General guidance
Place the tray in a cool place and check for signs of growth every other day. Make sure the soil remains moist throughout the germination process. Once the seeds have germinated, мove to a spot with plenty of light until it’s time to transplant into the garden.
Reмember that the hardy nature of trees means they can be transplanted in the spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Autumn-sown trees can be transplanted as soon as temperatures have started to cool in autumn. Explore More Starting plant Outdoors Although direct sowing flower seeds in the garden may be possible, it is not recommended. Gardeners without the space or necessary supplies to start seeds indoors can still do so using the winter seeding method. The AD Winter Seeding Method uses recycled containers, such as milk jugs, to act as ‘mini-greenhouses’. Surface sow flower seeds in containers and place the containers outside. When the time is right, pansy seeds will germinate and begin to grow. Seedlings can be transplanted into the garden as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring.
Scroll down to see more introduction to each flower
1. Hollyhock Apricot
One of my biggest thrills this past year in the nursery was this cherry-eyed, single apricot hollyhock – and to our surprise, it sprouted the coveted fig-leaf foliage and multiple spiking habit! Hurray – another perennial Hollyhock! Just like ‘Single Black’ and with A. rugosa, you’ll get a long-lived, long blooming and rust resistant 5’ tall cottage garden gem. Combine with Verbascum ‘Southern Charm’ and bloom-at-the-same-time Lilium regale for maximum romance and fragrance. Bloom time lasts from Summer through Fall, after which you should cut the stalks to the base and side dress with some compost.
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2. Salmon Tecolote Persian Buttercup Ranunculus
Growing 10” to 18” tall, these hard-to-find, claw-like tubers yield long-lasting, camellia-like, ruffled flowers with darker centers and lacy foliage. The tender tubers may be fall-planted outdoors in zones 8-10. In zones 3-7, hold the tubers over the winter in 60°F, dry conditions and plant them outdoors after any threat of spring frost has passed. Immediately prior to planting, soak the tubers for three to four hours in room temperature water to promote faster sprouting and root development. Plant the tubers 2" deep and 4" to 6” apart in full sunlight and well-draining soil. Plant with the claws pointing down. Allow the foliage to die back naturally. (In zones 3-7, lift the tubers and store for the winter, or discard. In zones 8-10, the tubers will go dormant for several months followed by the next growth cycle.)
Ranunculus are terrific grown indoors in cool, bright greenhouse conditions without precooling. After soaking, pot the tubers closely together, covered with 2" of sterile potting soil in well-draining pots. Place them in a 55° to 60°F greenhouse in light shade until the sprouts are 2” tall, then shift the pots into bright greenhouse sunlight. They flower in 10 to 16 weeks or so once potted.
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3. Purple jean amandine ranunculus corms bulbs
Purple Jean Amandine corms/bulbs - I did not grow these myself but I was able to get a quantity of them from a reputable grower that I know. Purple Jean has a variety of soft purple and and mauve shades and blooms with double ruffles! Amandine Ranunculus have extremely large blooms. They are taller than traditional ranunculus and more heat tolerant, so they will grow longer in the season. These are the larger 5/7 size corms, which will produce more blooms per corm
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4. Ranunculus Tecolote Sweetheart Collection (20 Corms)
aw-dropping beauty! If you love rich pinks and purples then this vibrant mix is a must-grow. Our Sweetheart Ranunculus blend is a prolific bloomer and perfect for cut flowers. They emit a sweet scent, so bring them inside from your cut flower garden to decorate every room. The colors are so perfectly suited to each other that you won't need any other filler or flower to make a stunning bouquet. As with any ranunculus flowers, these are sturdy, long lasting, and even more beautiful than roses.
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5. "Amazing Grey" Poppy Flower
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6. Black Double Peony Poppy Flower
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7. Mother of Pearl Poppy Flower
How to Sow Poppy Seeds:
Poppy seeds are fairly easy to grow but can be a bit fussy. The details below are from our experiences, and failures, in trying to grow poppies several different ways.
