"andrewpreece" wrote in message ...
OK your average gardener regards it as a weed, but I reckon it's beautiful
and wish to have a stand of the things in my garden. I saved some of the
seeds from last year, which are of the fluffy airborne variety, but my
standard technique of sticking them 1/4" down in compost in the greenhouse,
keeping it moist and praying has failed.
No seedlings, and it's been 6 weeks now. Any ideas?

Andy.

It is a plant of woodland clearings. As such it probably needs light.
I would surface sow. You are not the only one who likes growing this
plant. Many lepidopterists grow it as it is the foodplant of one of
our loveliest moths.
The Elephant Hawk Moth.

http://cgi.ukmoths.force9.co.uk/show.php?id=1753

The adult as you can see is pink. Yes there are pink elephants!:-)

It gets its name from the trunk like head of the larva which is a
snake mimic.

http://cgi.ukmoths.force9.co.uk/show.php?id=240

--
Neil Jones- http://www.butterflyguy.com/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn
Bog National Nature Reserve