Flowers from seed-

C

Camper6

Well-known Member
Location
Northwestern Ontario Canada
There are some flowers that are annuals that you can plant from seed. Then let the seeds mature in the fall and just leave them fall and go through the winter. In the spring they will come up all on their own in huge numbers. These flowers love poor soil and lots of sun. They are called Calendula or Scotch Marigolds. They will also reproduce themselves with other colors. Notice there are orange ones and yellow with different centers. Also bug resistant. Calendula.jpg
 

Love Calendula! Bright and cheerful,
and yes, very sturdy and durable, and tolerant. (y)

I , as well, have never seen any other than orange or yellow-gold.
 
I love how some annuals, will re-seed themselves in the same area,
and so they can come back, as described in the OP, the following year.

Even in Canada and Northern USA, with cold snowy and lengthy winters in between!

The seeds lay dormant however long is needed, until conditions are right, and then, off they go.
They need no directions or teachings.

In UK also, with the milder winters? @hollydolly
Or did you mean that people often plant them there, from small plants transplanted seedlings, and from direct seeding, each year?
 
Kaila said:
Love Calendula! Bright and cheerful,
and yes, very sturdy and durable, and tolerant. (y)

I , as well, have never seen any other than orange or yellow-gold.
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We used to have Calendula and Marigolds in yellow, orange and red when we lived in Alberta. They would have been grown from seed. My mother worked at a greenhouse and brought home packets of flower seeds.
 
My mother saved all the marigold seeds and planted them from scratch in the spring as soon as the soil could be worked. And because of cross breeding from bees and insects a variety of colors and sizes.
 
Marigolds often re-seed themselves, too.... as do many other annuals,

however some don't do as well as others, possibly due to rotting easier from the wet early spring melts and rains..... or from becoming buried too deeply, if one works the soil.

I found that the morning glories re-seeded by themselves, extremely well, and grew strongest and best, if they did that, rather than being hand-planted individually.
Cleome's, or Spider flowers, also did well if allowed to drop and plant their own seeds. :)
 
Kaila said:
Marigolds often re-seed themselves, too.... as do many other annuals,

however some don't do as well as others, possibly due to rotting easier from the wet early spring melts and rains..... or from becoming buried too deeply, if one works the soil.

I found that the morning glories re-seeded by themselves, extremely well, and grew strongest and best, if they did that, rather than being hand-planted individually.
Cleome's, or Spider flowers, also did well if allowed to drop and plant their own seeds. :)
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The most successful plant at reseeding itself is the dandelion. No one plants them and there they are by the bushel full.
If you take a close look at the calendula seeds you will see that the coating of the seed is studded with projections. I guess they dig themselves in.
 
Pinky said:
Colours of Fruit Burst Calendula:
View attachment 108043
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Those seem to be a new variety. I'm wondering if they are a hybrid version and if they would come from seed the same way. I haven't seen these in my neck of the woods yet. There's a community garden in my area and people are allowed to bring in plants and seeds and plant them there. They are on their own. No one looks after them. Everything there grows wild. Pretty interesting. Some plants though not hardy in our area will make it through the winter and survive. However, the seeds from that plant are not necessarily hardy. Only the plant. So you see some plants that are not normally planted. We also have a conservatory where plants from all over the world grow. I like to visit because everything is named.
 
Camper6 said:
Those seem to be a new variety. I'm wondering if they are a hybrid version and if they would come from seed the same way.
Click to expand...

True.
It was interesting to see them, in the picture and post, above, in any case.

The seeds from them might not be viable, for the following year if saved....
....or if they do produce a plant, their seeds might "revert" to an original species...such as yellow or orange.? ;):ROFLMAO:
Possibly. I don't know.
 
@Camper6
It sounds like it would be interesting to stroll by that community garden, at any time of the growing season....
but especially in Springtime, perhaps, to watch to see, which plants do come back up from roots, and which seem to sprout from seeds, and which do not at all.....
 
Kaila said:
True.
It was interesting to see them, in the picture and post, above, in any case.

The seeds from them might not be viable, for the following year if saved....
....or if they do produce a plant, their seeds might "revert" to an original species...such as yellow or orange.? ;):ROFLMAO:
Possibly. I don't know.
Click to expand...
Plants do revert back to there original species sometimes, i have heard of that with hydrangers.
 
Has anyone started any other flowers from seeds, recently?

It's not too late, particularly because they actually germinate more quickly, and grow faster, in the stable warmer temps, this month.

I used to start many types, indoors first, and then move them gradually, till planting outdoors.

Some had long germination times, such as taking 3 weeks from seed-starting to sprout,
which was difficult to keep them moist but not too wet (mold/rot problems)
while others would germinate and sprout, easily, and in only 2 days.

Zinnia's were among the fast ones, and very rewarding.....
snapdragons took much longer.....so needed to start them early...
morning glory seeds needed special care before putting in soil, to mimic the conditions of being dropped by plants in Autumn and in ground all winter, and scratched by rocks and soaked by melting snow.....
 


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