April tasks
Greetings to all and welcome to the busiest and most beautiful time of the year: SPRING!
We have waited, waited some more, we have prepared and now we don’t know what to start doing first.
For us seeds growers the priorities are: transplanting and acclimating the indoor seedlings AND – yes, sowing more seeds!
Phacelia sericea, Ipomopsis rubra, Dianthus deltoides and other seedlings acclimating outdoors
Plus, keep an eye on the fall/winter sowings because many species will start to germinate at this time (newly germinated: Eremogone capillaris, Delphinium andersonii, Hepatica, Corydalis, Erythronium….)
Someone wrote to me once that he couldn’t buy certain warm germinating species because he doesn’t have indoor lights :-)
People have been growing plants from seeds long before the indoor lighting systems came into being!
Maybe there is this wrong perception because most plant addicts use them to pleasantly pass the winter time and get a jump on growing.
Otherwise, the time to normally sow the fast, easy germinating species in Northern Hemisphere is right now! Sow the seeds in pots outdoors and they will germinate with the raise in temperatures; or sow indoors and put the pots outside after the seeds have germinated (keep them protected from heavy rains, usually the space underneath the house’s eaves is a good place).
Also, various species, especially annuals and those resenting transplanting can be ‘direct’ sown in the ground. I have just sowed the other day a few more Papaver species (which are short lived) and sprinkled some Sedum atratum seeds in the rockery.
The Seeds Shop is open offering plenty of species that do not need a cold period for germination: Acinos, Draba, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Edraianthus, Silene, Papaver….to mention just a few. Watch for few new species in the Seeds List, like Rhodiola rhodantha, Silene turgida and Phacelia sericea. Just sow and watch them grow!
Also, the Lilium and Paeonia sections have been updated with the remaining seeds in stock (best to be sown in July/August when the Shop may be closed for fall Seeds List preparation).
In truth, the sowing never ends…in between, we stop to admire the result of our work :) with an emphasis on Helleborus, all seeds-growns!
* Fresh Helleborus seeds are provided every year, when possible. When sown during the summer (in August-Sept. at the latest), they will promptly germinate in the next spring. Your only worry will be what to do with so many seedlings!
