Hi

Can anyone tell me the best time and method of sowing Cowslip seeds? Do I
put them straight in the ground or pot them to grow on? And when should I
do it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jaqy

I have had the best results via: sowing in moist not wet soiless mix and
encapsulating in a plastic baggie to prevent moisture evaporation....leaving
at room temp. for a couple of weeks and then placing in the fridge for 3 to
4 weeks and then returning to room temp. for germination....if you have a
good light set-up you can sow now and the transplants will be ready that
much sooner..if you send your query to either Thompson & Morgan or Chiltern
Seeds they may offer you their "expert" advice............HW.
"MC Emily" wrote in message
...
Hi

Can anyone tell me the best time and method of sowing Cowslip seeds? Do I
put them straight in the ground or pot them to grow on? And when should I
do it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jaqy

Can anyone tell me the best time and method of sowing Cowslip seeds?
Do I
put them straight in the ground or pot them to grow on? And when
should I
do it?

Like most species of Primula, they are best sown as soon as they are
ready to be shed from the parent plant. If already packeted, then I
guess substitute 'as soon as possible'.

Whilst they can fend for themselves in the open ground (indeed I have
them self-sow in the lawn, the pavement, the road, etc.), most people
trying to cultivate them less erratically would go for a pot first.

If in the UK (as one would expect in this newsgroup), then sow as soon
as possible in a pot, cover with a bit of soil, then grit/gravel to keep
rain/animals/etc. from disturbing the soil surface, and place outside.
They'll come up in the Spring.

--
Clarke Brunt

Oh yikes, I hadn't thought it would be that complicated!! I'm not really a
'fiddly' gardener and this seems awfully 'fiddly' to me. How would they go
on if they had just fallen 'in the wild'? Do they not do very well? I'll
try the seed companies, too. Thanks for the advice, it's much appreciated.

Jaqy

"Anne Middleton/Harold Walker" wrote

I have had the best results via: sowing in moist not wet soiless mix and
encapsulating in a plastic baggie to prevent moisture
evaporation....leaving
at room temp. for a couple of weeks and then placing in the fridge for 3
to
4 weeks and then returning to room temp. for germination....if you have a
good light set-up you can sow now and the transplants will be ready that
much sooner..if you send your query to either Thompson & Morgan or
Chiltern
Seeds they may offer you their "expert" advice............HW.

"MC Emily" wrote in
:

Oh yikes, I hadn't thought it would be that complicated!! I'm not
really a 'fiddly' gardener and this seems awfully 'fiddly' to me. How
would they go on if they had just fallen 'in the wild'? Do they not
do very well?

Differences are that:

- in the wild the seed is fresh, and appears at the right time for the
soaking, chilling, etc to happen automatically.

- in the wild you get a lot more seed than just one packet! Most of it
dies, gets eaten, etc. But if you buy a packet of seed you expect to get
more than one plant out of it.

Thus HW's advice: by bagging, chilling, and cultivating in a tray, you make
the best of seed that is bound to be a few months old (more germination)
and you don't expose any of the seedlings to slugs, snails, etc until they
are big enough not to be simply mown down and vanish.

If it seems like too much hassle, you'd probably be better off getting some
plants instead; they will seed themselves eventually, if the conditions are
right, and with luck you will also be able to divide the clumps after a
while too.

Or you could try buying bags and bags of seed and just sprinkle it: you'll
lose a lot, but you should get a few germinating.

I also find British native wildflowers very fiddly from (bought) seed,
though I've had a lot more luck with stuff that I've just picked straight
out of the hedge and bunged into some compost.

Victoria

Don't the seed companies do a lot of the pre-chilling etc. in advance for
you so the inexperienced gardener can just sow the seeds without the fuss?

I recently sowed a couple of seed trays of oriental poppies. One tray was
from a free packet with GW magazine, and the other tray was from my own
seed, straight from the plant. The GW seed germinated within days but my own
seed took weeks to get started.

"Martin & Anna Sykes" wrote in
:

Don't the seed companies do a lot of the pre-chilling etc. in advance
for you so the inexperienced gardener can just sow the seeds without
the fuss?

No idea, sorry. I think usually inexperienced gardeners would be
encouraged to go for seeds of things that don't need special treatment.

I've certainly seen plenty of seed packets that specify chipping, soaking
or chilling, but haven't noticed any that say they are pre-treated - but
maybe I just shop in the wrong places!

I'm not sure how pre-chilling by the seed company would work - how could
they be sure to chill for the right length of time? What about seed sold
in garden centres that just sits there on a rack for months?

And wouldn't the seeds need to be damp while chilling, not just in a
packet?

I'd guess the difference with your oriental poppies was more to do with
different varieties of the same species - they are certainly easier from
seed than things like cowslips, which I find fiddlier (I could be wrong
though!).

