Hi everyone - I have ventured out to the garden in the rain - it hasn't stopped raining yet today !!!
Managed to get a not-so-good photo of the linum but hope it shows how spindly they are - flowers open in the sunshine so will try to get a better photo when it's sunny - I live in hope !!! Well drained humus rich soil and a sunny site I think suits them best. I don't tend to feed annuals so don't know if this would make any difference.
The second photo shows a mushroom container !!!! It's what I sow linum seeds in as they were very 'leggy' last year in ordinary seed trays !!
I also tried pinching out growing tips but plants haven't seemed to get bushy at all !! Seed packet also says best sown in groups - perhaps so that they can support each other or all flop together !!!!
Thanks toonia for the website link - looks a really interesting and informative site - will be able to get engrossed in it whilst it's raining . Have also found an online retail outlet for Gilia tricolor seeds so am very happy !!!
fotofit: big thanks for letting us see the Scarlet Flax. My mistake was just having 2 or 3 together with my first sowing which are about a foot tall now - no flowers yet. But I sowed half a packet of seeds in with a small wildflower bed so am hoping they will be better supported in amongst a big bunch of things growing at the same time. The wilds were sowed late so are all only about 4" at the moment. In Scotland I time things at least 4-6 weeks behind south of the border so will probably only see something worthwhile in about a month or more. Thanks for that and look forward to seeing a photo of yours on a sunny day. I've read they're stunning in good sunshine.
Hi everyone - the sun shone today in Lincolnshire for all of 5 minutes so I managed to get a couple of photos of flowers open - most of the plants are now getting quite bedraggled with the rain and winds and the flowers are starting to 'go over'.
I think the colour is spectacular and next year I'm going to try and sow direct into the ground !! I may also try some of the blue ones as if their colour is as intense it will look lovely. I'm growing the ones in the photos in amongst taller plants but they can be seen 'through' them !!
On the subject of scarlet flax i sow them in 24 sections and plant them out as a group with a small green cane as support. The variety Charmer is absolutely lovely with shades of pink and a lovely apricot . Try to save some seed from the small seed pods which ripen to small pea size rock hard pods.
Hi Mark - thanks for that tip - there seem to be so many colours available that we're spoilt for choice - I might look out for a packet of mixed seed for next year !!
Posts
Hi everyone - I have ventured out to the garden in the rain - it hasn't stopped raining yet today !!!
Managed to get a not-so-good photo of the linum but hope it shows how spindly they are - flowers open in the sunshine so will try to get a better photo when it's sunny - I live in hope !!!
Well drained humus rich soil and a sunny site I think suits them best. I don't tend to feed annuals so don't know if this would make any difference.
The second photo shows a mushroom container !!!! It's what I sow linum seeds in as they were very 'leggy' last year in ordinary seed trays !!
I also tried pinching out growing tips but plants haven't seemed to get bushy at all !! Seed packet also says best sown in groups - perhaps so that they can support each other or all flop together !!!!
Thanks toonia for the website link - looks a really interesting and informative site - will be able to get engrossed in it whilst it's raining . Have also found an online retail outlet for Gilia tricolor seeds so am very happy !!!
I am also pleased to say that I have ordered Gilia tricolor and Phacelia tanacetifolia seeds, the latter is in the post as I write
Happy to have been of help.
I have grown Gilia in the past -and linum. I just scattered the seeds where I wanted them as handling the skinny seedlings is tricky.
Once you have them they will self seed.
fotofit: big thanks for letting us see the Scarlet Flax. My mistake was just having 2 or 3 together with my first sowing which are about a foot tall now - no flowers yet. But I sowed half a packet of seeds in with a small wildflower bed so am hoping they will be better supported in amongst a big bunch of things growing at the same time. The wilds were sowed late so are all only about 4" at the moment. In Scotland I time things at least 4-6 weeks behind south of the border so will probably only see something worthwhile in about a month or more. Thanks for that and look forward to seeing a photo of yours on a sunny day. I've read they're stunning in good sunshine.
Hi everyone - the sun shone today in Lincolnshire for all of 5 minutes so I managed to get a couple of photos of flowers open - most of the plants are now getting quite bedraggled with the rain and winds and the flowers are starting to 'go over'.
I think the colour is spectacular and next year I'm going to try and sow direct into the ground !! I may also try some of the blue ones as if their colour is as intense it will look lovely. I'm growing the ones in the photos in amongst taller plants but they can be seen 'through' them !!
Happy gardening.
On the subject of scarlet flax i sow them in 24 sections and plant them out as a group with a small green cane as support. The variety Charmer is absolutely lovely with shades of pink and a lovely apricot . Try to save some seed from the small seed pods which ripen to small pea size rock hard pods.
Hi Mark - thanks for that tip - there seem to be so many colours available that we're spoilt for choice - I might look out for a packet of mixed seed for next year !!