How easy are these to grow from seed?

[littlepooley]

Hi, hopefully somebody can help me! I'm interesting in having some of the following in my garden next year and am trying to decide whether to buy seeds or plants. Obviously seeds will work out cheaper, BUT, I am very limited on space and already have a lot of seeds that need growing - so only want to get seeds for the following in they are pretty fool proof!!! If not will buy them as plants to ensure success!

All the following are from Mr Fothergills with them giving free p&p:

Echinacea, "dreamcoat" which is a mix of colours
Nectaroscordum siculum which looks very pretty
Scabious Dark Red
Lavender "elegance ice" which is a white flowering lavender

So has anybody grown any of these before? Could you give me some advice/tips if so pretty please

[BrideXIII]

well with regard to the lavenders, I had two this year , bought as plants, did fine in the pots until i transplanted them in the late summer, died.
will try again next year. but lavenders are funny things, they don't seem to like me unless they are REALLY well established.

[scarey55]

Don't know about the others but I grew echinacea last year. They were very slow to grow but not very difficult and still in flower as we "speak"

[littlepooley]

When you say slow to grow - how slow?

I think for the lavender as I will probably buy as a plant as I imagine I will only want one of that colour being as I already have 4 lavenders. My lavenders have done really well, especially considering that my soil is rubbish, really bad clay soil, and they were bought as tiny plug plants earlier this year but they are huge now

[Alice]

Littlepooley, for your lavender you could buy 1 plant and if you want more it's easy to take cuttings. But I wouldn't plant it beside the lavenders you already have as they give off a growth inhibitor and it might not establish well.
I've grown Echinacea and I don't remember there being any problem. Sorry I don't know the others.

[vicky]

Nectaroscordum - bulbs will often take 3 or more years to flower. I've grown alliums from seed before and they didn't flower for at least 3 years (I moved house so don't know how long it did take)
Scabious and Echinacea will not flower in the first year, maybe in the second, but will take a while to bulk up. Lavanders seems to self seed everywhere (if you have the right conditions) but again will take a while to bulk up. I would agree they are easier from cuttings as you'll get a bigger plant more quickly.

[Two_Sheds]

Scabious are dead easy ... I was giving them away a few months ago - sorry none left now.

Your scabious is an annual, so it will flower the same year. I grow the same one as well as a black one: mine come back every year after an autumn pruning.

[littlepooley]

Ah maybe I get echinacea and scabious from plants then as I'm impatient and want them to flower next year! Then maybe if I want more in the future, can I save seeds from those plants to grow more?

The new white lavender will be going into a new border away from the other lavenders so that should be ok

[littlepooley]

Ah ok maybe scabious will be from seed then to save some money! Thanks Two Sheds What name is your black one? Fancy having a dark scabious near to the white lavender so that they show each other off well

[Two_Sheds]

Ah ok maybe scabious will be from seed then to save some money! ...What name is your black one?

It goes by different names according to the seed company selling it. Here's one: Scabious Chile Black

[littlepooley]

Ta very much

[cupcake]

Nectaro whotsit,,,,,, it was on the GW tips prog today, and the woman growing it said that it seeds itself everywhere. Must get some bulbs.