6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
I actually want to ask the same question. I just got some seeds. I know they are perennial. But if I sow the seeds now, will the seedlings survive the winter?
Here is a link that might be useful: vegetable gardening tips
laagarden, Papaver orientale is perennial, established plants come back from the roots each year. They often go dormant in summer heat, send out a flush a new growth as weather begins to cool in Fall so I hope you planned for that seasonal 'bare space' when siting yours.
Sara, our seasonal die back and bare ground is much less time than in other parts of the country. The seeds will take about 2 weeks to germinate surface sown at about 68F, if it's much warmer it could take longer - I'm not sure that's likely this year :)
You do run a risk of losing such young plants with a hard freeze as we were exposed to last November, that one was difficult for even some mature established plants. If you sow and plant this season, you may want to be prepared to protect if necessary, pile on the dry leaves, put an upended bucket over them for a few days, or if still in pots, move someplace semi-protected until normal winter weather returns.
I would not put out till after frost (that is my plan and I am in PA) Check out the website below - they have great advise on how to grow lupines.
http://www.snakeroot.net/farm/index.html
Here is a link that might be useful: lupines
Tried growing lupine from seed... planted about a dozen 3 yrs ago in sunny sandy location. One survived and looks healthy but have never had a bloom yet. One source I saw said they are annual and require seed to come back but apparently not so.
This year I purchased about a dozen potted plants, post-bloom, on clearance. They've all wilted way back before I got a chance to plant (though they've been watered regularly) and am nervous they have died off! Any comments? I LOVE lupines and can't wait to get them established in my yard in MN ;)! Thanks, Sarah
I have been very pleased with the performance of Snapdragons. I planted four inch pot size last October in full sun and they bloomed all winter until I took them out in June and replaced with Lantana for the summer months. The removed Snapdragons I planted in a tray in partial shade and cut them way back. They have grown new foliage and look like they may be blooming and ready to replant in the garden this fall. Al
I have the exact same problem -- mine are also in buckets, but I'm growing them outside, so I don't think the problem is that they are being grown indoors, or that you're lighting them artificially.
Did your soil settle a lot since the original planting? My suspicion has been that either (a) I didn't plant the seeds deep enough, (b) the soil was too loose and is settling below their leaf line with watering, or (c) when I thinned, I thinned by leaf size -- I found that the sprouting plants with smaller leaves that I pulled out had much deeper roots, so perhaps waiting to thin until the plants reach this stage is better than thinning early by leaf size.
Do not mistake a pre-emergent with a herbicide. The best known herbicide is sold as Roundup. It only works by being absorbed by growing foliage, it does not affect seed which has not germinated. During the 1950s herbicide was sprayed on fields by aircraft, but because of lawsuits from neighboring property owners from crop damage caused by drifting herbicide the practice was stopped and it is now sprayed by on the ground sprayers. There is also soil sterilizers which prevent growth in the soil for up to a year. Total Kill sounds like one of those. Al
There's nothing better than a nice garden! Okay, well maybe I can think of a couple things, but that's besides the point.
This year we decided to do more of the Heirloom and Non-Hybrid varieties so we can learn to save our seeds year after year.
We bought a seed kit from a company called SeedsNow.com. They had a crazy deal where we ended up get almost 60,000 seeds and 50 varieties of the non-hybrid types I was looking for. Definitely got some good seed this year.
I got worried at one point this summer though because it was so hot for a week straight. But now it's like an edible rain forest in my backyard :)
prhart - you can effectively stratify White Swan (or any other) Echinacea seed yourself very easily by winter sowing the seeds. Check out the Winter Sowing forum here on GardenWeb and read the FAQs. I'm actually summer sowing White Swan Echinacea from commercial seeds at the moment and they sprouted in just 7 days. Germination appears to be about 60% so far but I expect more will sprout in the days ahead.
I prepared a recycled milk jug with drainage holes, filled the lower half with growing medium, moistened it and sprinkled the seeds on the surface. I did not cover the seeds. Stuck a label in the jug, closed it with duct tape and set it in the shade on my breezeway. The seeds were Burpee, bought at a discount outlet for 50% off.
Ordered online a package of Dinner Plate Hibiscus seeds and I popped ONE seed into a pot and within days, it sprouted! Thinking all my hopes were put into this one seedling... what if something happens to it?
So I planted some four more seeds and this time nothing happened as quickly with all (4). Looked up online how slow the seeds are to germinate, I am amazed at how lucky I was the first time!
Here is a link that might be useful: Pea Soup Designs, Hibiscus
Fairfaxwatch
Are you starting these seeds the same time of year? This time of year the window may be cooking your seeds.
I believe I cooked my second round of pottings by putting them in baggies. The difference was the height of the sun and the temp of the place I put the pots.