This is the journal of my endeavours to grow a range of fruit, veg and flowers from seed, grow organically, and my attempts to create a personal paradise with 1/2 acre of maintained gardens and 1/2 acre wild meadows. Northern Ireland's average daily high temperatures are 18 °C (64 °F) in July and 6 °C (43 °F) in January. Soil type: Clay

Monday, 9 May 2011

Flower Seedlings

In about 3 weeks I'll start to move these bedding plants outside
Variety: Antirrhinum Snapdragon 'Intermediate Mixed', Carters Tested Seeds, 2400 seeds, 79pence. Sown 18 March 2011.
Left: photo taken last year, 2 Sept 2010, of Antirrhinum Snapdragon 'Intermediate Mixed', grown from seed. They started so tiny (like the seedlings above), slow to grow, but by Aug-Sept made an impressive display.

I've over watered these seedlings and they've dampened off - you can see the green surface of the soil. I'm really bad about over watering seedlings.
Variety: Cineraria 'Maritima Silverdust', Carters Tested Seeds, 130 seeds, 79p. Sown 18 March 2011.
These seem strong & healthy. Variety: Nicotiana 'Evening Fragance', Carters Tested Seeds, 1,800 seeds. 79p. Sown 18 March 2011.
Sweet pea - 5 weeks growth. Left photo taken 4 April; right photo taken 8 May. Variety: Sweet Pea Tall Mixed, Mr Fothergill's, 40 seeds, £1.69. Sown 18 March 2011. Wish I could keep my sweet pea tidy during the summer but every year it ends up a tangled mess. Suppose I don't pay enough attention; I usually put in stakes it can climb but then I leave it to its own devices.
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7 comments:

  1. Elly's kleine idylle9 May 2011 at 01:15

    Hi Kelli,
    It seems to me that you want plant many new flowers. I am curious how they should be in august.
    I wish you much succes with the creationing of a new impressive display.
    Lovely greetings, Elly

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  2. Mark Willis9 May 2011 at 01:50

    Kelli; I'm really lazy about sowing flower seeds. I suppose I put all my energy into raising edible plants. I usually just buy a couple of trays from my local garden centre. I like the idea of growing Sweet Peas though. They remind me of a Great-Uncle who used to grow some amazing specimens, and there are few things more cheery than a jug full of Sweet Peas on the kitchen table.

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  3. cathy@home9 May 2011 at 02:19

    Hi Kelli
    Lovely Flower selection i always want to grow sweet peas but never get the timing right. maybe this year.

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  4. Jo9 May 2011 at 02:23

    I forgot all about sowing my sweet peas this year. I have a perennial sweet pea in the garden which gets out of control each year, I find it popping up all over the place. I find that watering from the bottom helps with the green on the surface of the soil.

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  5. Malay-Kadazan girl9 May 2011 at 05:05

    Your snapdragon patch was really pretty last year. I am scared of growing snapdragon again because the first time I grew them and it was raining heavily it look pretty beaten afterward.I am fond of cineraria because it grows so well in shade.

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  6. ann9 May 2011 at 21:46

    You have a really good start on seedlings. We shopped at the garden centers yesterday and come home with our usual garden sets. We spent $96 at one place (almost 60 euros). I told my husband that next year we need to start seeds. Can't wait to see your mature garden.

    And thank you for so faithfully commenting at the Garden Spot. I love it. cheers. ann

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  7. Hazel10 May 2011 at 02:59

    I am a bit like Mark..been concentrating on veggies. But I can see a time when I will be organised enough to grow some flowers from seed too. I love snap dragons! I should just grow some for the grandchildren.

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