Do these perennials/tender perennials bloom the first year if started from seed?
columbine
Datura
coral bells
corkscrew vine
Stephanotis floribunda
mallow/french hollyhock
Allium cernuum
lupine
daisy
verbena
This message was edited Feb 17, 2007 4:02 PM
Perennials from seed
I think Stephanotis takes a couple years, the others I'm not sure about.
Thanks for the info! Hope I have good luck with my annual seeds or else I'll have to buy flats for some color. Tamara
Tamara~ just a thought, are you checking out perennials blooming first year for wintersowing or direct sowing?.... If you're wanting to start your annuals indoors, you know you can use the same method as W/Sing. It'll be a mini greenhouse environment indoors in a sunny window, but your seeds will germinate sooner.When the plants are bigger then switch to either grow lights or just keep them near a very sunny widow and be sure to remove the tops. You will still need to harden them off before transplanting outside. If you use the W/Sing container, be sure to use alot less seed. I've started annuals in my terrarium in the past with very good results. If you use terrarium idea, or glass containers, make sure the plants do not touch the glass sides. Just a little red cent. Happy sowing and growing! ;0)
Since I am a beginner at starting from seed, I am WS and indoor sowing all my seed (except for tender perennials/tropicals....obviously, they don't get WS and the ones that require stratification, I'm only WS). I am only doing 5 seeds per WS container until I can see for myself that it actually works. ;-) I have a make-shift grow light shelf set up in the basement. Currently, I am growing pansies, Bibb lettuce, and coleus (just germinated today!). It became very apparent that I have way more seed than room to grow it. Bummer. I told my neighbor that we have to start putting stuff in her house too (she's fine with it, but her DH is a old grump...can't wait to see what he's going to say about it)--she has a south facing window and I do not (in fact, the only places that are safe in my house are the basement and kitchen (north facing)--my very curious 17 month old would tear up those containers in a nano second if he could get his pudgy hands on them! hehe Tamara
IME, yes, Datura will bloom first year and my french hollyhocks do also, Malva sylvestris bloomed in the first year also. I wouldn't consider the Datura a perennial here (at least not for me). It may come back in the same flower bed but by self seeding. The french hollyhock also produces much seed and will continue to reseed the bed for yearly flowers. I do start both indoors and that may give them a jump on the blooms. Stephanotis floridbunda I had no success with. Good luck!
I got 6 seeds of the Stephanotis. I am doing 2 seeds in a coffee filter in a baggie on top of the DVD player (it's warmer than on top of my fridge). It's in my living room which is south facing, so it's fairly bright. I put another 2 seeds in a pot of seed starting mix, in a gallon ziploc bag, on top of the fridge. The last 2 I am going to put in the basement under lights, with the seedling mat (the air temp down there is about 62, but hopefully the mat will keep the soil at 72 or more). If any of those methods work for me, I'll let you know. Tamara
Zone5,
If you are considering shasta daisy, (perennial) , they do not bloom the first year. I crossed them off of my list to seed because of that. However, if you are thinking of painted daisy (annual), they will bloom.
I haven't tried the others.
Pennefeather, it is a shasta daisy. Fortunately, I am going to plant them near my Wirral Pride daisies so at least something will be blooming this year. Thanks, everyone, for the info! I normally just purchase plants so it came as quite a surprise that I would be having a whole lot of foliage and not many flowers this year. Well, at least I have enough established perennials to keep it from looking pathetic. Tamara
Hi Tamara,
I don't know what kind of Verbena you have but last year I sowed V.bonariensis and it bloomed the same season. It's an annual for me.
The columbine, I expect would bloom the second year. I started some columbine seed last year and only had the foliage.....they better put on a show for me this year,by golly!
I plant shasta daisies in the fall in the ground and they bloom beautifully in the spring....right now, i keep pinching the buds off, trying to make it bloom a little later....
I also get Malvae (sp>) 'Zebrina' to bloom the first year ....
My shasta daisies bloomed the second year. I was disappointed that they didn't bloom the first year, but the size, vigor, and bloom of the plants in the second year more than made up for it.
I planted two types of verbena last spring and both bloomed the first year.
Has anyone seen seeds of Echinacea Online from a seed company? My mailman ... YES, I said ... MAILMAN ...!!!! wants to grow most of his flowers from seed this year like the flowers I had last year in my front yard. He saw my Jung seed catalog and pointed to the odd colors of some "coneflowers" and said he wanted to start them from seed. I didn't look closely as he gave me the mail, but when he left, I noticed they were plants, not seeds. Most of the flowers like mine I am able to find for him. I have not noticed people mentioning starting Echinacea from seed. Does anyone know where I can order them? Thanks!
Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From what I understand although people are collecting seed from the new color selections of echinacea, they are hybrids so the colors of plants grown from the collected seeds will not be the same. Probably still pretty but not the same. I purchased some of Sunrise and Twilight from someone on eBay. I know there are some problems with some seed purchased from eBay but since I didn't want to plop down $13 for a plant it's worth the risk even knowing that the color won't be exact. You may want to watch for co-ops too.
Thanks dmac. That's just what I wanted to know.
Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dmac
I feel that same way about the new echinacea as you. There are several colors that I just love, and would really like to have, but I don't want to spend the money for them. If you look at the new coconut lime that White Flower Farm has, it is 17.95, their Green Envy is $30!
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/echinacea.html
I did break down and order several Kim's moppets because I couldn't find seeds anywhere, and I really wanted it. I consoled myself by pointed out that they will multiply, and end up costing very little later one. I just can't do that with a $30 flower.
I'd probably not have such a problem forking out for perennials if I wasn't renting right now. I also figure if I wait a year or two the price will probably come down a bit. That Coconut Lime one is really pretty and unique though:)
Here's a link to some additional perennials that will bloom the first year from seed ... http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00195.asp ...
Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks, Karin!! I've been tempted to buy some gaura seeds, and now this just convinces me. :-) TAmara
I can vouch for gauras blooming the first year from seed. I had great luck with them.
I have had good success with coneflowers in the past, but I don't bother with the odd-colored varieties. "White Swan" is one of my favorites, and readily available from seed. If you need something different, try "GreenWizard".