flowers from seed

[Protea]

In an attempt to save some dosh I decided to try to grow some flowers from seed this year for the 'cutting garden'.

I got carnations and garden pinks for cutting, and begonia (apricot shades i think) for my hanging baskets.

They've all germinated and the carnations and pinks have been pricked out into individual cells, however i had to do it before they had any true leaves as they were getting too leggy on the windowsill. The carnations seem to be doing OK, but quite a few of the pinks have flopped over and look like they're on their way out Not sure what to do i've been careful not to overwater and they're on the warmest and sunniest windowsill i have (greehouse is frost free but currently not 'heated' per se, so didn't want to put them in there).

Also - the begonias, they've germinated but the seedlings are sooooo tiny!! i can only just see them on the surface of the compost how long will they take to get to the stage when i can prick them out? Its such a job to keep the compost moist without drowning them!

I've got Dahlia's from seed waiting to germinate - so any advice on these in advance wuld also be great!

[Alice]

Hello Protea, Begonias from seed are notoriously slow. They are so tiny when they germinate and grow on very slowly. To stop the surface drying out and constant watering you could put the tray in a freezer bag and clamp it shut.
Dahlias from seed are very easy. They germinate quickly and grow on well. They only need the usal care you would give seedlings. I usually plant about the middle of March and that gets them up to a good size for planting out at the end of May. Don't forget to pinch the tops out if you want them bushy.

[nick the grief]

You've done well to get Begonia's from seeds they can be real pigs. I'd do what alice says & put them in a freezer bag or the self seal sarnie bags.

I suspect the trouble with your Pinks/Carnations is the fact that they are in a sunny windowsill & you've just ricked them out so I would move them to a brigght window but out of direct sunlight for a week or so to let them recover & get the root system working or you could put them into a seed tray with a propagator top on then cover with a white plastic waste bin liner ( the thiner the better as it will just give them a bit of shading ) or milky horticutural plastic if you can lay your hands on it.

Dahlia's - I assume these are the big one's are they & not bedding types. As Alice says doddle to grow and i would bet that everyone will come up!!.
At the end of the year if there are any you like particularly lift the tubers & then store them somewhere cool & frost free then you can start them of around now & take cuttings. ALso for fun what you can do is let some of the flowers go to seed & save the seed heads and save your own seed - you'll get loads of different types & colours so it will be a bit of excitement for you.

Also for cutting why not get some Stattice & Helichrysums (sp) these gan be used either fresh or you can dry them off & use them in the winter as dried arrangements. Some of the larger cosmos are ok for cutting as well and rather than buying CHrysanthes you could use some of the Asters as they have similar flower forms but can be grown easily from seed.

The Dahlia's wont last long in water but you'll be able to pick a bunch every day so it don't really matter!!

And lastly I suggest some sweet peas - a must I think.

WIth all of them it's best to give them a good watering at night then cut the first thing the next morning ( before they start to flag with the heat) and stick them in a deep bucket of cold water for an hour or so to make sure they are fully charged with water.

Hope that helps

[Protea]

Thanks Alice, I will try the freezer bag trick with the begonias.

I'm going to try to attach a picture of my sad little carnation and pinks seedlings - the ones on the left are the pinks which are flopping over - any suggestions?

[Protea]

Ooh - Nick, you replied as i was typing!

I've only just moved the carnations and pinks to the windowsill, they were further back in the room before (no room on windowsill!), so they were in light, but not bright light. I added some mycorrhizal fungi to the compost when i pricked them out to help them settle as they were so young, this should help them establish if they don't kark it before then! I have a plastic lid for the seed tray so will pop that back on them.

Yes, the dahlia's are the big ones (i think?), they are dwarf doubles mixed, pompoms mixed and single variety bishops children. Glad to hear they are a doddle, i've got my hands full (and windowsills full) with veg at the moment so can't be doing with fussy flowers !!

The cosmos i grew last year got out of control (think triffid!) and was covered in aphid, so i won't bother with that again. I've always grown sweet peas whenever i've had a patch of earth big enough but my new garden isn't great for making climbing frames and its quite shady, plus all the tying in ect drove me mad, and then they all went to seed when i was on holiday i've decided not to bother this year - i'll see if i miss them

Thanks for the advice

[Two_Sheds]

I love cornflowers for cutting, sweet william, and sunflowers (the multi-headed ones not the single giants)