will any seeds grow now, or too late to plant?

longwalks1

Recently got the gardening bug, and had a very pretty and productive year so far, china asters, cosmos (some gre to about 5ft tall!), sunflowers, french marigolds, all from seed (we are both quite proud of them all)


Will anything grow this year if we plant them now, or have we missed the boat?
Only asking as our sunflowers have died off and garden looks kind of bare/empty in places?

unrecordings

I put this in the growing your own thread a few days ago

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/Monthlysowing.html

longwalks1

Thanks unrecordings


sorry, I meant any flowering type plants?

unrecordings

yeah, I realised after I posted I didn't read between the lines (it being a fresh thread rather than added to the GYO thread)

Suttons have this:

https://www.suttons.co.uk/Gardening/Flower-Seeds/When-to-Sow-Flowers/

but I just googled "sowing calendar for flowers uk" to find it. Like the rest of life these days you just need to know how to ask the correct question - which sometimes just isn't easy

Davesnave

I hope so, as I'm deliberately planting now, and have been for a few weeks.

All biennial plants (those flowering in their second year) benefit from being sown now. Some may get to flowering size in a single season, and some may, like antirrhinums, carry on for a year or two after they flower, but July/August is when to get these guys' seeds in. Some short-lived perennials can be sown in summer too.

Davesnave

unrecordings wrote: »

Suttons have this:

https://www.suttons.co.uk/Gardening/Flower-Seeds/When-to-Sow-Flowers/

The problem with sites like Suttons is they're only going to tell you about plant seeds they sell!

There's also many seeds that need harvesting and sowing in autumn, and very few seed companies which will allow you to achieve that!

There are a few small suppliers who understand and help with the problem of heavy dormancy though. Here's one I often plug, unashamedly:

https://www.specialplants.net/shop/seeds/

longwalks1

Thanks people
Davesnave, we have snapdragons at the moment, and are just starting to die off I think, so have ordered some more seeds, sooo............ fingers crossed we get another bloom/harvest this year (whatever the term is)

unrecordings

Davesnave wrote: »

The problem with sites like Suttons is they're only going to tell you about plant seeds they sell!

There are a few small suppliers who understand and help with the problem of heavy dormancy though. Here's one I often plug, unashamedly:

https://www.specialplants.net/shop/seeds/

Yup - I fall/fell for the KFC effect of instant gratification rather than seeking out the proper suppliers (something I've done in every other facet of life apart from seeds by the looks of it)

Anyway thanks Dave for the Special Plants link, I'll check them over when I'm more busy (ie less likely to buy on a whim)

Davesnave

unrecordings wrote: »

Anyway thanks Dave for the Special Plants link, I'll check them over when I'm more busy (ie less likely to buy on a whim)

There may be others out there that harvest fresh seed and sell it immediately, but it's not always clear if they do, or store it for a season. It makes a massive difference if you are trying to grow, say, angelica, or any of the other fussy umbels.

The only advantage of the larger seed companies is that they (allegedly) conduct germination tests, but I know from experience that sowings of home-collected seed fail occasionally for no apparent reason. There are no guarantees.

Chiltern Seeds only keep their stock for a year and I think Plant World Seeds are similar (they harvest their own, whereas Chiltern buy in) which is fine for many plants, but not for all.

For example, if you want to get hellebores up next spring, it's already late to be sowing the seeds, and without frosting, nothing will come up, so sticking the pot on the kitchen windowsill will be no good. I know you can fiddle about by putting sown seed into the fridge and simulating winter, but again, in my experience that's very hit and miss.

Davesnave

britishboy wrote: »

Thanks people
Davesnave, we have snapdragons at the moment, and are just starting to die off I think, so have ordered some more seeds, sooo............ fingers crossed we get another bloom/harvest this year (whatever the term is)

Cut off the seed heads, Do that for all plants, then they don't waste energy making seeds and may flower again in the same season or survive to bloom again next year.


With some tough perennials, like geranium phaeum or alchemilla mollis, I literally cut them flat with a brushcutter in July and they do a repeat performance in autumn. (secateurs or scissors for more delicate stuff of course!)

Kojak12

You can plant some seeds now for next Summer - the benefit being they will flower earlier than anything you sow in the Spring. You can find lists of hardy seeds in the seed catalogues online. If you are down South you might even be able to sow some less hardy seeds.

You can also consider some bulbs as several of these want to be planted in the Autumn - here is a useful selection of Autumn planted bulbs. Bulbs are very easy to plant and take no care at all. They flower pretty much before anything else and spread on their own reliably - So they are a great staple for a new garden. You can even plant them under your lawn for some interest and colour.

You can add in some attractive grasses amongst your flowers like Briza maxima (greater quaking grass) and Lunaria annua (honesty). They will add some different shapes to your garden and are great in arrangements. These are hardy so you can plant the seeds in September.