Lisianthus advice please

[cocopops]

Yesterday my French neighbour can round with a post-it asking if I was going back to the UK for half term, and if so could I get her these seeds.  Apparently she been round all the garden centres here and they don't stock them. 

I have spoken to my parents in the UK and they are going to buy some for her as they know how kind she is to our family.  I know absolutely nothing about these flowers and all the searches I have done have come up with cut flowers to be delivered.

Is there any particular type of this seed that you can recommend?  I know she tends to go for brightly coloured flowers but she has stumped me with this request as I just want to get it right.

[cocopops]

[Digeroo]

I have been looking into these for a friend as well.   Nickys nursery have a good selection.  T&M have them under the name of Eustoma and Moles seeds have pelleted seeds.

I have found them in the past to be  very frustrating and difficult to get them to germinated and they grow on very very slowly, the seeds are minute.  I have tried several times in the past without much success. 

Suttons have plugs but these are not available until end of April. 

[aj]

That might be why they can't find it in their garden centres

[cocopops]

Thank you for your replies. 

My parents have been to several big garden centres, they managed to get one pack but they only had greenish flowers.  The very large garden centre they went to last (Trentham Gardens) said that it is usually known by a different name.  My parents have ordered two different varieties.

Our neighbour, Nadine, is retired and now helps out on her brothers farm.  I think she has chosen this variety as a challenge, she amazing at growing veg and flowers.

[Digeroo]

Apparently they come from Texas so if you can replicate those conditions they grow very well.  They are a perennial.  Other name is Eustoma Grandiflora.

I personally would take a look at Moles seeds site they have several hundred pelletted seeds for about twice the price that other sell 50 seeds.

Perhaps if she gets a result she could tell me how to do it.  I think I am going to cheat and get a set of plugs. 

[woppittess]

Hi there,

I know these  can be purchased from ebay as I got some last year. I found that they germinated really well in a pot of standard compost on my living room window sill. They grew to be around 15 inches high and looked really healthy - but I could not get them to develop flowers no matter what I did  :(  Eventually they gave up in january and withered away..............at least I got them to grow leaves and stems!  ;)