Best Way (Fall/Winter): In late fall loosen enriched garden soil down to a 6" depth. For zones 3-7 it's best to direct seed into your garden after your first hard freeze in very late fall. For zones 8-9, or mild zones like California, you will get better results if you cold treat your seeds (see below) sow them during the winter. . From our experience it's best to choose a spot that gets sun during the winter and sowing them in a spot that stays shady (and here in zone 7 usually wet) during winter month's will reduce your chances for successful germination.
These poppy seeds are very small so we use the shaker method where you mix your seeds with peat or sand to spread the seeds evenly in your sowing area. We then we top with a fine dusting of peat or sand as they need light to germinate. The poppies will germinate over winter and pop up in very early spring (see the last picture which a young fall sown poppy taken the following April in zone 7).
You can transplant winter sown poppies in the spring. We wait until they are about 3" in diameter and then transplant their root ball if we are expecting mild weather for a few days. Usually they will suffer a bit but will pull through. Be sure and thin or transplant to around 12".
Ok Way (Spring): If you are buying your seeds in late winter or early spring, first try a germination test with 4-5 of your seeds. Place them in a moist paper towel, and then place in a sealed baggie, and put in a window where the temp is at least 65 degrees. If they are ready they will germinate in 4-5 days by sending a fine root hair from the seed. If they germinate you can direct sow them after your last frost using the shaker method. If you are in zones 8-9 where you get a hot summer you need to sow your poppy seeds by March 15th.
If they don't germinate they will have to be cold treated. Place your packet of seeds into a mix of 1/4 cup fine peat (or a mix of peat and coarse sand) and 1 tablespoon of water. You want your mix moist but not soggy. Place the mix in a sealed baggie, inside a sealed container, inside your refrigerator (not your freezer) for 60 days. Check after 30 days to see if you need to add more water as you don't want the mix to dry out. What this does is trick the poppy seed into thinking it has gone through a full cold winter. After 60 days you can take your seeds out and let them dry overnight and then use the shaker method. You can plant the poppies in the late winter or spring, after the 60 day cold treatment, as long as your ground is workable and it's past your last frost date. As always we give them a light dusting with peat so as to disguise them from birds.
When poppies germinate in spring they send up a stalk that looks like a very fine blade of grass. This stalk grows to about 1"-2" before it grows it's first leaf set. Once your poppies are around 2" tall it's time to thin them out. Don't try to transplant as they won't make it. The risk on spring planted poppies is if they germinate and you get a crazy heat wave there is a chance they won't make it. The race in the spring is to try and get the poppy to establish it's root system before the summer heat arrives. A bit easier in zones 3-6 but a more difficult thing for zones 7-9.
Bad Way (Summer): Unless you live in southern California or Hawaii do not try to sow poppy seeds in the Summer. They will germinate but the heat will kill them before they can develop.
Worst Way: We do not recommend starting in pots as poppies disliked being transplanted, but if you want to try use a compostable 4" peat pot and do not remove the plant from the pot when transplanting in the spring. They will probably not mature correctly and have a small chance of flowering
During the summer dead head any spent flowers but at the end of the growing season you can let the flower head form into seed pods where you can collect seeds in late fall, but note that if you have multiple varieties of poppies in your garden they will cross pollinate and you will end up with some different colors.
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8. Venidium WHITE MONARCH of the VELDT, Easy Fast Annual, Heat Tolerant
Grow Venidium seeds for a brilliant display of color all summer and fall. The Venidium flower is in the aster family, and it goes by the common names of Monarch of the Veldt and Cape Daisy. Cape Daisy Venidium Fastuosum is native to South Africa and Nambia, and it is cultivated as an ornamental plant for its prized flowers. Cape Daisy flowers are excellent for cutting. Mix Cape Daisy flowers into the border or plant around the vegetable garden, as they are very attractive to beneficial insects and pollinators. If you love a moon garden this is the flower for you
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9. Lisianthus Doublini Blue
Lisianthus Doublini series is a great variety of cut flower that holds well in vases and floral arrangements. This variety has a small flower but many on a plant the flowers are only about 1 1/2" to 2" across but have a nice color. Is a small double flower these have very long sturdy stems that get about 22" long to 26" and are a great flower to grow from seeds. These will take about 120 days from seeds to flower they are a annual. These have a large showy double bloom on them
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