Definitely not to late, now is the perfect time for cosmos, they just grow leggy if you sow them earlier, Monty Don used to sow his on the 1st June. Marigolds and nasturtium germinate quickly, I don’t sow annual rudbeckia, I only have perennials and divide when I need more.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Nasturtiums don't need to be in a greenhouse to germinate. Best sown direct, but if you get pigeons eating them , as I do, you can do them in small pots and transplant later no problem The others can all be easily done now in a greenhouse. I've just done some marigolds and rudbeckias - around a week to ten days ago. With little clear lids on them as it was still too cold out there. Most have germinated well. I don't grow cosmos any more but @Lyn knows what she's talking about with those .
Sowing too early tends to lead to more problems with lots of plants than sowing later.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I’ve found this thread really useful, as I’ve got some seeds that I’d like to sow and was wondering when the best time to do it would be as I only have a mini greenhouse and space is limited. I’ve got cosmos, lobelia and verbena bonariensis seeds that I’d like to grow. So thanks for starting the thread, @Simone _in _Wiltshire.
it’s too late for the Lobelia this year, it’s very slow growing so best started earlier. the others will be fine. In fact if you can wait until May for the Verbena, so much the better. @Fairygirl I don’t grow Cosmos anymore either, They get to flowering height and the wind whips them down.
Rudbeckia is tough, it was the one of the first things I planted here in 2012 along with Echinops, which I’ve been trying to get rid of ever since, but both are tall strong plants.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I had some Rudbeckia a few years ago, and they were great @Lyn - bought as a small plant though. I should have tried overwintering it but I didn't get round to it. Mine weren't a hardy variety. Thought I'd have a go with some seed. Might be good for a container or filling a gap
There's quite a few seed sowing threads at the moment @Red maple, so you might get some info by doing a search. There was certainly one about V. bon. Many people find that they self seed, but that doesn't often happen here. The main plants don't always survive winter either so I often take cuttings - usually in early summer, or a bit later depending on how much material there is. When I've grown them from seed, I do it in late spring/early summer - just sown in pots outside, as Lyn describes
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Oh, that’s a shame about the Lobelia, @Lyn. The pack says sow indoors Jan-April, but looks like I’ll have to leave it until early next year as we’re nearly at the end of April now. I’ll have to buy some small plants when I see them, instead, this year, and pay more attention to the sowing instructions for next year 😁
I agree about the lobelia - sowing now you probably wouldn't get flowers until September. They'll be widely available to buy so that's the way to go for this year. Actually I called in to a couple of garden centres on my way home from a business trip yesterday and there were loads of tender bedding plants already there, but it's too soon to buy them unless you have a greenhouse to grow them on for the next month or so,or you live somewhere very mild, but I think you're quite near me @Red maple. I don't put anything tender outside until the middle of May at the absolute earliest and then only if the weather forecast says it's going to stay mild overnight, not just frost-free but above maybe 7 or 8 degrees C.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Yes, I’m near you, I think @JennyJ. There are a lot of tender bedding plants about aren’t there, but unless you have somewhere to put them frost free, it’s too early for us to get them. Our forecast is showing some cold nights coming up this next few days, so definitely no good for putting them out just yet. Not frosty as such, but too cold at 0 degrees one night, 2 degrees another. Certainly no where near 7 or 8 degrees C yet, anyway.
Posts
Marigolds and nasturtium germinate quickly, I don’t sow annual rudbeckia, I only have perennials and divide when I need more.
The others can all be easily done now in a greenhouse. I've just done some marigolds and rudbeckias - around a week to ten days ago. With little clear lids on them as it was still too cold out there. Most have germinated well.
I don't grow cosmos any more but @Lyn knows what she's talking about with those .
Sowing too early tends to lead to more problems with lots of plants than sowing later.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
the others will be fine. In fact if you can wait until May for the Verbena, so much the better.
@Fairygirl I don’t grow Cosmos anymore either, They get to flowering height and the wind whips them down.
Thought I'd have a go with some seed. Might be good for a container or filling a gap
There's quite a few seed sowing threads at the moment @Red maple, so you might get some info by doing a search. There was certainly one about V. bon. Many people find that they self seed, but that doesn't often happen here. The main plants don't always survive winter either so I often take cuttings - usually in early summer, or a bit later depending on how much material there is.
When I've grown them from seed, I do it in late spring/early summer - just sown in pots outside, as Lyn describes
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...