Honesty and Chinese lanterns
My SIL in Worcester considers them weeds. Things that self seed like
they do and will add to the cottage feel of the borders here are welcome. So why can't I get the flipping things to grow? I can't even germinate the seeds. Do I need to give them a 'winter' and freeze them? I'm not *overly* enamoured of them as plants, but our 2 year old should find them interesting. She already knows which of the sunflowers she planted. (yes, some replanting happened earlier in the year after her bedtime). Warwick |
I just found that collecting seeds of honesty when ripe (i.e. when the pods
go shiny and see through) and then scattering the seed on our clay soil worked fine. What time of year are you sowing? Are you using bought (dried) seed? What are you sowing it in? Maybe it is one of those things that (a) needs light and (b) is better sown ripe that from packets? All I know is that I had loads and loads after simply scattering one ripe seed stalk over the garden one year. Also it is biannual so you will not get flowers the first year, just leaves. This means that if you want it to just appear year after year you do need to sow it two years in succession. Hayley |
"Warwick" wrote in message news:MPG.1d660325b4d1131d9896a3@dalai... My SIL in Worcester considers them weeds. Things that self seed like they do and will add to the cottage feel of the borders here are welcome. So why can't I get the flipping things to grow? I can't even germinate the seeds. Do I need to give them a 'winter' and freeze them? I'm not *overly* enamoured of them as plants, but our 2 year old should find them interesting. She already knows which of the sunflowers she planted. (yes, some replanting happened earlier in the year after her bedtime). Warwick ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are many plants that will grow as weeds for some and impossible for others. I cannot grow L.o.t.Valley. Others find it pushing through their tarmac. For a very young child, a potted grapefruit pip will sprout and flower [one solitary bloom] in days. Spectacular and highly scented. Will not flower again for many years. For an older child a peanut [not salted!!] will make an interesting pot plant with yellow flowers that bury themselves and make peanuts under the ground. Both will flourish on a windowsill. Other citrus don't respond. Best Wishes Brian. |
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"Warwick" wrote in message news:MPG.1d673441c82937839896a4@dalai... In article , --- says... "Warwick" wrote in message news:MPG.1d660325b4d1131d9896a3@dalai... My SIL in Worcester considers them weeds. Things that self seed like they do and will add to the cottage feel of the borders here are welcome. So why can't I get the flipping things to grow? I can't even germinate the seeds. Do I need to give them a 'winter' and freeze them? I'm not *overly* enamoured of them as plants, but our 2 year old should find them interesting. She already knows which of the sunflowers she planted. (yes, some replanting happened earlier in the year after her bedtime). Warwick ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are many plants that will grow as weeds for some and impossible for others. I cannot grow L.o.t.Valley. Others find it pushing through their tarmac. For a very young child, a potted grapefruit pip will sprout and flower [one solitary bloom] in days. Spectacular and highly scented. Will not flower again for many years. For an older child a peanut [not salted!!] will make an interesting pot plant with yellow flowers that bury themselves and make peanuts under the ground. Both will flourish on a windowsill. Thanks for the grapefruit suggestion. Peanuts were already on my list of interesting things for her in the greenhouse next year. On the citrus I'm aware that the 2 foot high lemon tree from seed that is 3 years old is unlikely to bear fruit in the next half a dozen years if ever, but it is a nice plant with interesting glossy leaves so I'm not killing it off just yet. Regards Warwick ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seedling citrus are a waste of time. I recently visited my old garden in a sub-tropic zone and found that my lemon seedlings had eventually fruited after fifteen years. However the fruits were grotesque and nothing like lemon shaped. There are many genes involved in the fruit with the shape we accept. Even commercial plantations produce many that are discarded. A Meyer's lemon in your greenhouse will fruit with immediate effect and is perfect for young children. They take little space and the fruits are quite genuine. Best Wishes Brian. |
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