New Seeds. Sowing advice required

[Garden Manager]

I have recently acquired seed of 2 less commonly grown plants, one given to me the other I have always wanted to try and recently found on Ebay.

They are Diarama (angels fishing rods). They were given to me fresh off the plant but have since dried off and been stored ready for sowing. Haven't a clue how best to sow them for good results

The second is Echium pinnata, the slightly tender biennial with the great tall spires of blue flowers. Got this from Ebay as I have always wanted to grow them after seeing them growing wild in Madeira. Came with some sowing instructions but they weren't terribly clear. Again need some clear sowing advice on this plant too.

Can anyone help please?

[Garden Manager]

[Robert_Brenchley]

E pinninata is biennial, so you need to start it one year to flower the next. I've had zero success overwintering it.

[sunloving]

Hi
Ive grown both of these from seed (lovely plants) and both are easy to germinate.

Heres what id do split the seeds into two and sow one set now. Just in normal compost on the window ledge, dont cover with much more than a sprinkle of compost. the angels take about three weeks usually just when you are giving up on them they come up. Leave the echiums in the seed covers as its less fiddly and they dont care.

You should get very good germination around 80% but dont give up on them as they are fairly slow.
Prick them out (this is easy as they are large seedlings.

Keep these new plants under cover until spring. the Echium will grow big enough to plant in spring and put on lots of growth (about a meter across by sept) The angels fishing rods will stay pretty small year one so keep in a pot. Then can be planted out the next year.

I agree with robert about the echiums however last winter i had several in the garden wrapped up in straw and plastic. they looked really dead in april however grew new leaves in june they didnt flower though! Im in lancaster.

So find a well drained site and be prepared to wrap over winter and not be fooled by a dead looking plant.

If this doesnt work then try again in spring
the germination should be better now as the soil temp is still high in spring its much colder and germination slower and rot more likely.

good luck
x sunloving

[raisedbedted]

I bought a pack of Dierama seeds from Lullingstone World Garden, Tom Hart d**e said they would germinate like cress and they pretty much have in a seed tray outside the greenhouse.

I sowed a pack of Echium Pinnana which I bought from the T & M Seed sale in the spring, nurtured them in a hot greenhouse and nothing but yesterday, 6 months after sowing I noticed 6 little seedlings! 

[Toadspawn]

Dierama relatively easy to grow but rather slow and they may take several months to appear. Put some in a pot now and leave it outside all winter and some may/will germinate. Sow another lot in the spring and again put the pot outside and forget about it for several months.
Echium easy to grow from seed but the biggest problem is keeping it alive overwinter in order for it to flower in its second year. I had one flower two years ago but I wrapped it in fleece every night and sometimes all day for several months during the winter. The ones I grew last year from seed all died in the winter.
However, when a plant does flower and set seed they will spead everywhere. I have some coming up again this year from self sown seed from two years ago.

[raisedbedted]

Dierama relatively easy to grow but rather slow and they may take several months to appear. Put some in a pot now and leave it outside all winter and some may/will germinate. Sow another lot in the spring and again put the pot outside and forget about it for several months.

Mine took a week  ???