Blooms for bees - Dahlia trial

[cheops]

Some important information. I tried to download the free Blooms for Bees app as all of us need to do to do this survey. I couldn't find it but after checking the orginial website Veggie gave us I was able to see this app is only available from April so please don't panic as I did.

[Nannysally99]

Got mine today

[sparrow100]

Wow Sparrow.. when did you sow the seeds? I got mine today and sowed them today in modules covered with cling film. Covering with cling film obviously help with temperature but the main reason I do it is there is little if any water loss so I don't have to worry about them drying out.

I put them in on Friday - heated prop though. Checked again tonight and they are nearly all there. Yikes!

I got mine sent via Garden Organic, so I have a paper version of the doc to complete if I'd rather. It's handy for noting the stuff I would otherwise completely forget given the app's not around yet.

[Jay-ell]

Just registered as I'm in the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and have a bee colony every year and current one will be delivered in May to put on the lottie so these seeds are about a subject close to my heart.

Also if you go to the gardeners world website for free lavender plants there is a link to the Mr Fothergiles website which applies the offer code automatically. The link is for 42 free Lavender Hidcote plug plants which are also benificial to bees, all you pay for is the £5.95 postage for £29's worth of plants.

Here is the link:

Our latest offers

Just scroll down to it, admin if putting the link is not allowed then say and I will remove and sorry for highjacking this thread a bit.

Tempted by the lavender and ALMOST clicked on pay button but thought where am I going to put 42 lavender plants?

I did sign up for this today, thought it would be too late in the day but they're still taking signups so I'll see if I get any seeds.

[Muddy_Boots]

Tempted by the lavender and ALMOST clicked on pay button but thought where am I going to put 42 lavender plants?

I've ordered them because on my second plot i'm planting them as a low floral barrier between the soft fruit area and the rest of the plots veggies, any I don't use will go into the flower borders at home as I have a large garden as well. And on the lottie they are going to be giving off a pleasant smell wafting in the air whilst I sip a cold beer sat on the decking at the front of my 'man cave', oh and btw they are good for bees.

[veggiechicken]

I'd ordered before I saw your link - and another offer for 24 lavender plugs and a pair of snips that I saw somewhere.
You can never have too much lavender

[Jay-ell]

With the plants getting to 2 foot wide that's 84 foot of lavender hedge.

That's an awful lot of sorbet

Clicked on submit this time.

[cheops]

Sparrow 100 's dahlia seeds germinated within days with a heated propogater. I sowed mine on the 27th and most of them have germinated and showing. Mine are just in seed trays on a window sill. Why are these seeds germinating within days when the information we were given with the seeds are - 'germination takes place between 14 and 28 days?? [not that I'm complaining]

[sparrow100]

Dunno, but I think all mine are up now - last ones up yesterday I think. I have 10 purple, 9 white and red. One of the reds is an albino atm.

[Martin H]

I've always found Dahlias really fast and easy on a windowsill. If they don't appear in a week they probably aren't going to grow at all.

[cheops]

Ok Martin -thx for that. So the experts are talking rubbish lol. I'm a bit worried mine will be ok. am thinking of putting them outside daytime/inside again at night. Iv'e never grown dahlias from seed before.

[Martin H]

If you can keep the frost off they will be fine. But frost will kill them.

[Guest]

I used to sow my seeds mar/apr in the greenhouse and they took around 2-3 weeks. However, I had my mignons in the heated prop. most have popped, they are now on the windowsill stretching. Most look to have germinated as well.

[Muddy_Boots]

Hi folks I'm now officially in the trial as postie has just this minute put the envelope through my door with the seeds and leaflet inside.

Dahlias are one of my favourite flowers so this is a treat for me, they are real easy to grow from seed and these will be eventually be grown on the lottie. I'm hoping my Bumblebee colony I have this year will like these flowers and visit them alot, they will certainly have alot of fruit bushes to visit.

Just going to get my ears lowered first (haircut) then soon as I'm back I'm sowing these, apparently the packet has seeds for White, Red and Purple coloured flowers.

[cheops]

Yeah muddy boots - three seed packets for those three colours you mentioned. Meant to be 10 seeds in each packet but you will find there's more than that. My intention is three of each colour in three matching big pots. The extra plants will do nicely in a bed at the front of the house.