I know it's just the beginning of July when we have all or most of the plants we wintersowed planted in the flowerbeds. Things seem to slow up growing this time of the year for various reasons; the hot weather and sparse rainfall. I find that this slow time allows me to think about and analyze my flower gardens better. Think about what I can divide and transplant in the Fall, what seeds I can plant then so they will have a better chance of blooming in the Spring of 2012. I also think about what seeds I want to plant in January and what I will do differently when I WS..It will be my 3rd. year of wintersowing and what I have learned in these past 3 yrs. Finding low maintence flowers for my Sun room flowerbeds is a priority because of the difficulty of getting to that area. I'm even considered making that into a Rock Garden type flowerbed because of all the hugh tree roots that run along there. We have admended that soil and there are so many fiberous roots in the rose garden bed. The cable wire runs along that side of the house, and it is buried so shadow so I have to watch that I don't cut it by mistake. Besides my rose bushes, liatris and black eye susans and some tall garden phlox seem to grow well there, so I might end up sticking to that. I dug up all my ice plant because it became invasive there. There is creeping yellow sedum that I can plant there. It will spread too but I have experience with that plant from my former home and I have some that needs transplanting now. That is on my list of things to do this week sometime.
Do you have areas that you are considering on doing a revamp of? Have you started ordering or buying seeds on sale for next year's WS season? I've started making up my list now for a seed order. Some of the stores are having seed sales now just to get rid of them for great prices; that is if they are not already sold out. They probably have sent any leftovers back to the seed companies for credit. My Ace hardware dealer told me they send theirs back in August.
Thinking ahead to Fall planting and WS in 2012
I usually post in the Hosta forum but have been branching out lately, so here I am =) I'm actually in the middle of a huge revamp of 3 beds right now. Yeah, whatever was I thinking... Anyway, I read the WS threads often but never had enough time or confidence to try seeds myself until now. So I just started making a seed list of just a few plants that seem likely prospects. For me, that means 1) hard to find locally or online as plants and 2) half likely of actually growing and surviving in my garden.
I am planning for a major re-do on two beds in fall. I have had them three years and still am not satisifed with them. I have drawn out the plans, ordered the bulbs and started some seeds and cuttings in hopes that they will be ready to go in the ground in fall. I am also starting to get things together for a bottle tree to go in one of them. I plan on incorporating alot of iris in my yard, so I have started ordering those too. They will go in the ground early fall. I will be adding on a "holding area(raised bed)" for some of the plants that I have started or am moving out of beds that I don't know what to do with yet or those end of season purchases that I can't turn down. I will be able to turn it into a mini hoop house if necessary. The last major thing for fall is coming up with a potting bench for my greenhouse. When fall gets here I will start my plans for wintersowing. I can't really do a whole lot until December with that. It is just too blasted warm here. I will definitely winter sow though. I was really pleased with the results I had last time.
I've been watching and learning on the WS forums for a few seasons now and think I'm actually going to give a few containers a try. I have a small apt. garden so it won't be the 100+ WS containers but I definitely want to give a few things a try.
T&M was having a 99 cent sale last week online. Shipping was a little steep but I spent about $40 trying to make the S&H worth it.
I really enjoyed winter sowing. It gave me something to do other than look through catalogs. The only problem is that it is easy to go overboard and end up with a ton to plant that you may not have room for. Of course that won't deter me. I will winter sow way too much again this winter! LOL!
Flowerchik1..I had to laugh at your 3rd. sentence. I don't know where you got that idea.!LOL! I set a goal for myself last year to plant 36 milk jugs..I did 83 before I quit. I think WS becomes addictive. I finally took some of my WS seedlings down to the community garden plots here in our Sr. community because I had no more room and I was tired of planting. This year I really plan to sow certain seeds and that's it. I'll have to find something else to wile away the months of Feb. and March. It has caused more arguments between me and DH.. Physically he isn't able to garden anymore and I do it alone.
Pippi isn't it crazy how it just gets out of hand so quick. I think it is because seeds are usually so inexpensive, well at least compared to buying established plants they are. The whole bottom drawer in my fridge is full of seeds and I have already been buying and swapping. I even have seeds and cuttings started in the kitchen windowsill. It is addictive!
dmac ohh watch out I bet you could fit 100 little clear plastic cups instead of milk jugs on your balcony or porch! LOL!
