GARDENING : It’s Time to Spring for Some Seeds : For the Right Burst of Color, Take Stock and Pick Your Flowers
Soggy soil and short days limit the time gardeners can spend tending their landscapes at this time of year. But with the help of the many seed catalogues spilling out of mailboxes, you can plan ahead for colorful spring flower gardens by selecting and growing your seeds now.
Starting with seeds widens the selection of plants and colors at a fraction of the cost of buying retail plants.
One of the oldest and best-known companies, W. Atlee Burpee & Co., established in 1876, offers more than 450 varieties of flowers. The selection of impatiens alone includes 33 colors and heights.
Thompson & Morgan, an English company that has supplied seed to Charles Darwin, Claude Monet and royal families in Europe, now offers a catalogue filled with seeds of annuals, perennials and unusual plants for North American gardens. Some tantalizing selections include “Phlox of Sheep,” mixed phlox in pastel colors suitable for garden beds or containers; “Lady Scarlet,” a dwarf cosmos, and “French Vanilla” marigold, a pure-white hybrid without the distinct marigold scent that some people find objectionable.
For the nostalgia or history buff, several companies offer seeds from antique flowers popular at the turn of the century. Select Seeds, of Union, Conn., offers a 44-page catalogue filled with old-fashioned flowers, herbs and scented geraniums, as well as seed starting and growing supplies and books related to heirloom flowers. Shepherd’s Garden Seeds also offers antique flower seeds as well as cultivars from Europe that transplant well to Orange County. Herbs and vegetable seeds are also listed.
Pinetree Garden Seeds, founded in 1979, offers 750 varieties of seeds for small-space gardens. These include climbing and vining flowers, annuals and perennials, everlastings, ornamental grasses and grains, spring flowering bulbs and vegetables.
There’s even a catalogue for wildflower lovers. Moon Mountain, in Carpinteria, offers wildflower seeds for hundreds of different varieties, plus advice on how to select those suitable for specific regions and growing instructions.
*
Starting plants from seed requires more skill than simply selecting an attractive plant from the local nursery or garden center and popping it in the ground.
“Growing from seed is a big challenge and requires a lot of patience but gives the gardener a lot more choice,” said Gary Hayakawa, owner of Three Star Nursery in Fountain Valley. “Certain items that may be very nice aren’t grown by commercial growers due to lack of demand.”
Hayakawa is an expert at growing from seed. He’s the second generation of his family to operate the 10-acre wholesale nursery, which specializes in producing color-packs. In operation for 48 years, Three Star annually produces up to 3 million flowering plants for independent retail nurseries throughout Southern California, including Laguna Hills Nursery, Dana Point Nursery and M & M Nursery.
Although commercial operations like Three Star rely on greenhouses with controlled moisture, heat and light, home gardeners can also grow their plants from seeds with a little help from commercial producers of seed starting kits or mini-greenhouses for in-home use.
One that’s easy to use is the Accelerated Propagation System (APS) offered by Gardener’s Supply Co., of Burlington, Vt. The system consists of an insulated growing tray available in several different sizes, with a plastic cover that functions like a greenhouse to retain moisture, and an automatic watering system provided by capillary matting. Priced at $9.95 for each APS system, the reusable device simplifies the entire process.
Or, if you prefer to recycle, you can buy a simple device to turn your newspaper into plant pots with the aid of the Paper Pot Maker, also available from Gardener’s Supply for $18.95.
You can even use an ordinary plastic cup, with several drainage holes punched in the bottom, to grow large seeds like sunflowers, zinnias or marigolds.
*
Whatever method you choose, Hayakawa offers these tips for success with seeds:
* Select flats, seed trays, cups or other devices and fill two-thirds with commercial germinating mix. Don’t use planting mix or mulch, as the growing medium is too heavy for seeds.
* Moisten mix well before filling tray, add seed, cover to depth recommended on package, then cover unit with a plastic or greenhouse type of device.
* Place in a sunny location, usually a south-facing exposure, indoors or in a garage or protected area.
* Germination will occur in several weeks or longer, depending on seed variety.
* Once seedlings emerge, remove plastic or greenhouse lid so seedlings get air circulation. Thin to one plant per cell, or thin out in flat. Check seedlings several times weekly for water.
* Transplant the tiny seedlings to three-inch pots, one per pot, when they develop true leaves. Timing depends on variety but should be done before the seedlings are too leggy. Some plantlets, like pansies or impatiens, need transplanting when the growth is about half an inch above the soil line.
* Keep seedlings in pots for at least three weeks so the root systems develop. If the sunny window or tabletop is crowded, the pots can be placed outdoors in a location where they’ll receive morning sun. As they’re growing, they’re also getting acclimatized to the outdoors, which is called “hardening off.”
* They can be transplanted into the garden beds when the root systems are developed enough to hold together.
* Fertilize two weeks after transplanting with a water-soluble fertilizer like Miracle-Gro or Grow-Power, prepared according to package directions. Fertilize monthly. Overfeeding promotes plant growth but slows down flower production.
* Protect tender young plants from hungry snails and slugs. Use a barrier-like garden quality diatomaceous earth (available at nurseries), copper snail barriers or traps baited with beer. If you use toxic snail granules, be sure children and pets don’t have access to that area.
*
Be aware that various fungal diseases like to attack seedlings. This is best controlled by care in watering.
“Most people over-water their plants and seedlings, and this encourages fungal diseases because of the poor air circulation in the root zone,” Hayakawa said. For that reason, he commends using mini-greenhouses or seed starting systems where water and humidity is easily controlled. He also recommends starting seeds indoors rather than broadcasting directly into the garden so water, temperature and weed control can be managed easily. The exceptions are wildflower seeds, sweet peas and other large seeds like sunflowers, which can be sown directly into prepared garden beds.
Don’t be alarmed by packets containing 100 or 200 seeds. Only about 70% to 80% will actually germinate, and you’ll thin the group to the hardiest seedlings.
If you still have more plants than you can use in your own flower bed, share the extras with friends or neighbors, a tradition that’s as old as growing from seed.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
Sources for Seed Catalogues
* W. Atlee Burpee & Co.
Warminster, PA 18974
Phone: (800) 888-1447
Free color catalogue
* Seed & Nursery Co.
110 Capital St.
Yankton, SD 57079
Phone: (605) 665-1930
Free color catalogue
* Gardener’s Supply Co.
128 Intervale Road
Burlington, VT 05401
Phone: (802) 863-1700
Free color catalogue
*Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Foss Hill Road
Albion, ME 04910
Phone: (207) 437-4301
Free color catalogue
*Moon Mountain Wildflowers
P.O. Box 725
Carpinteria, CA 93014
Phone: (805) 684-2565
Catalogue, $3
*Pinetree Garden Seeds
Box 300
New Gloucester, ME 04260
Phone: (207) 926-3400
Free catalogue
* Park Seed Co.
Cokesbury Road
Greenwood, SC 29647
Phone: (803) 223-7333
Free color catalogue
* Select Seeds Antique Flowers
180 Stickney Road
Union, CT 06076
Phone: (203) 684-9310
Catalogue, $3
* Shepherd’s Garden Seeds
30 Irene St.
Torrington, CT 06790
Phone: (408) 335-6910
Free catalogue
* Thompson & Morgan Inc.
P.O. Box 1308
Jackson, NJ 08527
Phone: (908) 363-2225
Free color catalogue
