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bellarosa009

Trying to decide what to wintersow

bellarosa
9 years ago

Just wondering what folks are wintersowing this year. Here's what I'm thinking of wintersowing: petunias, larkspur, poppies, rudbeckia, delphiniums and snapdragons. Any other recommendations? I'm thinking of placing an order with Swallowtail sometimes this week - I thought they had free shipping at one point? - and was just looking for some suggestions on any favorites from you all.

Comments (17)

  • pugetsoundgardener
    9 years ago

    I've got daylilies and lavender in so far, and a pile of seeds as high as my head to get through. This is my first year though, so I'll have to wait to see what succeeds. :)

  • ladyrose65
    9 years ago

    I'm doing a lot of natives and vine flowers.

  • daisydawnny
    9 years ago

    I ordered a lot of new to me seeds this year. One way or another I am going to get prairie smoke and kiss me over the garden gate to grow.

  • bellarosa
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I tried growing prairie smoke a few years ago and no luck. I'll have to try it again. I'd also like to grow more half-hardy annuals. Wintersowing is so addictive! :-)

  • docmom_gw
    9 years ago

    Bellarosa,
    Everything on your list should do very well with wintersowing.

    Martha

  • val (MA z6)
    9 years ago

    I'm wintersowing for the first time this year and have quite the list of seeds I'll be sowing. Mostly perennials, but some annuals as well. I bought from Swallowtail; I placed orders with a few companies, as I kept finding more seeds I wanted. I think Swallowtail offered free shipping if you ordered $40, but they might have taken that off their site as it's "prime seed ordering time".

    What are you going to order from Swallowtail? I really like their site, and their selection of seeds. I am trying NOT to place another order with them as I have over 50 varieties of seeds already that I want to sow including coneflowers, chelone, delphinium, foxglove, salvia, painted daisies, balloon flowers, armenian basket flower, butterfly weed, cantebury bells, cupids dart, jacobs ladder, heliopsis, ice plant, gaillardia, prunella, rubedeckia, and more...

    I started a huge garden project in 2014 turning the backyard of grass into garden beds BIGtime. It was alot of work, but alot of fun, too! Can't wait to see the results of all my plantings this coming year!

  • docmom_gw
    9 years ago

    Valal,
    Your back yard beds sound like a great project. Please post pictures next summer. You should have lots of blooms on your second year plants.

    Martha

  • samhain10 - 5a
    9 years ago

    Hey all! Hi, Martha - long time no chat. :)

    So, I have to ask - you're talking about winter sowing right now? Martha, I know you've got to have snow on the ground if we do - how do you handle that? Do you just push the snow aside and throw the seed down on the frozen ground? And then what - cover it somehow, or not? I'm serious here - I've never had much success with winter sowing, so I must be doing something wrong. I'd especially like it if someone can tell me how to get larkspur to grow. Delphiniums I can start indoors, but larkspur - no way. Never does anything for me.

    - Alex

  • val (MA z6)
    9 years ago

    Martha - I HOPE SO! Looking forward to all those blooms! It's been a "work of Love" :o) Flowers feed the soul !

    Alex, when you say winter sowing, are you talking about direct sowing on the ground or in milk jugs or other containers? as in the method described here:
    http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/How_to_Winter_Sow.html

  • samhain10 - 5a
    9 years ago

    Valal111 - ah, I get the picture now after reading the link. I was assuming people were talking about direct sowing, rather than in flats, makeshift or otherwise. Thanks! Will have to start some of my saved seeds that way.

    - Alex

  • bellarosa
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I hoping to wintersow on Monday since we have the day off. Here's a few plants on my list: lupine, petunias, snapdragon, columbine, blanket flower and butterfly weed. Can't wait. I'll have to post pics. I've been able to collect 15 milk jugs some from my coworker, whose been generous enough to lug them into the office every few days. I'm also planning on using 4" plastic pots, a few cool whip containers and other plastic containers. Please post pics of what you've done. I'd love to see it! :-)

  • MaryJoZ5
    9 years ago

    I'm hoping to ws a bunch of seeds that I saved from my gardens last year and that I collected from the park. Celosia, marigold, bracteantha, felicia, nierembergia,nicotiana, paper daisy, strawflower, larkspur, echinachea,cosmos, rudbeckia, cleome, salvia, gailardia,diascia, cuphea, and mum. In about a 4-6 weeks I hope to ws jewel of opar, job's tears, impatiens, petunias, 4 oclocks, and more marigolds.

  • MaryJoZ5
    9 years ago

    bellarosa, will your snapdragons be far enough along to bloom in the spring when ws? Last year, I started them indoors along with nemesia and pansies because I wanted them to be blooming during the early spring since they can tolerate the cold better than most flowers. Also, I want them to bloom before it gets hot when they start to fade. You're in z5, have you found this to ever be a problem?

  • caryltoo Z7/SE PA
    9 years ago

    Hi Mary Jo. If you want flowers in the early spring you'll need to start indoors. With wintersowing they don't come up until the weather warms enough.

    Caryl

  • MaryJoZ5
    9 years ago

    Thanks Caryl, that's what I thought. I will plant my nemesia, snapdragons and pansies indoors again this year!!

  • bellarosa
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    MaryJo, Caryl is correct. They won't start blooming until the weather warms up. I usually wintersow in mid-January and again, in mid-February. All of my containers are placed on our deck facing East. I check them periodically and if there are a few sunny days with no snow or rain, I use a spray bottle to water everything down. Things start coming up around mid to late April. Depending on the weather, I plant things out in May. Snapdragons are pretty cold hardy, so they've done fine for me. Yours should be ok too.

  • MaryJoZ5
    9 years ago

    Bellarosa, last year I had nemesia out in pots and snapdragons and pansies planted in the ground and they were so pretty blooming in April. Since they're so cold hardy they did really well and were able to tolerate an occassional cold night. I had started them indoors because I was thinking they wouldn't be blooming till the end of May if I winter-sowed them. Am I mistaken about this?

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