Flowerchik that is just evil to put those thoughts in my head:lol: I did talk the pepsi vendor out of several of their plastic 2 liter bottle trays so nothing will fall over:lol: I'm a Coke drinker but the 2L bottles are shaped wrong w/ that curve thing so I've got friend downing Pepsi products for me:)
Got my T&M treasures today:
Agastache Raspberry Daiquiri
several blue and white Lobelias
Sweet Peas Apricot Sprite and Zorja Rose
Marigold La Bamba
Crespis rubra--sorta short and flowers look like pink dandelions. Really want to get the white one when I find out who sells it:lol:
Aquilegia ms. M I Huish --dark flower
Alyssum--I'm one who think they smell like honey
Flax-Blue Dress
My TB iris addiction takes up most of the flower bed space so I turn to containers for my annual color.
I'm a get out of hand winter sower too. That's why this year I'm experimenting with just directing sowing seeds where I want them. I sprinkled seeds of the following in my garden this week, we'll see what we get in the spring:
Delphiniums
Aquilegia
Campanula (a variety)
Balloon Flower
Digitalis
Oriental Poppies
Lobelia cardinalis
We'll see how it goes :)
Pam, which color lobelia cardinalis? My friend has the red in her back gardens where she gets a lot of shade but with sun and she says the butterflies love the plant and she wants more next year. She can look at a plant and I swear it grows for her! I just learned this week through somebody's garden blog that there is also a pretty rose color of that same flower. Can't remember which blogspot I saw it on though. I was disappointed in my campanula clustered flower and gave it away. I wintersowed oriental poppies either in 2009 or 2010 and they bloomed last year. Am anxious to see what they look like in 2012. The Patty's plumb didn't survive for some reason. May try it again sometime. My oriental poppies are "Brillant" variety. Look more red/orange to me than bright red.
Pippi, I have mostly the red variety. But I also have some blue and some white. I'm collecting seeds as they ripen, and then spreading them around to other areas of my gardens. I LOVE them, and so do the hummingbirds. Let me know if you want some seeds :)
pippi, here's a picture from over the weekend up at our zone 5-ish pocono house. If you squint, you can see a blurry hummingbird feeding from the white lobelia
I am sooooooo glad to read that I am not the only WS addict!!! This year I only planted 100 milk jugs but plan on planting 300 this winter. I have found a great way to get rid of "extra" plants - I am having a plant sale!! I have started planning for it already! I am also addicted to yard sales and flea markets and so I stock up on containers all summer. This has consumed my life!!!!!
Well kdulany at least you might make a profit from your obsession or at least cover the cost of all of the seeds! LOL! I just keep spending too much! I think I will try to WS some poppy seeds. I have had absolutely no luck even getting those to germinate any other way. I know I will WS more larkspur, cleome and columbine. I need to dig through my seed bucket; I am sure there will be some more. I keep it in the fridge. I already have a slew of bulbs in there pre-chilling and have almost another 100 coming to go in the fridge. Who needs food?
I thought WS took care of of any stratification process but guess in Ga. where it doesn't get as cold as up north, you would need to chill certain seeds. What do you keep them in while they are in Fridge? I didn't realize there were so many colors of the perennial lobelia until Gardenweed posted here pictures and now PGT has posted the blue and reds. PGT..it looks like they might be in the snapdragon family?
I have been raising flowers from seed for more than 15 years. I have found there are some that don't start in the garden and need a controlled enviroment, lights and warmth. No experience with Lobelia, but Aquilegia, Digitalis and Papaver o. will all reseed in the garden. The Campanula and Platycodon both need to be started indoors from my experience. I found plans for a light stand 15 years ago in Fine Gardening on how to build a stand and add simple shop lights. Has worked great for all these years til my bro moved in and now I have a small area set up in the bathroom. Over the tub I put a sheet of plywood and added lights from the shower rod,LOL. Looks goofy but works great. Shop light can be bought for under $15 at home depot (with 2 bulbs). I love taking care of my winter babies. Only problem is now that frost is due late next month, I'm running out of time to find homes in the garden for all my extra babies,lol. Seems like I always over plant. I did take many to our garden club plant sale this month but have trays of babies yet. I still have hundreds, lol. Is this growing babies like going shopping hungry (a big no no),LOL.
I keep them in a plastic container. I read somewhere it helps to keep the seeds fresh if you keep them in the fridge, don't know if it is true or not. The older farmers around here say to keep them in the freezer or fridge too. I don't have a choice with the bulbs. I have to pre-chill them before planting.
warrior, thanks for the info about the campanula and platycodon. Great to hear your experience. I have a shop light set up that I use for annuals, and I'll throw some of my campanula and balloon flower seeds in there next late winter/early spring. Thanks for sharing.
--Pam