I wish I'd seen about the butterfly plants sooner. I know, tough to move when young. But you can move them easy when they're over one foot tall. What I wanna know is, my first one grew 8' high. none of them since - all from that ones seeds - got over 3-4 foot high. What gives?


Also, do you ever start daylily seeds indoors? I have a couple from plants I crossed. Wondered if it's easier or more successful indoors or out. I usually forget where I put them outside, lol.

Yes, I did daylilies years ago from seeds I bought from Park's.

They need to be cold treated for best results.
http://www.shieldsgardens.com/DLPlace/stratify.html

As I recall I lost about 10% of the seeds during stratification.
They rotted. I checked them frequently and removed quickly so as not to have the fungus spread to the others. It helps to put a little square of paper towel in the ziploc and to separate the seeds from each other so they don't touch to prevent spread of any fungus/or rot.

The seeds are large and easy to handle. And after they finally germinate they are easy to move around. I thought the transplanting was much easier than with other more tender type plants. It was the cold stratification that is the tricky part.


I just started 7 more perennials this week.
2 more ornamental grasses, a dwarf black eyed susan I bought at a nursery and saved seeds from (this is small enough for container growing), a new plant I've never done before called Agastache Purple pygmy, and two types
of forget me nots for my son's wet yard, and globe thistle seeds gathered from my plants, to naturalize in the wild garden across the street.

Also I should add that I am using a special seed starting mix. I bought MiracleGro seed starter, and mixed it 1/2 and 1/2 with fine vermiculite. I notice that the vermiculite encourages the roots well, and falls off easily when transplanting so there is less damage. I think this is helping with my success rate. I gave the little babies a shot of very dilute fertilizer a few days before moving. I mix the soils in their own tubs (one for seed starter and a separate one for transplanting soil). I bought the tubs cheaply at WalMart and they have lids. I have to do this indoors so I wanted to control "mess". I moisten the mediums a few hours before planting, so watering is kept to a minimum. I use a water bottle with a nozzle for drinking and put only drops in each cell as needed. Park's directions say to bottom water, but if done carefully like I do it, top watering works too. I also open the scones containers a bit now and then and let them air out.
It is a fine mix of keeping fungus down, but humidity up for germination success.

Sounds like ground planting is probably just as easy. I used to just let the pods mature on plant until mostly dry, pick them and dry in the shed. Take the seeds and plant with some kind of moisture holding whatever - if I had leftover compost, I'd use that, or just good soil - under some other foiliage for protection. Keep it watered.

I guess mine didn't need to be frozen first. I have 9 or 10 daylilies and started out with 3.

That was one of the fun things about this plant. I was surprised it took me so long to *discover* it, once I figured out how easy it was to propagate. Great fun to garden with kids with this one. Always a flower to let them pick, seeds easy for little hands to manage, and this year we can divide and replant together.

You know you can eat the flowers too!

There is even a book of recipes! Delightfully Delicious Daylilies, by Peter Gail.

And yes, planting in the ground is feasible too. The seeds are really not much trouble as long as they get that cold treatment, somehow.

I am planning on doing some Nastursiums this summer and will try the flowers in salads.

Here are two pics of 2 of the 5 flats I am beginning to harden off.

The first picture is of the same flat I posted earlier in this thread.
(ornamental grass and 2 varieties of catmint--see my profile album)
The catmint on the left of this picture is more vigorous and is from seed I collected from my own plant upNorth. The one on the right is related...called Calamintha I bought these seeds from ThompsonMorgan. I don't know what the Calamintha is going to look like when it flowers. I am hoping the deer won't eat these, as they have a lemon scent to their leaves. That would be a big advantage for ME. LOL

The other is another one that was ready. (it has Butterfly weed, globe thistle, and a few ornamental grasses that were extra)

Today I am starting my gazanias indoors. I am doing that right into their cells so I won't have the tedious sensitive task of
transplanting, which means "losses".

Things are going pretty well. Only 4 major germination failures out of 16!

I used to do this when I had more time. I bought some lettuce seeds that I'm going to start outside today. I have the seeds you sent me and I'm going to make a spot in the yard to plant those.

Oh, those are beautiful, Wiz!

Ours are just starting today. Hubby uncovered them yesterday afternoon. It will be really warm today too, so we should see more open up as well.

I put one of the yellow ones up for my avatar this week, and the purple ones in my siggie banner.

Those seeds from the Campion, go on the surface... don't bury them. But do cultivate and break up the soil so it is aerated for them to penetrate and keep them moist. If you have some old carry out plastic containers? The tops make mini greenhouses and keep the moisture in. Just put a rock on top so they don't blow away ( and pray the squirrels stay away!!) They need some light to germinate. I saved some really nice high domes, from the rotisserie chicken we get at Costco....perfect little greenhouses! LOL

I just started some indoors yesterday. Gotta keep them going in case some died over winter

I planted the rose campion seeds around the house today. I loosened the soil then sprinkled some seed and just gently raked the ground lightly.

I planted all around the yard and house in about a dozen places so I hope to have them come up in at least a few places.

I've started some indoors as well. I started mine on Mar 18th,
under my plant lights, and yesterday was the very first showing of rootlets coming from the seed. That is 11 days. (this is one of the longest times I've had this season, in fact).

This will give you a time frame to watch for the beginning sprouts.
If it is cooler where you are it might take longer. (it is 70 degrees in my seed starting room here). They are very small when they first come up. Then they turn silver when the first true leaves begin.

If the seeds dry out, they will not germinate. So you have to watch that factor, which is critical. That is why I do alot indoors where I can have control. If they don't work, I have plenty more.

It has been rather difficult here, I had to bring in my 4 flats that I was hardening off back inside, where I have NO ROOM to put them. So we have a portable table set up in the kitchen, and one light system on the dining room floor! I am hoping after today, the warming will stabilize and I can leave them outside.
I also have to move some of the butterfly weed, up into larger containers, but I can't do that while it is soooo cold out! meh!

Mrsd,

Does the rose campion seedling look sort of fuzzy like lambs ear? I have three spots of that coming up where I put the seed in early spring. I'm hoping that's what it is anyway.