Seedlings

The whole month of March I've been busy sowing seeds and taking care of seedlings. This is my second year trying to get some perennials and annuals started from seeds. Last year was not very successful, I made 2 typical mistakes; my seedlings never got enough light and I didn't harden them off properly before planting outdoors. Results? Most of my seedlings were tall and leggy and could not survive in the flowerbed.
Yet the first year brought some success: 2 tiny plants (I am yet to identify them) survived and grew a couple of leaves throughout the summer and I also got 4 tiny bushes of BLUE FESCUE ornamental grass.

This year I am not repeating same mistakes.  I've asked Eric to make a simple set up with bright lights for my tiny seedlings.  With 3 "daylight" eco-friendly lamps I am managing to keep seedlings at 16:6 light ratio. And the tiny guys definitely appreciate all the light they can get.

So far I've successfully germinated:
CUPID'S DART (Catananche caerulea)
BEE BALM PANORAMA aka Bergamot
SPEARMINT (Mentha spicata)
GERMAN WINTER THYME
CANDYTUFT WHITE SNOW
COLEUS CAMELOT 
WINTER SAVORY
PINK PAMPAS GRASS (Cortaderia selloana)
LIME BASIL

Several seedlings got too big for Jiffy pellets and I replanted them in small biodegradable pots:
COREOPSIS EARLY SUNRISE (Coreopsis grandiflora)
NEMOPHILA PENNY BLACK (Nemophila menziesii)
PETUNIA DOUBLE CASCADE ORCHID MIST (Petunia hybrida)
CALIFORNIA POPPY MISSION BELLS (Eschscholzia californica)
LAVATERA MONT BLANC (Lavatera trimestris)
CHAMOMILE (Matricaria recutita)
DIANTHUS PLUMARIUS
RUDBECKIA GOLDSTURM
SCHEPHERDS SCABIOSA (Jasione Laevis)
MALVA ZEBRINA

And I even got a chance to move 6 SWEET PEA (Lathyrus odoratus) shoots in the flowerbed.

I am hoping to get more seedlings pictures and write a little "profile" of each successfully grown plant.
Meanwhile it's time to do some research about container gardening. I am fascinated by beautiful container "arrangements" and would love to plant some this year.


Pin It