Perennials from seed

[jean]

I have sown Geum - Miss Bradshaw- with some success this year and have a healthy supply of seedlings for planting out later on in the year. Anyone else trying out perennials from seed ?

[Deleted]

What me? Perennials? Nahhhh, to much of a faff - I'd sooner go down a garden centre NOT!

Apart from the many trays on prep area obviously I planted up a fair bit today, obviously haphazardly as is me

[Deleted]

I think they are so much cheaper in the long run. You just don't get the immediate affect of shop bought ones

So far I have got Echinops, Echinicea, Gaillardia (sp), Adenophora. These were from seed last year and this year they have really surprised me at the size of them.

I would have forked out £5/6 a plant in the garden centres looking at the size of them now and I have about 40 plants. Giving away most of them to family and friends at work as I don't have that much space ;D

[borderbabe]

I'm growing some perennials from seed - Is it best for me to pot them on to a decent size and them plant them out in the Autumn/spring or try them this spring?? - not done perennials before!

[Deleted]

i have grown some perennials from seed last autumn, these are geum, (blazing sunset) only 2 plants that germinated. dianthus crimsonia (8plants), hollyhock rosea nigra (6 plants), potentilla Monarchs velvet (8 plants), poppy double tangerine gem (8 plants), verbena bonariensis (8 plants), aquilegia vulgaris magpie (8 plants) and monarda bees favourite (5 plants) nearly all are planted out around the garden - much cheaper than the gc's

[Barbara]

i always collect the seeds from perennials,
aqulegia
hemoracallis
phlox
foxgloves
alliums
poppies.
its great to get free plants. so satisfying, not to mention cheaper.
barbara

[Deleted]

I have always grown seeds I have collected & people have given me & have a mixed success but someone gave me a packet of mixed perennials which I planted a few weeks ago, I pricked out a lovely mixture into 3 trays last week so there will be some to plant & lots to give & sell

[jean]

borderbabe said:

I'm growing some perennials from seed - Is it best for me to pot them on to a decent size and them plant them out in the Autumn/spring or try them this spring?? - not done perennials before!

I think the idea is to plant out in the final planting space towards the end of Summer/September, so they might need potting on again.

I usually do Lupins and Foxgloves, the poppies I leave to their own devices and some years are better than others. I have tried Delphiniums but without great succes, Aqualegia self seeds all over the place without any help from me at all

[Deleted]

Not only are perennials from seed cheaper than bought ones - you have such a wide choice. Last year successfully grew passionflower and aquilegia (now starting to flower); also lupins but they got eaten by slugs. This year am growing hollyhocks, malva (deep purple), bergenia, and more lupins, and will be growing a lovely bronze-leaved, purple flowered aquilegia from T&M (too lazy to seek out the seed packet and name). ... cheers ...

[Cheerypeabrain]

I love growing from seed too...last years's perennials that are still 'with me' are 2 platycodon (out of a packet of 50 seeds!), my ONE monarda (from TWO packets of seed!) I also have several Bishops' Children dahlias that are just starting to put out leaves... ;D (I'm giving most of them away this year as I have no room...)

This year I'm growing delphiniums, lupins, gaillardias, rudbeckias, hyssop, monarda (better this year), heuchera (only one seedling but I only sowed a few seeds), dahlias, and other stuff I can't remember....If I like the plants I keep them...but if I don't I either give them away of treat them like annuals...ruthless me.

[fozzie]

As well as what you would expect from I am growing alliums,iris sibirica(sp), did some 3 years ago with good success they might floer this year for first time. Also Lythrum, agaste and Eryngium all from plants in garden

[MamIDdau]

I tried looking after some plants last year because I was too tight to buy any more. Then I decided to be ruthless and get rid of them. I felt so awful turfing them out of their pots...

[skarloey]

I took part in the RHS surplus seed share this year and have 19 packets of perennials and 1 shrub (I did order a packet of tree seeds but they had run out!) I have sown about half of the perennials so far and have so many that I have no idea what to do with them! I mean, who really needs 15 viscaria in a small garden?

Glad I shared all the seeds with a friend of mine, I'd have 30 viscaria otherwise!!! ;D

But, my 2 year old echinops, campanulas and others that I sowed from seed are looking fab now and definitely worth the wait and energy.

[Jonah]

I'm trying quite a lot of perennials from seed this year, including [apologies if I have mixed up some annuals in this list!] varieties of aquilegia and semi aquilegia, campanula rotundifolia [harebell], catananche, malva zebrina, trifolium, couple of primulas, salvia, knautia macedonica, scutellaria, heleniums, rudbeckia, iris, hellebores, codonopsis, coreopsis, polemonium, agastaches, aubretia, commelina, ragged robins and poppies, plus others. So far most of them are doing well, and I am hoping for lots of cheap, extra colour in the garden next year.
I have agastaches, passiflora and eccremocarpus that have been a real joy from sowing a couple of years ago, and this year it is looking like I am going to get my first flowers from kniphofia that I sowed, turfed out and forgot about, and then rescued when I saw life!

