Seedlings, Seedlings, Seedlings!!
By Sid
25 comments
This blog is mainly photos and is a follow-on from my earlier blog, Seeds, Seeds, Seeds!
You may remember from my other blog that I…e’hem…was a bit over-enthusiastic with my seeds this year, mostly due to this…..
…a lovely sparkling-shiny-new heated propagator!!! drool…..
So, I could hardly be blamed for my seed-collecting enthusiasm this year! I did lots of seed swaps with lovely GoYers and also bought a few packets here and there.
And here is the irrefutable evidence that I have managed to sow just about every thing that I intended to!
First of all, I’ll show you my rather choc-a-block greenhouse:-
Ok, let’s have a closer look at what’s going on….
Above – Tithonia seedlings – these will need a sunny summer to do well. But if they do manage to flower they’ll have bright orange flowers and they’ll be an amazing butterfly magnet! Kindly sent to me by a lovely GoYer from across the ocean :-)
Below – Aserina seedlings – I’ve had a bit of trouble with these damping off, but hopefully they’ve stabelised since I pricked them out a couple of days ago. They are trailer/climbers with deep purple flowers I think.
Above – Salvia patens – Oh, I’m SO looking forward to these – they will have amazing electric-blue flowers! These will look great near the Tithonias!
Below – Cosmos – always a winner :-)
Above – Agastache – these will probably not flower until next year. They will have dusky orange tubular flowers. These seedlings seem to have stalled since I pricked them out, so I’ve put them under the bench where it’s cooler and shadier in the hope they like that better than on the bench.
Below – Dicentra scandens – another one from across the ocean! This is a climbing species of Dicentra and has yellow flowers. It likes a little shade, so I’m hoping it will be a useful climber for my shadier corners.
Above – Apios americana – again from across the ocean. This is a completely new one for me, so I have no idea what to expect. Andrewr has this plant in his garden and it has very pretty pink flowers.
Below – ooo, erm…oh dear. Well this should be a tray of Astrantia ‘Shaggy’ seedlings…. I think it’s my fault – as the GoYer who sent me the seeds told me to sow them straight away (in autumn) but I forgot and sowed them in February instead. Ah, well – can’t win them all?!
Above – there are Cucumber plants under those bottles….
Below – and I do believe those are baby Cucumbers appearing already!
Above – these monsters are Ricinus communis (Castor Oil Plant) seedlings – they’re going to be interplanted with the Tithonias – so there will be the blue Salvia patens, the orange flowers of the Tithonias and the big glossy red leaves and spikey red seed pods of the Ricinus…… :-D
Below – these are Sarracenia leucophylla that I sowed last year. They are pitchur plants with a white-mottled hood when they mature. They are meant to increase in size by a third each year. It’s hard to see in the photo, but they are all sending up new pitchurs :-)
Above – Echinacea ‘White Swan’ – these will not flower until next year – something to look forward to!
Below – these are Daturas – they will have double purple/white flowers, hopefully this year.
Above – oh dear! These are really outgrowing their tray, but I’m nervous of planting them out just yet in case of a late frost. These are an Ipomoea tricolour mix called ‘Blues Band’. Some of the flowers should have blue and white stripes.
Below – These are variegated aquilegia seedlings from a little plant I bought for £2 last spring. I’m amazed at how many of the seedlings have come true – I sowed plenty of the seed as I thought I’d only get one or two with the parent plant’s variegation! The parent is a real beauty, so I’m dead pleased with these!
Above – sweet peppers – the first sowing was a disaster – not one germinated – so I re-sowed using fresh seed and that lot has done well….SO, lots of lovely peppers later on in the summer then!
Below – Nicotiana sylvestris – I grew some of these last year, but they failed to flower. I think I sowed them too late. I got in early with these and they look much further on, so I’m hoping these will all flower for me!
Above is an ornamental variegated variety of sweet pepper, which should look good along with all the other exotic plants I’m growing this year.
And finally, below, is a tray of Thalictrum delayveii. These will be a bit of a risk in my sharply-drained garden, but I already have one plant that is surprising me by how well it is doing, so I have high hopes these will be ok.
Phew! Well, there you have it! Those of you who have swapped seeds with me recently will hopefully recognise some of yours in here somewhere, but there’s probably some I’ve forgotten to photograph (understandibly I think!!)
There will be another blog at some point to show you the mature plants, but that’ll be a while coming yet!
Happy gardening!
Sarah.
2 May, 2010
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Comments
Sarah, you and your seedlings are an inspiration to us all! my seedlings are nowhere near as advanced or as big as yours- i'll put this down to them being raised in a little grow house rather that heated propogator or greenhouse. Lx
2 May, 2010
Thanks both.....don't worry Louise - still early days! Right, I'm off to get a cuppa tea after sorting out all those seedlings photos!!
2 May, 2010
You've been busy & have your work cut out for u.
Great blog like the detail.
Best of luck with them.
2 May, 2010
Haven`t you done well Sarah, I haven`t managed to raise anywhere near as many seedlings as yours, I lost so many of them this year. Your garden should look lovely when all those pretty flowers bloom. :o)
2 May, 2010
All you need now is a glorious,long hot summer (we can but dream ! )
2 May, 2010
Brilliant growing Sid...I have Tithonia seeds from across the ocean too...much smaller than yours and a few Ricinus as well.....
