I have 7 Acanthus Mollis after planting 8 seeds. They are all about 4” high and roots are just showing in bottom of seedling tray. I’m going to put them all in slightly larger pots until Spring. I’m in zone 6 and I know that they will die back each winter. I had them once out in California where of course they never died back and were huge.
Yes get them into their own pots. Depending on how much summer is left where you are, they might benefit from potting on again.
Sorry if I was teaching granny to suck eggs - it's just that you referred to them as shrubs and I didn't want you to think you'd lost them when they die back for the winter.
In California they must be absolute thugs without winter dormancy to check them - they spread like crazy here and are difficult to get rid of if you change your mind (they'll grow back from the smallest bit of root) so be absolutely sure where you want them before you plant them out . Zone 6 gets colder than most of the UK so maybe they'll be less rampant there.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Yes, zone 6 has proven to tame even the most aggressive plants- and weeds. Well. Almost. The trumpet vine seems to grow a foot each night. And of course the available plant palette is smaller.
I didn’t mean to refer to Acanthus Mollis as a shrub. My original question pertained to how old- or big- plants should be before transplanting. I currently have over 20 different flowers, moss, shrubs and tree seedlings. I had hoped to do a lot of planting this next Spring, but I have realized that I should probably wait another year on the shrubs. The trees won’t go into the ground for another couple of years.
I belong to 2 different seed swap groups and a plant swap group. I’ve been busy dividing my irises and ferns as my contribution. I’ve just started propagating. Someone responded with a suggestion for quicker results, but I’m not looking for instant gratification here. I just want to insure that I have healthy plants. Growing from seed is teaching me so much about each plant.
Zone 6 seems to be about the temp range we have where I am - west of Scotland. Colder further north. It's only one part of the scenario though, because it's also dependent on whether you get low/high temps for long periods, and it's the same with rainfall. Consistent rain without too many long dry spells, is far better for plants than very heavy rain over the course of a couple of days, then a week or two with nothing. Length of season too. Shrubs will always take longer than perennials, and plants like Acanthus can be quite invasive over here - many people complain about it's vigour! It's always better to wait until plants are big enough, and have a really good root system before planting out. Timing is important too - later spring is usually better for many of them, because plants want to grow, and weather is warming up. Again - when that happens in your area is something you'll need to check, and experiment with. Some people find it's ok to plant out earlier because they're ground is warmer, and the soil is lighter. For example, I can't plant perennials out as early as people in the south of England as the soil doesn't warm up early enough, and younger, smaller plants would be very vulnerable because of that. Shrubs, on the other hand can be planted at almost any time of year because of the conditions being easier for them. In warmer, drier areas, shrubs are better planted during autumn/winter as long as ground isn't frozen, because they'll establish without extra watering, whereas spring into summer is less suitable simply because of weather being warmer and drier, so they'd need extra watering.
When in doubt, wait a little bit longer if you're in that first category of colder ground for your perennials
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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Length of season too.
Shrubs will always take longer than perennials, and plants like Acanthus can be quite invasive over here - many people complain about it's vigour!
It's always better to wait until plants are big enough, and have a really good root system before planting out. Timing is important too - later spring is usually better for many of them, because plants want to grow, and weather is warming up. Again - when that happens in your area is something you'll need to check, and experiment with. Some people find it's ok to plant out earlier because they're ground is warmer, and the soil is lighter. For example, I can't plant perennials out as early as people in the south of England as the soil doesn't warm up early enough, and younger, smaller plants would be very vulnerable because of that. Shrubs, on the other hand can be planted at almost any time of year because of the conditions being easier for them.
In warmer, drier areas, shrubs are better planted during autumn/winter as long as ground isn't frozen, because they'll establish without extra watering, whereas spring into summer is less suitable simply because of weather being warmer and drier, so they'd need extra watering.
When in doubt, wait a little bit longer if you're in that first category of colder ground for your perennials
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...