A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2006 What or How To Do?

Okay, got my seeds and bulbs all lined up and the beds ready for them. Now all I need to know is how or what I should do to prepare the seeds/bulbs. Do I refrigerate them, "nick" them, start 'em in water? I am without a clue.

I have:

Hollyhocks
Cleomes
Red Poppies
Purple Poppies
Strawflower
Bunny Tails
Baby's Breath
Zinnias
Bachelor Buttons
Columbines
Calla Lilies
Canna Lilies

How do I prepare them for the ground? I am still researching which plants are tall and which are short so that my beds won't be lop-sided. Wish I knew how to use that landscaping program Jim bought me three years ago...

Dianna

Babies breath likes a slightly alkaline soil. I've never been able to get it to grow by direct seeding but that's just me.

Columbine are suppose to require being chilled after they are planted. For 6 weeks I think. Either that or direct sow in fall. They are one of those that you just press into the soil rather than sowing beneath the soil. Hope I made sense there.

I had better luck with the Hollyhocks by direct sowing them once it got good and warm. Remember they only produce foliage the first year and the flowers the second year.

The main thing I remember about the poppies is that they don't like to be transplanted or disturbed so you have to sow them where you want them. Also they self seed readily so expect lots of volunteers next year lol.

The canna can take wet feet without a problem. And give them room because each rhyzome(sp) will increase in size quite a bit. I only gave them about 6 inches each and they were so tightly packed that they were a pain to lift at the end of the growing season. From my original 6 I ended up with over 40 at the end of the first season.

Hope some of this has been helpful.

You have a landscaping program? That's great! Good luck learning it. I bought a cheap one once never did figure out how to work it. And it was suppose to be easy lol.

Dianna,
How are you comfortable with plants/??

Starting them in 6pks?
or sprinkling them on the dirt??

Or a combo of both???

Because you can do all of them in the 6 pks,
and then plant..

some you can just drop on top of the soil, ie; columbines, and they'll sprout..
but are you comfortable with waiting to see those sprout first and then plant the others..
or which????

I agree with Tammy and the Poppies..
They can be tempermental..

The red poppies, I think can just go directly on the soil..
I have the old fashioned one's like maybe your Gramma might have had.. I did those by plants I purchased..
The California one's I planted in 6 pks, and did okay..

Tammy, do you think I might could refrigerate the columbines and go ahead and plant them in the dirt during the spring?

I have the perfect place for the canna if they like wet feet. Down at the end of the driveway stays moist all the time. I would love to see them fill up the triangles I was trying to work with last year.

Weezie, I would be more comfortable putting the seeds straight to the dirt. Seems like I never have enough room around here (even with 2200 square feet). I am one of those people who don't like clutter of any sort out in the open. Just don't open my closet doors right now or look under the beds or in the study...

Thank you both for replying...

Dianna

For me, I'd forget where I exactly scattered the seed, so for me, I start some of those that would just drop on the soil, in a 6pk, but then as soon as I can, I drop them into the soil,
and it helps, ***With me*** to be able to space them better than to have to pinch or thin out later... cause I just can't thin them :rolleyes: ...

These one's can just be on top of the soil...
or a tiny, fine covering...*a sifted compost would be perfect, ~~~~~>if you used anything to cover<~~~~~~, the next best thing would be seed starting mix dirt...*

Hollyhocks
Cleomes
Red Poppies
Purple Poppies
Bachelor Buttons
Columbines

The Zinnias, in about a half an inch???
*the tip of the end of your fingernail itself..,
into the soil*


Calla Lilies
Canna Lilies
Should be covered, the bulbs are usuually
about 3 to 4 times deep as they are big??
*just a ball park*


Never planted them, not sure???
Strawflower
Bunny Tails
Baby's Breath

Thank you, Weezie. I have a bad habit of planting too deep so your guidelines will help a lot...

Dianna

You can always, cover or side dress if you think you've planted too shallow once you see them come up... and press hand on the new dirt, to make a good contact with the new soil and old soil and that will help to make it not so shallow..

Yes, I'd rather have too shallow than toooo deep.
They struggle when too deep..

I grew Baby's Breath last year....it was in a wildflower seed packet that I sprinkled in a planter and covered lightly. I've found that many seeds will grow so much better when started outside after frosts have passed. I start a lot of mine in long windowbox planters, and as they grow transplant them into the garden.

I would go with Weezie on the columbine. I'm working from information I've gotten off of the net and it may or may not be correct. But on one of the other strings Bill shows his columbine seedlings as being in the refrigerator. I direct sowed some last fall and nothing has come up yet but it's probably to early yet.

The canna's will difinitely grow in your driveway flower bed but my concern would be their height and trying to pull out of the drive. They get 4 to 5 feet tall for me and I think they got even taller for Mike57. So you might want to check that before you plant them there.

Thank you all for your tips and suggestions. I may have to re-think my thoughts on not starting them in the house. Seems like all of you are doing it and that makes me want to do it, too. Please don't go jumping off any cliffs, though, and expect me to follow!

Tammy, have you heard from our gardening friend? I was wondering about him the other day. It has been awhile since I have seen him post...

Dianna

Your right Diana it has been a while since I have seen a post from Mike57. We may have to send out an alert and see what he is doing.

I understand what you were saying about clutter. I'm not a fan of it either. But having the windows choke full of plants seems to be a different matter. At least until I have to water all the little darlings.

Then it is a pain as I pull each one out and give it, it's bath and then put it back. I takes about an hour every morning to check on everything. Of course part of the reason is that I used those egg cartons and they absorb all the water constantly. And the starter soil doesn't have enough perlite to hold on to the water.

So it's water the seeds just about eveyday. I plan to do things differently next year. But then I think I'm going to be one of those people who says that every year. Maybe by the time I'm 90 I'll have a pat system lol.

I promise not to jump off of any cliffs. But we can still share plants so that we have twin gardens at least to some point.

How are you comming on breaking up the clay you had? I see that mine reclumped over the winter and is just as stubborn this year as last. Of course this year I'm using the bricks I got last year to build beds on top of the clay. You might say if I can't win one way I'll win another.

Jim is tilling in some grass clippings when he tills the garden to get it ready for spring. We are determined to amend this clay into something that will make our plants/vegetables happy. The foundation flower bed that I am working on has some sand mixed with all that clay, plus some potting soil on top of that...

One thing I can say about you is that you are determined. Fighting clay is a job and a half. I am happy that you figured out a way to garden without wasting your energy. I wish I could visit and help you some this spring...

Clutter just bugs me. When I am depressed I am apt to just leave it to pile up, so I try to stay on top of it. It seems to make my depression even harder to cope with if I let it go. I am just trying to figure out how to put all of the seed starts into the sunroom without crowding it so badly that I will have to move my potted plants out. It is about nine foot square with SW facing windows and my potted plants love it in there.

Yep. I miss our gardening friend and am praying that nothing serious is keeping him away from the forum.

Dianna

COMPOST, COMPOST, COMPOST, COMPOST....
Sending subliminal messages to Diannaaaaaaaa...


*I know Tammy's workin' hard on her compost *

Got the message, Weezie. I think I will be adding my little five gallon bucket of compost to the flower bed...

Dianna

I did see Mike on a couple of days ago...
Did anyone go put him on that MIA LIST????

I am headed that way right now...

Dianna

He posted today...