"Udayan" wrote in message
m...
Hi,

I am really starting out gardening new. I would like to start
decorating the patio with containers. I live in California. I have
following questions:

1. Is it a wrong time of the year to start?
2. I would love to grow plants from seeds, rather than buying the
plants and re-potting them. Can I sow seeds in the container directly?
Or do I have to grow elsewhere first?
3. Any suggestions for beautiful flower plants that I can grow from
seeds and have bloom soon, in fall/winter?

Thanks a lot. Any pointer to web site or book will be great too.

Uday

Spring is much better time to approach this, as you will have a much larger
selection of plants to choose from, but you can also start cool weather
annuals from seed now. I'd go with something like pansies or violas - they
germinate quickly from seed and prefer the cooler weather of fall and mild
winters. You can direct sow these into containers, but don't overdo and make
sure the containers are sufficiently large enough to accomodate them without
drying out too fast. If you can find seeds of Nemesia or Schizanthus or even
sweet peas, these will also offer a long bloom season in cooler weather in
mild climates.

An advantage of buying starts at your local garden center rather than
starting all from seed is that you can combine multiple types of plants in a
pleasing color combination with draping groundcovers or ivy to have a much
more visually appealing presentation. Look for something larger and bold for
a focal point - fall mums, grasses or ornamental cabbages and kales work
well with the smaller plants like pansies.

pam - gardengal