Growing your own plants for hanging baskets and tubs

[maverick451]

Hi guys

I love hanging baskets and tubs but im I always seem to spend a fortune on plants, this year I want to try and grow many half the flower plants from seed to save money but im not sure what to grow? any ideas?

Last year I did do some marigolds which were fine but the slugs absolutely loved them so probably not this year

all ideas welcome.

[jackarmy]

Im growing lobelia and petunia and titchy fushia, also begonia from bulbs in the greenhouse in trays, not a lot of action there as yet though.

[Thelma Sanders]

Lobelia is easy, I sow a small pinch in recycled coffee cups and leave them on a warm window ledge to germinate.

If you have a heated propagator you can grow petunias and diascias I've just started mine.

[Bal]

I gew a load of petunias last year. Just sprinkled the seeds onto compost and then pricked them out. Had hundreds of plants all did well in the end. Everything I grew went into shock last year.

[bramble]

I grew my own plants from seeds for years but they can be very slow to germinate and grow into a sturdy plant
Lobelia and Patunia, the seeds are like sand and need to be sown very thinly.
Pansys are easy to grow from seed.
Ageratum, a blue flower also quite easy.
Silver leaf Cinneraria, doesnt flower but lovely silver foliage which is very attractive in amongst the other plants
You can buy bedding Begonias, trailing Fuschia, Geraniums and other suitable plants from L**l and A**i when they come in as plug plants and grow them on yourself, they will be a lot cheaper when they are small.

[lolie]

Petunias and geraniums are two of the easiest and both low maintenance.

They're easy to propagate from cuttings so if you don't want to grow from seed you only need to buy a couple of plants (or even better, ask someone who has them growing if you can have some cuttings).

[Vickilou]

I love your ambition and share your love of baskets but I tend to buy plugs for baskets. My window ledges are already full of other plants and bedding is cheap enough. Note to self, buy a greenhouse heater lol.

[Small pumpkin]

I do a few hanging baskets and tubs. I grow
Nasturtium.
Viola.
Petunia
Hanging basket Sweet pea.
Pansy.
Livingstone daisy.
Also lots of other flowers for the front garden boarders

[maverick451]

Thanks for the suggestions

I love Petunias so will definately try those for sure, im writing all the suggestions down, im planning a garden center visit tomorrow.

lolie I never even thought about cuttings, thats a really good idea

[rary]

I would go with buying plants (cheap no more than £1) and taking cuttings, fuchsia, surfina petunias and verbena are the best for cuttings, or sow pansys, French marigold, bedding petunia or any low growing bedding plant that you like, I personaly keep away from lobelia in my baskets, nice flowers but if they dry out very dificult to get going again, you can also pick up trailing begonia as small plug plants from Wilcos, but not sutable for taking cuttings, begonias need to be about third year corms for good cuttings.

[Jungle Jane]

I grow from seed thinking I'm saving money,I am a bit,but......I bought & sowed 6 geranium seeds,they cost £3.69 for the 6 (that's the whole packet) & I sowed another packet of 5 for £2.99. Today at wyvale I found a pack of 20 white geraniums or purple,might of been others,for £3.99 for 20,I've potted them on already,they're out in the blow away for a few hours. So that was a bargain although seed packets containing 5 seeds for £3.00 needs to be changed to more seeds,maybe 10?

[maverick451]

I went to the garden centre today

Bought

Petunia F1 Pirouette Purple
Trailing lobelia mixed

Also going bought the following to sow direct

Sweet pea sugar and spice for hanging baskets.
Trailing Nasturtium mixed

I dont want to go mad as space is precious.

Ive been looking at plug plants and thats also a very good saver, been eyeing up come million bells petunia plugs 30 for £20

I did see suttons do 550 odd plug plants for £37!

Ill post up some pics if they come of anything!

[Scarlet]

I bought some plugs from @ldi a few weeks back. Cant remember how much they were though v. cheap- lobelia and geraniums. Worth a look as they are generally very healthy.

[Scarlet]

I grow from seed thinking I'm saving money,I am a bit,but......I bought & sowed 6 geranium seeds,they cost £3.69 for the 6 (that's the whole packet) & I sowed another packet of 5 for £2.99. Today at wyvale I found a pack of 20 white geraniums or purple,might of been others,for £3.99 for 20,I've potted them on already,they're out in the blow away for a few hours. So that was a bargain although seed packets containing 5 seeds for £3.00 needs to be changed to more seeds,maybe 10?

I always started my own geraniums off from scratch..I don't bother anymore, the little plugs have come on great in a couple of weeks. I try to overwinter my trailing ones to take cuttings but I'm not always successful - my green house gets mighty cold in the winter and some don't make it. Chillies have first dibs on indoor windowsills

[maverick451]

Just a little update

These pots are the ones I grew from seed

Petunia F1 Pirouette Purple in the first one, Silver cineraria in the 2nd and in the last and Pirouette petunia and a £1 fuschia plug plant