garden:about:plants:flowers:growing
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garden:about:plants:flowers:growing [2015/07/23 19:23] – davidbac | garden:about:plants:flowers:growing [2018/12/30 23:54] (current) – [Intentional] davidbac | ||
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+ | ===== Growing flowers ===== | ||
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+ | ==== Not just for pretty ==== | ||
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+ | I wanted more flowers in and around my gardens not just for looks but also for the benefits they can bring as beneficial companion plants. I studied combinations of beneficial plants and chose a selection to go with the vegetable crops I was planting. | ||
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+ | ==== What I learned ==== | ||
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+ | * Flower seeds didn’t germinate well in my greenhouse. | ||
+ | * Some seeds are so incredible small that it is very difficult to seed them appropriately. | ||
+ | * They take forever to bloom. | ||
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+ | Because they take so long to flower, I realize I need to start them as soon as I can in the spring. Only experience will tell when that is. | ||
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+ | ==== Intentional ==== | ||
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+ | === Direct seeded === | ||
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+ | In the chard/ | ||
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+ | === Greenhouse germinating === | ||
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+ | I wanted to get a start on flowers so I attempted to germinate some in the greenhouse. Conditions were right only for 3 puny chamomile, two borage and two calendula. And it took forever - more than a month. | ||
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+ | Direct seeding early in the season may be a better choice. | ||
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+ | === Self-seeded === | ||
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+ | Some annual plants seed themselves if left to their own habits. When they oblige I allow this assertive behavior because it requires very little effort from me. | ||
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+ | == Chamomile == | ||
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+ | Chamomile was prolific seeding itself, the sprouts arriving before the original plants were done flowering. The sprouts formed a carpet of green and spread well beyond the flower bed. | ||
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+ | The flowers are pretty and the aroma almost overpowering. I collected quite a few mature blossoms for drying for tea. They brew very nicely and I can make the brew as strong or as mild as I care. I harvested blossoms only after the petals began to fall toward the stem. | ||
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+ | == Crimson clover == | ||
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+ | The crimson clover from the previous year was lovely and provided a large quantity of pollen for local honey bees, as well as an early splash of color to the garden. | ||
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+ | I thought I had terminated the crimson clover before it had viable seeds, but I was too late. But that meant I had a lot of germinating clover by September. | ||
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+ | == Marigold == | ||
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+ | I started these by direct seeding. In the fall I collected a large sack of seeds. Silly me! Those seeds that fell on the ground sprouted in the spring and I had a little-effort stand of colorful marigolds. | ||
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+ | == Sunflower == | ||
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+ | The same went for sunflowers. Now, rather than collecting seeds, I shake the flowers when I remove the stalks and wait from the seeds to wake up. | ||
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+ | == Blanket flower == | ||
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+ | I direct seeded these and let them go to seed in the same area. I did help them out a bit by spreading some of the dried flowers over a nearby area. These sprouted in the fall. I'll see how they manage the winter weather, hoping some show up in the spring. | ||
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