My new toys and a fresh start :)

Strongylodon - are you saying that Caesalpinia will take a frost? Is there one in particular to go for? You may have just changed my mind on this one........

 

Strongylodon, to be honest, I don't know whether I have collected actual lagerstroemia seeds. But I have two big plants in the garden, which haven't flowered yet. I protected them for the winter and I think they will be fine this season.

I did soak the caesalpinia seeds.

Longk, very young plants will not take the winter frost without protection, but I believe that 3-4-year olds can survive local winters. We have forum mates growing them in Bulgaria, in areas where they had -23C this winter.
We're still waiting to see if they suffered any severe damages (hopefully not).

 

Another one to buy then!
Thanks Angelina for the info.

 

Well done and good luck busy busy for you love wot you have bought

 

Some shots of what's growing so far.

Varieties of tagetes, dark red sunflowers, double-flowered hollyhock mixes (at least three), nasturtium 'Black velvet', blue, white and pink ageratum mix.



Blue ageratum. I will slice it into cubes to transplant.


Phacelia campanularia and Phacelia tanacetifolia, more tagetes, sunflowers and hollyhocks, some white double flowered cosmos is also popping up erratically.
No signs of life in the pots marked: heliotrope, nicotiana langsdorfii and ipomoea 'Morning Serenade'. I hope they'd join the party later.


Baptisia australis (indoors)


Lizianthus at the first pair of true leaves.



Caesalpinia gillesii (seems to be suffering about something, I've probably overdone on water...)


Thunbergia alata


Ipomoea alba (I had only one seed, but it's huge).

I effectively killed some of the plants and I'm not sure about the reason. For instance, the hibiscuses died at their first true leaves.
Celosia 'Cosmo' didn't like direct sunlight for one afternoon. :(
All lupins germinated, grew for a while and... became yellowish, the stems softened and died. I mean - all seeds sown in the first go. I planted the second series directly out, after soaking. And I have more supplies.
There are some other singular growths around in the pots. And some zero performers so far (verbena hastata 'pink spires' and salvia splendens).

Some chilly nights are on the forecast again here, and afterwards I will engage in another massive campaign of sowing.

 

I had to google Phacelia campanularia - looks like a really nice plant!
Why do you think that the Caesalpinia gillesii is suffering? Looks no worse than my Albizia, Cassia and Bauhinia did in the early stages. One thing that I learnt to my cost with the Albizia (which were the first that I grew) is that the pea family seedlings dislike excessive humidity at this stage.

 

Its first pair of true leaves withered (and I removed them). The lowest part of the stem seems yellowish. The top keeps growing, but I just think that it needs more sun and less watering. So I stopped watering it.

 

I see.............my Albizia were never the nicest looking seedling, but soon grew through this stage so I'm sure that yours will too.