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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Sowing Flower Seeds

Jessica Walliser
Hobby Farms Contributor

Jessica's sowing flower seeds ... like zinniasI’m busy sowing flower seeds.

I love to support my local nurseries, but I just can’t see spending three bucks for a pack of 6 zinnia seedlings when I can get a hundred seeds for the same price. 

I find that so many flowers started by direct seeding in the garden grow so much better than those transplanted from the nursery. 

No transplant shock I guess, and growing in those tiny 6 pack containers can’t be easy on them.

I plant my zinnias, cosmos, nicotiana, salvia (I especially love ‘Lady in Red’), calendula, nigella and sunflowers all from seed planted right into the garden. 

Plus, tucking a few seeds here and there in the perennial borders adds a little punch of color that lasts clear through to the end of the season.  And I never feel guilty about cutting them for arrangements – it seems I always have plenty of them to spare!

I’m trying a few new things from seed this year, including blue shrimp plant (Cerinthe major), Gomphrena ‘Fire Works’, and Silene electra.  Now if I can keep the rabbits and slugs from eating all the seedlings, I’ll be all set.

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Reader Comments
Neat
Julie, Sarasota, GA
Posted: 10/15/2009 7:29:34 AM
Interesting
Lola, Orlando, FL
Posted: 9/4/2009 9:05:53 AM
Neat
Sandy, Lexington, LA
Posted: 8/14/2009 5:58:32 AM
I enjoy seed collecting and seeing what comes up. Many of my friends will call me as their flowers start to fade away at the end of the growing season and ask if I would like any seeds before they put the flower beds to rest for the winter. I start a few in recycled 6 packs, these go back to my friens, and then I plant the rest right where I want them to be in the garden. Broadcast seeding in large areas gets the seeds right where I want them.
Carl, Bremerton, WA
Posted: 7/11/2009 12:26:22 PM
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