yesterday. I put 8 of the seeds to germinate in a paper towel which went in a ziplock bag (Petunia's method).The rest I just spread over all over my yard. After the heavy rain all day yesterday, I doubt any of them will see the light of the day Wonder why everything is failing this year
Why do you think everything is failing? This is just the first part of June, some plants don't get their bloom-on until July or later. The Blanket Flower starts blooming in mid Summer and lasts until the first freeze. Plant your sprouts in full sun because they need all the sun they can get. They need warm, well drained soil to germinate and grow. In nature when seeds fall from a flower they are at the mercy of the elements. They get rained on with the rain pushing them into the ground, snowed on thru the winter, birds might find some of them but there will usually be some that survive and take root and grow. They might not come up where you scattered them, depending on if the rain water floated them to other locations and actually they might not come up this year, they could surprise you and pop up next year.
Thanks Toni and Glenn. Actually I am a little frustrated because my sunflower leaves are getting chewed on by something, none of the marigold seeds germinated(I had a gardenful last year), Canna lilies never came up(had a container ful last year),the aster seedlings are still at about 2cm tall, hollyhock seedlings are sitting at the same height since the last 1 month (2cms here too),and the cucumber seedling isn't growing much either. Here is a pic of my cucumber seedling. It is the same way since 4 weeks now Sorry for the downer post Tina
Every gardener gets down at least once during the growing season. There are so many aspects of gardening that we have no control over, we are at the mercy of the elements. You can let Marigolds got to seed, collect and dry the seeds, then plant them in the spring but the seeds don't overwinter in the ground. And there are some Marigolds that have sterile seeds too. Do the Sunflower leaves have holes in them or are they being eaten down to the main stem? Holes could mean you need to spray them with an insecticidal soap. Completly eaten could mean that caterpillars are finding them delicious, in which case you could eventually have butterflies or moths. Cannas, being tropical, do not usually overwinter outside in northern climates. The rhizomes will rot in the soil from cold/wet weather. Asters are a fall bloomer, August thru October or the first frost. They won't really start growing until the soil temp is consistently above 70 degrees and they need full sun. Hollyhocks are biennial, meaning they do not bloom the first year and they do not get very large that first year either they use the first year to establish a good root system. They also need full sun and warm temps. The cucumber also needs very warm ground temps to start growing. Just a thought, did you use a seed starter soil mix when you planted the seedlings? If so, they have probably used up all the nutrients in that soil and need to be transplanted into good potting soil/compost mixture with a very, very light feeding until they get some growth on them.
Thanks again, Toni. I know I need to be patient but that is a character trait I never had. No, I didn't use starter soil mix, just regular potting soil. Tina.
Well, I was going to add my 2 cent's worth, but Toni covered all the bases, so about asll I can say is to hang in there. We will all suffer with you a little bit--you know what they say, "Shared unhappiness is halved unhappiness". I use special "seeding soil" to begin my plants with and then I plant them on intoi a more regular soil after they have their secongf set of leaves, unless they are becoming leggy.. I have some asters too and they are in ther stage of being two baby leaves on an ever lengthening stem, I shall have to plant them on soon I believe. I began using a grow light on them since we haven't seen the sun here since they germinated. For the plants that need warm soil I use a heating pad under the continer. I put a few layers of newspaper between the heating pad and the containes to control the heat. There! I had to say SOMETHING. Chin up Tina, things are really going to be ok. And whilst you are moping a bit, tell me what 'blanket flower' is would you? I have never heard of it...at least by it's common name. It sounds interesting, and I'm always keen to learn about a new (to me) plant. Thanks and heed the words of the Great Sage...miss Toni.
Sjoerd, it is a Gaillardia aristata (Asteraceae) the flowers are deep red with yellow rims. They grow wild along the highways, a field full of them is quite a sight.
Yes Tina, listen to Toni and Sjoerd. Two of the great wisdoms here at the stew. I've only been gardening for a few years...really gardening that is, so I'm still fairly green, pun in intended. LOL! Anyway, many of my seeds don't come up, or look great...so I think and then die off. It's all trial and error. I try to learn from my mistakes, and the people at the stew, and next year will be better. I've already got more seedlings this year then last. Still not a perfect year, but definatley better. I've still got seeds I need to sow and it's June! UGH! Maybe those won't do so well, but I'll still give it a shot. Stay positive and just learn from what doesn't grow and next year try something new. It's all a learning process and it takes years and years to get it down. Even the best of gardeners still have some bad luck now and then. Smile...we're all behind you.
Thanks, with you all 'behind' me , how could I be 'mopping' anymore? This is my second year gardening so I guess I have a very long road ahead of me :-? But with everybody here for support, I am sure I will get there ...eventually :-D Sjoerd - All I know are Blanket Flowers are easy to grow here and look like daisies.
