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Every so soften I will be seized with a bout of horticultural enthusiasm and decide to try to grow something different. Usually I start with seed as, being a bit on the mean (if not tight) side, that's generally the cheapest way to begin.
I've grown quite a few trees and shrubs this way, as well as the more usual annuals and perennials + I've also had quite a few failures.
This year my plans include :-
Eccremocarpus scaber (Chilean glory flower) - impulse buy at discount shop, still in packet
Poncirus trifoliata (Japanese Bitter Orange) - currently stratifying in bottom of fridge
Echium Pininana 'Blue Steeple' - still in packet waiting for warmer weather to be in sight
Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican sunflower) - germinated well, now at seed-leaf stage
Cerinthe Major Purpurascens (Honeywort) - germinated v well, first true leaves just about showing
Physalis ixocarpa (Purple tomatillo) - germinated OK, growing on steadily, but looking rather spindly (expect they'll be a bit happier when the weather warms up)
So I hope to hear from other adventurous gardeners who are trying something new too, but please don't make it sound too good, as I already have more on my hands than I really should do.
Finally a couple of bits advice to anyone who hasn't had a go at this sort of thing before :-
1) Check on the Internet for advice on how to get the unusual seeds you have bought to germinate and if in doubt try a few out of the packet one way, then if they don't succeed you can do something different with a few others.
2) be patient - a friend of mine had some large tree peonies which had set seed one year and I blagged 2 handfuls off him. I put them in damp vermiculite in plastic bags - stratified them as per advice, sowed them, watched over them, abraded some with sandpaper etc etc - checked different lots of them for about a year - then gave up. About 6 months later I was having a bit of a clear-up (probably had lost a trowel among the junk or hit my head) and came across a couple of poly bags with scummy looking green stuff in them. I almost threw them out, but then I realised that a number of the tree peony seeds were in each one and almost all of them had germinated.
Enjoy your gardening :-)
I've grown quite a few trees and shrubs this way, as well as the more usual annuals and perennials + I've also had quite a few failures.
This year my plans include :-
Eccremocarpus scaber (Chilean glory flower) - impulse buy at discount shop, still in packet
Poncirus trifoliata (Japanese Bitter Orange) - currently stratifying in bottom of fridge
Echium Pininana 'Blue Steeple' - still in packet waiting for warmer weather to be in sight
Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican sunflower) - germinated well, now at seed-leaf stage
Cerinthe Major Purpurascens (Honeywort) - germinated v well, first true leaves just about showing
Physalis ixocarpa (Purple tomatillo) - germinated OK, growing on steadily, but looking rather spindly (expect they'll be a bit happier when the weather warms up)
So I hope to hear from other adventurous gardeners who are trying something new too, but please don't make it sound too good, as I already have more on my hands than I really should do.
Finally a couple of bits advice to anyone who hasn't had a go at this sort of thing before :-
1) Check on the Internet for advice on how to get the unusual seeds you have bought to germinate and if in doubt try a few out of the packet one way, then if they don't succeed you can do something different with a few others.
2) be patient - a friend of mine had some large tree peonies which had set seed one year and I blagged 2 handfuls off him. I put them in damp vermiculite in plastic bags - stratified them as per advice, sowed them, watched over them, abraded some with sandpaper etc etc - checked different lots of them for about a year - then gave up. About 6 months later I was having a bit of a clear-up (probably had lost a trowel among the junk or hit my head) and came across a couple of poly bags with scummy looking green stuff in them. I almost threw them out, but then I realised that a number of the tree peony seeds were in each one and almost all of them had germinated.
Enjoy your gardening :-)
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