More seeds sown

I was just having a look round my plants and realised that I was a bit short on a few seedlings such as Cosmos (you can never have too many Cosmos), and had only single speciments of some Salvias. But once you start you can't stop (well I can't). So I have sown a few more seeds in small pots today, being :-

Cosmos, Calandrinia grandiflora, Nicotiana mutabilis, Pennisetum purple, Rhodiola kirilovii, Scutellaria zonghdianensis, Sutherlandia frutescens and Tithonia rotundiflora.

Plus a few Salvias - S brevilabre, S chamaedryoides, S cheinii, S jurisicii, S meyeri, S splendens (5 foot pink version of the bedding Salvias). And a couple of Lepechinias, which are close relatives of Salvias - L chamaedryoides and L hastata.

Other than Cosmos, I have no idea what any of the others are like - they are just names on an otherwise bare packet. So I would be grateful for any information or personal experience.

 

Peter , I have just discovered Cosmos . I bought some at a plant sale last week and we really like them. If I planted some seeds now would I be able to plant them out this summer ? Is there enough time ?

 

Yes I think so Smiffy. Christopher Lloyd (my guru) wrote that you shouldn't sow some tender annuals such as Cleome and Tithonia until 1st May. He didn't mention Cosmos - but that too is fairly tender. He said that they caught up quickly as the temperatures and light levels in May and later were so much higher than earlier in the year that early sown plants don't have as big a start as you imagine.

Cosmos will go on flowering till November, so its worth having a go. I have just sowed some more as I sowed some on 1st May, but realised I didn't have enough.

 

Addenda: till November means till the end of November with a bit of luck.

 

Thanks for the advice Peter, I bought 2 packs of seeds from the GC this afternoon. I will pop them in the propagator tomorrow and hopefully get them in the garden by August. If they do flower to late November, it's worth the effort.
I am also going to google all those unpronounceable Cosmos you have listed for 2009 planting ideas.:thumb:
thanks again........

 

Smiffy - It is always worth Googling things that you don't know, but I wouldn't worry too much about most of the seeds I mentioned above. In my garden I have first class plants, which I consider to be superb and well worth their weight. I have second class plants, that are commonly grown, but to me not necessarily the best variety. I aim to replace these as and when. Then there are plants, which to me are third class - though others may rate them higher. These are definately going out - to make way for - well anything. Then there are oddities, which are unusual plants. Its a bit like a car boot sale - you might find a real gem, but much will be rubbish.

Apart from the Cosmos and Tithonia, the rest fall in the oddities category. I didn't buy any of them, consequently I have very little information on them - but its great fun trying new things, and you never know what you might find.

If you are looking for suggestions of good plants, ie of real value in the garden, I would be very happy to supply some names of plants that I like - though its all subjective of course.

 

Peter - I would really appreciate some suggestions for my 2009 planting. I have just sown Cosmos Polidor and Cosmos Double click , this was an easy choice as they were the only ones left on the racks at the GC :D - but the pictures look good on the packets. The Tithonia looks excellent but on the BBC site it says it grows to 1.8m - is there a variety at less than a metre?

 

Smiffy - these are some of the plants that I like. Note only some plants come true from seed. Cultivars you generally have to buy as plants.

Biennials: Alcea (hollyhocks); Bellis perennis, Digitalis (foxgloves); Campanula medium; Hesperis (will self seed); Lupins; Lychnis coronaria; Myosotis (forget-me-nots will self seed); Primula; Salvia sclaria. These are biennials that I am growing in a quiet corner to give early flowers next year, which can be replaced afterwards by later flowering plants such as Dahlias or some of the annuals below. Some like Lupins are grown as biennials as they leave a mess after flowering and can't be moved.

Annuals: Agastache mexicana* (same really as rugosa and foenicum); Cleome; Cosmos; Diascia; Kochia; Lagurus ovatus (grass); Melica altissima* (grass); Salvia coccinea* (particularly like the pink); Salvia patens*; Salvia viridis; Verbena rigida*. *= perennial but just as good grown as an annual. I just grow things to put with perennials, so haven't included any traditional bedding plants.

Perennials: Armeria Bees hybrids; Astrantia (very long flowering); Calamintha nepeta; Campanula persicifolia; Centranthus (very long flowering); Echinacea; Eryngium; Knautia macedonica (prefer the short version); Helenium Moerheim Beauty (I think you can get this cultivar as seed); Lobelia Queen Victoria (although this is a cultivar seed is available); Lythrum virgatum (but best is Blush which you must buy as a plant); Monada didyma; Nepeta faassenii; Origanum laevigatum Persicaria amplexicaulis (very long flowering); Perovskia; Veronica longifolia; Stachys coccinea (long flowering); Verbena bonariensis (a must have).

Nearly all the above are long flowering, which is a major reason for liking them. But there are so many more...

 

Thanks for your plant list Peter - especially the perennials - this will take me some time to look them all up !
I have grown salvia splendens for the last three years so I will try some of the other varieties you suggested.
Thanks again for your help and advice .