[4pygmies]

I grow more perennials from seed than annuals really. I don't find them any different from annuals but just slower. I don't have many problems but am still having no luck at all with Astrantias or Sanguisorbas. None at all from 3 separate attempts using different methods with the former and only one sad looking Sanguisorba............otherwise this year I'm growing Hollyhocks, Gaillardias, Heleniums, Aquilegias, Sage, Lavender, Angelica (biennial really), Delphiniums, Knautia, Verbascum, Potentilla, etc etc, lots of wild flowers and more Herbs I can't recall at this time in the morning....it gives me great pleasure to grow plants which cost SUCH a lot from GC's. Mean, she is......

[nightowl]

I've tried growing lots of perennials from seed over the years, with varying success. But even if you only get a couple of plants from a packet of seeds you're in profit over GC prices. And there's always the pleasant surprises, like finding a potful of seedlings after you've got fed up with nothing happening and chucked it round the back of the shed!! ;D

[Spruance]

What I find absolutely extraordinary, is the apparent ease with which bird-sown seeds flourish, and yet the same seed is often the hardest to grow by conventional means.

I currently have at least three very healthy looking foxgloves growing quite happily in gaps of no more than one inch in the paving around the front of the house. As they are not in the way, I think I will leave them to see how they get on. There would be virtually no chance of transplanting them anyway so why not?

BTW yes I know foxgloves aren't perennials, but the same applies equally to aquilegia for instance, which are also dotted around the garden in the most unusual places.

[jean]

Perhaps we could have a perennial seed trial next year along with the veggies and sweetpeas I would love to be able to grow astrantia from seed and have failed miserably so it would be interesting to see if anyone else has managed it and can pass on their experience. Any other ideas for "trials" or a wish list

[nightowl]

Just wanted to show you my baby Chilean Glory Vines(Tresco Hyb) that I grew.

Was beginning to think I'd labelled them up wrong cos they didn't look like they were ever going to be climbers . But now they're throwing up stems with little tendrils on ;D

Anyone know much about them? How hardy(or not) are they really?

[Deleted]

Hi! I sowed my Tresco Hybrids (Eccremocarpus) in April 2004 and the flowered late Summer. They have survived quite easily since in open ground, so I think in your location you have every chance.

Mine have been in flower for the past month, so can be described as a "good doer"

[nightowl]

Thanks CPB, that sounds encouraging

[jean]

I've received my Rudbeckia Brilliant Star seeds today, its a bit late to expect them to flower this year. I didn't know there were pink ones I usually do well with the yellow/rust so will be giving these a go too. Think they may be a good substitute for echinacea.

www.capitalgardens.co.uk/v3/rudbeckia-purpurea-39brilliant-star39-seeds-p-7606.html

[Deleted]

Hi CPC - re. Eccremocarpus - mine are at pretty much the stage of nolawns (sown early March, I think) - at what stage is it safe to put them in the ground, and do you have any special tips? It should survive here in Dublin, I imagine ... cheers ...

[Deleted]

I can remember that I was in "competition" with someone from the Beeb boards to get the first flower. I was really pleased with its progress for 8 weeks and then it slowed down once it got to 10cm/4'' (probably about now in 2005!).

Beyond that I can't remember anything other than it didn't flower until August (and I avoided mention of the competition, as I was plainly losing )

I took cuttings the first winter as security, although I needn't have bothered. Mind you the cuttings looked good trailing from a hanging basket under a tree.

[Deleted]

Hi Captain PC ... my Eccremocarpus is now half way up the wall with flower buds ;D. Logic says that it should be hardy in Dublin, but I'd like to take cuttings in the autumn as insurance ... how did you take yours? ... cheers ...

[Shrubrose]

Just lovely to read about everyone's successes. I've grown ageratum (annual). These were seeds my mum gave me and are years old and all germinated. Amazing. Godetia (free), hollyhock (majority germinated), delphinium (did well then got 'slugged' - got one left!. Sage, basil, marjoram. Have bought loads of perennial seeds at half price to try. Definitely going to need a bigger greenhouse ;D

[Jardack]

I am going to be trying Campanula (?sp) from seed this year - fingers crossed it all works

Jardack

[Weeterrier]

jlotie said:

Perhaps we could have a perennial seed trial next year along with the veggies and sweetpeas I would love to be able to grow astrantia from seed and have failed miserably so it would be interesting to see if anyone else has managed it and can pass on their experience. Any other ideas for "trials" or a wish list

Is this one of the great unanswered questions of the universe? Why is Antrantia so difficult to grow from seed, when my garden is under siege by self-sown seedlings?

And Jardack, good luck with the Campanula, i'm sure they will germinate fine.
I'd recommend Campanula persicifolia, the peach-leaves bellflower.

[Deleted]

CC - Chilean Glory Vine - I'm certain it WILL be hardy in Dublin unless we have an almighty winter

Cuttings? I just used a Stanley type/box cutter knife and plonked into a 3'' (10cm) pot in some compost. Or simply harvest the seed.

After an really good show by May - Mine have given up the ghost this year, but that's just fine by me. I could start afresh, but I've moved onto to other stuff in that particular location. Have fun making babies

[Juliet]

So far I have two Gaillardias & an Aquilegia - limited space & time this year. I'm going to be trying several different things next year though - went mad in T&M sale