Victoria, thanks for your good explanation. Now that I know that, there is
another good reason why I shouldn't just sprinkle them on the ground - my
chickens would *love* them!!! So, I will put them in a tray and do it
properly - fiddly or not! ))

Many thanks,
Jaqy

"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
.206...
"MC Emily" wrote in
:

Oh yikes, I hadn't thought it would be that complicated!! I'm not
really a 'fiddly' gardener and this seems awfully 'fiddly' to me. How
would they go on if they had just fallen 'in the wild'? Do they not
do very well?

Differences are that:

- in the wild the seed is fresh, and appears at the right time for the
soaking, chilling, etc to happen automatically.

- in the wild you get a lot more seed than just one packet! Most of it
dies, gets eaten, etc. But if you buy a packet of seed you expect to get
more than one plant out of it.

Thus HW's advice: by bagging, chilling, and cultivating in a tray, you
make
the best of seed that is bound to be a few months old (more germination)
and you don't expose any of the seedlings to slugs, snails, etc until they
are big enough not to be simply mown down and vanish.

If it seems like too much hassle, you'd probably be better off getting
some
plants instead; they will seed themselves eventually, if the conditions
are
right, and with luck you will also be able to divide the clumps after a
while too.

Or you could try buying bags and bags of seed and just sprinkle it: you'll
lose a lot, but you should get a few germinating.

I also find British native wildflowers very fiddly from (bought) seed,
though I've had a lot more luck with stuff that I've just picked straight
out of the hedge and bunged into some compost.

Victoria

Hi

These seeds aren't from a seed company, they're straight from the plant so,
like yours, will probably take a while. I'll have to be patient!

Jaqy


"Martin & Anna Sykes" wrote in message
...
Don't the seed companies do a lot of the pre-chilling etc. in advance for
you so the inexperienced gardener can just sow the seeds without the fuss?

I recently sowed a couple of seed trays of oriental poppies. One tray was
from a free packet with GW magazine, and the other tray was from my own
seed, straight from the plant. The GW seed germinated within days but my
own
seed took weeks to get started.

The message
from "MC Emily" contains these words:

Hi

These seeds aren't from a seed company, they're straight from the plant so,
like yours, will probably take a while. I'll have to be patient!

Jaqy


However, I would say that if you sow in a tray or pot and put it outside
in a sheltered position or under a sheet of glass, the seeds stand a
good chance of germinating in the spring. Fluctuating temperatures,
including some frost, will break dormancy. It's simply not as certain:
more chance of rodents, acts of god etc. If you've got loads of seed you
could try both methods and compare results.
Janet G

Victoria Clare wrote:
I also find British native wildflowers very fiddly from (bought) seed,
though I've had a lot more luck with stuff that I've just picked straight
out of the hedge and bunged into some compost.

But don't forget that this is illegal without the permission of the
landowner. And anyway, there's few enough wildflowers in the wild, why
remove them?

To pull all the points together here, if I sow the seeds in compost in a
tray, cover it with glass and put it somewhere where it will get very low
temperatures but be protected from being eaten, am I on the right track?
How low does the temperature have to get? I have a shed with a south facing
window it could go in but I have to have a frost beater on at night because
my washing machine and dryer are in there (we're in the middle of renovating
our house). Would that be OK for the seeds or would it be too warm? And
what about watering? Do I lightly water to start with and the moisture will
be retained because of the glass? Blimey, I'm sounding veeeery amateurish
here, aren't I?

Jaqy

In article , bigboard
writes
Victoria Clare wrote:
I also find British native wildflowers very fiddly from (bought) seed,
though I've had a lot more luck with stuff that I've just picked straight
out of the hedge and bunged into some compost.

But don't forget that this is illegal without the permission of the
landowner. And anyway, there's few enough wildflowers in the wild, why
remove them?

I think she meant she was taking the seed, not the plant!


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

In article , bigboard
writes
Victoria Clare wrote:
I also find British native wildflowers very fiddly from (bought) seed,
though I've had a lot more luck with stuff that I've just picked straight
out of the hedge and bunged into some compost.

But don't forget that this is illegal without the permission of the
landowner. And anyway, there's few enough wildflowers in the wild, why
remove them?


A 'Tree Hugging' 'Net Nanny' WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've seen the lot
now!!!!!!

Mike.

Who doesn't really like Tree Huggers OR Net Nannies, but has found
BOTH IN ONE GO :-((((((((((((


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H.M.S.Collingwood Association reunion. Chatham May 30th - June 2nd
River Class Assn Dinner Leamington Spa Sept 20th 2003.
Castle Class Corvettes Assn. Reunion October 2003 Isle of Wight.
National Service (RAF) Association reunion. Nov 2003 Scarborough.

I think taking seed is also illegal but who's to say she doesn't own the
hedge from where they came?! ))

Jaqy


"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , bigboard
writes
Victoria Clare wrote:
I also find British native wildflowers very fiddly from (bought) seed,
though I've had a lot more luck with stuff that I've just picked
straight
out of the hedge and bunged into some compost.

But don't forget that this is illegal without the permission of the
landowner. And anyway, there's few enough wildflowers in the wild, why
remove them?

I think she meant she was taking the seed, not the plant!


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/