Topic: Seedlings

[Mrs Ava]

It seemed a good idea at the time...there I was, deadheading the candelabra primulas, and the dried heads really rattled, so I sprikled the heads over a flower pot of damp compost and left it on the staging in the greenhouse.  One week on: 

And here are my echium seedlings that Ragged Robin was talking about on another thread.  They have popped up all around the weeping willow, in the borders and in the gravel on the floor of the greenhouse!!

[lorna]

Amazing EJ. Well it is to me :) I have NEVER collected seeds until this year and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will have some success.. Ain't fair missus that you can get such results with minimum effort :o
Lorna

[wahaj]

that's pretty kewl.

i found that next to my californian poppies there was a tiny little weed that i never got round to taking out. few wakes later i found out it was a dark blue fragrant petunia that's seeded itself from one of my plants in the pots! i've obviously left it there haha.

[Garden Manager]

Opportunist seed sowing is sometimes the most rewarding.

Lovely lot of candelabra primulas there EJ. I have recently got one for my bog garden (from the sale bench of my local garden centre, £6.50 reduced to £2.50 per plant, and easily divided). I love the flowers on them. Plenty there to light up your bog garden (and a few others as well!!).

Enjoy

[Mrs Ava]

Lorna, primulas germinate really really easily from fresh seed.  I have never purchased a primula and they spring up all over the garden, even in the lawn!!

It is amazing how things pop us wahaj.  I weed less now - unless it is obvious what the seedling is because so often the seedling is a worthy garden plant.  I have teasles, pansies, echiums, angelica, geums, poppies, various daisies,cerinthes and many many more that seed themselves all over.  I remove what I don't want, and the rest just add to the display!  ;D

[Garden Manager]

So do I EJ. I dislike weeds as much as any gardener but I do like to let things get on with it and do their own thing. It makes the garden more natural and of course means less work. For example I aquired feverfew via a chance seedling that appeared last year. I moved it into a better spot  in a border and it gave a great display this summer.

Of course some self seed a little too enthusiasticaly, like verbena bonariensis and evening primrose.These have to be selectively weeded out

Some plants of course are always  weeds and will alwats be removed.

It just shows though that it pays not to be too thorough when weeding.