Wallflowers

[landimad]

Have just finished sowing 1000 wallflowers in readiness for the next spring showing in the back garden. Monarch mixed is the choice for me as it is compact and once pinched out will bush up nicely.
My question is, have I left it too late or is it the right time to sow them?
To be truthful it looks like spring all over again with all the seed trays and rows of seed drills which need care and attention over the coming time that you need to take over them.
Shame about the Wickes multi compost as it now seems to have more of the twiggy stuff in it. After a few months of using it now I have found that the quality is starting to give way to ensuring there is enough stock to go round.
I have got more Pansies to do and also I am going to try some winter onions for the stir fry. I think I might start off some early Sweet Peas too, just to see if I can still grow them.

[landimad]

[sunloving]

Wow a thousand thats a lot of seedlings!

youre fine for timing, i usually get away with it until mid august ive just done tom thumbs and single talls, time to sow sweet william too.
I find though that if i sow biennials now and sweet peas sometimes they try to flower this year in october and so I leave them very late maybe a september /oct job along with the hardy annuals for next year like californian poppies and nigella.

Your going to have a great show
x sunloving

[GrannieAnnie]

 :DI'm surprised you can straighten your back, Landimad! It sounds like it will be beautiful. Don't forget a photo.

[landimad]

No back bending for me though Grannie Annie, I have benches to suit my height.

Sunloving, My sweet williams are now waiting to go into the ground as they are a bit early.
Pansies are also sown and ready to grow.

[Garden Manager]

As i understand it any time from May to July is good for sowing biennials. I normally sow/grow Foxgloves and Canterbury Bells, although last year i added wallflowers, stocks and Sweet Williams to the list. The wallflowers i found most successful even though i left it a bit late sowing. The foxgloves seemed to suffer from the late sowing though - as a result they were planted out late and although i thought it wouldn't matter they have been a bit disappointing flowering this year, so perhaps with them at least earlier sowing and planting is better.

[landimad]

I have planted out Digitalis Alba this year and they gave me a good show behind the hazels, which is the norm for them being in the shade of something bigger.
My sweet william's have suffered badly as the heat is knocking them back.

[grannyjanny]

Am I to late to sow pansies please. They won't flower until next year will they? B&Q for Winter baskets I think.

[sunloving]

Hi Gg
pansys and violas are very hardy so you can sow them at any time really. So its never to late I've just sowed a new set for the autumn bedding.

good luck
x sunloving

[landimad]

Ditto