, unless you're trying to track down the original source... :-)

Heh, I was prompted to go back over my D-mail & I discovered that I got the a. tuberosa from someone else actually. So never mind!

A little off topic... but did you get any sprouts yet from your wintergreen seeds? I'm worried that my winter sowing container may have gotten too much rain (no mold or algae, just looks soggy... and no sprouts)... been taking the lid off the last couple of days to let it air out.

Actually, those have *just* started sprouting for me. I have two seedlings in one container that I actually started indoors, moving it outdoors about 2 weeks ago during the warm spell we had, and one seedling in an open-top outdoor container. It's the only species that I know has germinated so far. I have seedlings in two other containers, but the seedlings look, well, a little weird, so I wonder if they're weed seeds that blew in. ;)

Hopefully I'll see a couple of sprouts soon, too! I had a couple of colt's food seeds (like tiny dandilion fluffs) try to blow inside my containers today while the lids were off... that woulda confused me! I've never grown these before, so I have no idea what to expect.

I read the wintersowing forums in March and started with two containers. I quickly expanded to eight and have black cherry tomato seedlings, pink yarrow (getting big) and scarlet swamp milkweed seedlings. First time trying this and I have to say IT ROCKS!!!

I see some sprouts from two different hostas, and my ornamental grass is really doing great! I tried Clematis seeds, but nothing so far. Has anybody ever had luck with these? I don't know why I tried them. I've never had luck with the vine. Usually dies out after blooming.

If you have trouble with the larger flowered ones try the viticellas. They grow pretty fast at least they do here. I have many different ones.
Rose do not know if you saw this site but there is a germination length chart on it. Some take a long time! http://www.bcollingwood.com/Germination.htm

I winter sowed a couple kinds of clematis last year and got some sprouts from C. lingusticafolia (?)... potted it up over the winter, and it's looking nice and sturdy for planting out this spring!

that is pretty awesome. My henryii produces seed pretty well so I might try some next winter. I am going to try some siberian iris this summer in the shade and left out for overwintering since apparently they can take a longggggg time to germinate and need a hot cold strat.

Thanks for posting that web site. I'm sure there will be some useful info there!