I sow in a heated windowsill propagator, covered with a lid until they have germinated.
Then prick out, pot on gradually and keep under cover for their first winter when they are still tiny, and I can keep the slugs at bay. They flower the second summer for me.
I do mine on a 6ftx4ft heated bench in a Keder Greenhouse full seed tray in seed compost singled out 50 two weeks ago. Took 20 them and 20 Red Cherry tomatoes plants to gardening club last Tuesday for the plant sale table for club funds.
Thank you both! I’ll have to try that. They are one of my favourites too! And I don’t have any in my garden yet as I wanted to try sowing from seed rather than spend a fortune at a garden Center!
I sow mine in July in a south facing porch.. They always germinate well with no extra heat. I overwinter them and will be planting them out in June.
Larkspur (sometimes known as the poor mans Delphinium) works totally differently for me. They get sown in November and get left out outside in a cold propagator until they germinate around February. They will also be planted out in June.
You need to think what they would do in the wild. Drop seeds, lay dormant for the winter, spring up next year. no one goes out with a heated mat, propagator or plastic bag, Natures does the lot. If you can try to replicate that you’ll be fine. Im just planting mine out now, seeds sown autumn 2016. They are now big plants so not so much chance of slugs eating them.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
IMHO, fresh seeds do best. My Magic Fountains seeds from last year are sprouting poorly, even given all the stratification tricks. Besides, many fail to come out of the husk, I've never found out why.
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Then prick out, pot on gradually and keep under cover for their first winter when they are still tiny, and I can keep the slugs at bay. They flower the second summer for me.
one of my favourite flowers 💙💙💙
Larkspur (sometimes known as the poor mans Delphinium) works totally differently for me. They get sown in November and get left out outside in a cold propagator until they germinate around February. They will also be planted out in June.
And then the slugs appear ☹️.
In the sticks near Peterborough
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Drop seeds, lay dormant for the winter, spring up next year.
no one goes out with a heated mat, propagator or plastic bag, Natures does the lot.
If you can try to replicate that you’ll be fine.
Im just planting mine out now, seeds sown autumn 2016. They are now big plants so not so much chance of slugs eating them.