sowing summer bedding plant seeds

[bramble]

Just wondering has anyone else sown any of their seeds for summer bedding plants or is it too early.
I have sown sweet peas about four or five weeks ago bit haven't sown any other flower seeds.
Advice please. I will be sowing bedding dahlias, tagetes, lobelia, busy lizzie and a few others.

[piskieinboots]

I have many to sow - but already sown are several types of delphiniums, some penstemons and trailing (mine will climb, oh yes they will!) nasturtims.

To sow this week:
Nicotiana Evening Fragrance
Malva Sylvestris
Amanranths
...and what ever else I can find in the box

[Two_Sheds]

I find lobelia very difficult from seed, and busy lizzies very very easy from cuttings.

Today I transplanted lots of self-sown nemophila, limnanthes and nigella, so they've covered a lot of my ground.
I've got lots of bedding pinks already, they're just starting to come back into growth outside.
I have overwintered cuttings of Wandering Jew, pelargoniums & fuchsias indoors on the windowsills, ready to go in hanging baskets next month.

I know I've got lots of other flower seeds waiting to be sown, I'll be starting them off tomorrow as the heated prop is now empty

Oh, and I'll be digging out some bits of dahlia tuber to put indoors, to force for early cuttings

[Bigmallly]

November sown sweet peas & calendula are doing well but all cuttings have died.....

[Gearoid]

I've sown a few under lights so I've got some early flowers for my tortoise to eat once he's out of hibernation - livingstone daisy, nemesia, verbena, nasturtium - but I'm leaving the rest of my decorative flowers until April/May. I found sowing in March was a bit of a waste as all the seeds I sowed later quickly caught up anyway.

[Two_Sheds]

all cuttings have died.....

I lost 80% of my cuttings this winter too (they were in the gh, and it got very very cold)

[vicky]

I've sown some swan river daisy I got for free inside but tend to go for hardy annuals that can be left to sow themselves in situ (easier!). Like TS I have a few dahlias inside to force on for cuttings. I have a hankering after zinnias this year but have (so far) managed to avoid buying any...watch this space!

[Kristen]

I lost 80% of my cuttings this winter too (they were in the gh, and it got very very cold)

MIN thermometer in my cold greenhouse got down to -6C just before Xmas. (Forgotten what min air temperature we had, was either -10C or -14C). Unheated conservatory was a lot "warmer" than that, probably below 0C but not for long enough for water in a bucket to freeze.

Too mean to own TWO Max/Min thermometers!

I have got between 1,000 and 1,500 cuttings in the Conservatory, mostly Box, some look dead, but I have no idea if the ones that are still green have rooted, or if they are just hanging-on-in-there ...

[Two_Sheds]

Today I have sown lots of HHA pretties in the heated prop, and lots of hardy ones in the cold gh

(I can't sow too many, I have 3 gardens to fill - mine, lotty car park and school's )

[bramble]

Thank you for all that answered. I have been looking at the forecast for the next week and it looks bright and sunny but still very cold at night. As my propogator is now empty I think I may sow some seeds tomorrow.

[vicky]

I find bedding doesn't look too bad if it's a bit leggy as they get planted quite closely, plus you pinch out the tops to get them to branch.

[Florence Fennel]

I'm planning on sowing lots of different varieties of annual at the weekend.

[gojiberry]

Don't usually do much in the way of flowers. Find that sowing seed takes up to much time and space. Like to have a few flowers around though and have just received 160 bright red geranium plugs which I have potted up into pots (was not expecting them yet) and also have 100 double impatiens on order. Have loads of lillies around the garden and will be putting in dahlia and gladioli later on. Used to grow hundreds of fushias but couldn't deal with the hassel of trying to overwinter.

Ian

[jojo2910]

I've sown some hardy annuals in the unheated greenhouse and will be sowing half hardy annuals in a couple of weeks. I've bought some dahlias which I'll pot up and put in the greenhouse again in a couple of weeks to get some cuttings hopefully.

[Flobalob]

Started my bedding plants 1st of Feb. and have more or less continued daily sowings.
Begonia. Petunia. Nicotiana. Penstemon. Marigold. Impatiens. Lobelia. Dianthus. Delphinium.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kai2BOW-0J...0-11%2B485.JPG