2 May, 2010
Well done Sid , your greenhouse actually looks very much like mine , don't you just wish you could stretch it to twice it's size .. :o))
2 May, 2010
everything coming up great sid,and i agree with Amy i wish i could stretch my g/house i have almost filled one plot on allotment and i have re filled g/house again i think im getting carried away a bit lol...
2 May, 2010
Angie - thank you!
Labdancer - thanks! What happened to your seedlings??
Bb - keep EVERYTHING crossed!! lol
Motinot - I think I sowed mine a bit early and some didn't germinate, but I think they make quite big plants, so I still have plenty. Let's hope for plenty of sun so they do well!! :-)
Amy & Joanella - oh tell me about it!! My ghouse is only little, but I (foolishly) thought that as I didn't have a huge garden then it would be big enough...HA! Think I could easily fill a polytunnel these days x-)
2 May, 2010
ha ha yes i do think we tend to get carried away with this little hobby that takes up most of our time lol...
2 May, 2010
You have been very busy. What a lovely display your going to have in your garden. I look forward to seeing the results of your hard work later in the year.
2 May, 2010
Looks like you have been busy Sid! Im growing Tithonia for the first time too after seeing them at Sissinghurst last year. Your gold/blue combination will look stunning. good luck with the Nicotinia, mine didnt germinate this year. They are wonderful staturesque plants with a heavenly scent. I planted some near the front door once and the postman referred to them as triffids! but he liked the scent. When do you think the best time is to plant out the tithonia?
3 May, 2010
Elless - I can't wait to see everything in flower! :-)
Mageth - I have lol What variety of Tithonia are you growing? I've got a tall one and a dwarf one and a variegated one. I saw some at Dodnant last year - they had a border of all hot colours. I'm not going to plant mine out until the weather is completely reliable - or is that a contradiction in terms?! I think we are a bit at the mercy of the weather with these plants. I potted mine on today to ensure that they keep growing in the meantime. Sorry your Nicotiana didn't come up - I sowed some last year, but they germinated really slowely and never flowered. So i got them going early this year - fingers crossed they'll flower!
3 May, 2010
You have done well...Sarah....so many varieties to play with...lol...you are more patient than me...I tend to buy the plants ready to flower if they will not flower the first year... :) I have some seedlings ...just waiting for the right time to put them out in pots..nothing is going into the ground for me. Still enjoying every fresh seedling head popping up in my trays...love it.
I have only a cold frame for hardening off....my seedlings are starting right here next to me in my well lit room...who needs space to do anything other than growing seeds..huh? Of course I have only 2 trays going right now..and one herb garden than may live inside with me. :o) Will try to get shots and get a blog on soon..
xx
4 May, 2010
Hi Cat - nice to see you back with us :-) Yes, I never get tired of seeing the first few tiny specks of green appear in a seed tray! Makes me feel like doing a little dance x-D Looking forward to seeing what you've got growing in those 2 seed trays.........
4 May, 2010
Tithonia rotundifolia Torch is the one Im trying. It will probably not get to much more than 4 feet in my borders. need a good summer though
4 May, 2010
Well done Sid. You have to be dedicated to grow from seed and of course be patient but I think its far more rewarding. Im praying for no more frosts so I can clear out my greenhouse and get the toms set.
4 May, 2010
Mageth - I'm not sure without going out and looking if Torch is the tall one or the dwarf one... I think the dwarf one probably has a better chance of maturing enough to flower. Yes, we need a good summer for these. They're fairly vital in my schemes this year! Good luck with it!
Dawn - I've only had a ghouse for 2 years and only just got a heated propagator - before I used to just have a couple of seed trays on window sills! So I recon I've gone a bit overboard this time round ;-) People have been so kind and generous sending me all sorts of seeds that I didn't want to leave anything out! I must say, I do enjoy the process of gardening just as much as the finished result - I get So Excited when I see the first little green dots appear in a seedtray! I need to start planting out too to make room for the toms and cucs and peppers....I'm tempted to start planting out now.....when are you going to start planting out?
5 May, 2010
Hi Sid. I live in a kind of frost pocket - low lying area next to brook - I never dare put anything tender out until the end of May, which is so frustrating but we do usually get a late frost. My sweet peas are going crazy but I just darent put them out. PS. Your Blessed Mary Thistles are doing well though, they are set out and doing well :-)
5 May, 2010
Oh good - very glad to hear that! :-)
5 May, 2010
With your encouragement..Sarah..I put a blog on of my little bits of gardening here.. :o)
8 May, 2010
Off to have a look at your blog Cat.... :-)
8 May, 2010
Sarah you have a lovely lot of plants coming along. I have learned something from your post above-I have planted echinacea seeds which have germinated I thought they will flower this year but looks as though I will get the flowers next year now. Thanks-I enjoyed looking in your greenhouse! :-)
9 May, 2010
You're welcome to visit my greenhouse any time Richard lol
9 May, 2010
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a lovely collection there...happy planting & eating too !
2 May, 2010