Best flowers to grow from seed

uno · January 15, 2016

I want to start some flowers from seed this year for my Mom.

She usually just buys fully grown flowers at a store.

I just wanted to see if anyone could recommend some good varieties of flowers that can be started from seed indoors? Most would need to be varieties that would do well in a container when planted outside not planted directly in the ground.

Thanks

Jim

Worth1 · January 15, 2016

Any kind of Petunia does great in containers as well as snapdragons.
I grew them both when I was a little kid from seeds.
Worth

AlittleSalt · January 15, 2016

Marigolds are easy to start from seed.

Labradors2 · January 15, 2016

Wave Petunias are pretty, cascading, and more expensive to buy (as plants) than regular petunias.

Linda

nancyruhl · January 15, 2016

I personally don't grow anything with extremely small seeds. That would mean begonias, impatiens, petunia, and coleus off the top of my head. I also only grow from saved seeds. What I have been successful with is cosmos, marigolds, nicotiana, snapdragons. I also save seeds from geraniums, but that is tedious. Purchased seeds are prohibitive in cost. The marigolds that I really love are the ones I got in the seed exchange here one year called Tashkent Monastery. The foliage doesn't smell unpleasant and they are velvety red with gold edges. The cosmos is the native cosmos Ladybird Scarlet. They stay very compact with brilliant. orange color. Also, I always grow Salvia coccinea, red and coral numph. Another easy to grow annuals I suggest, especially attractive in containers is talinum limon. It has brilliant gold foliage and sends up sprays of small pink flowers. Dahlias are also easily grown from seed, plus you can dig and store the roots for next year. Of course, I belong to the local chapter of seed savers anonymous.

Nattybo! · January 15, 2016

Ooh this is a great thread....last year I did not start petunias early enough and so didn't bother. Then I had these big holes in the garden beds where they should have been

. I need to plant those really soon.

If you go with petunias, try to get the ones that have been pelletized (seeds)...they will be easier to plant. And water them with warm water. They do not like cold water.

Alyssums are pretty, seeds are tiny, but easily found at the dollar stores for like a quarter. Columbine was from the dollar store too and was surprisingly easy...and a perennial to boot!

Impatiens were not difficult to grow, just teeny tiny seeds.

roper2008 · January 16, 2016

I grow most of my flowers from seed. The easiest are the ones with larger seeds.
My favorite is the zinnia, it does get very tall though. As other have mentioned
Marigold's and Cosmo's are easy. Petunia seed are very tiny, so you have to be
careful not to put too many seed in a container. You sprinkle them on top of the
soil since they need light to germinate. I don't know if they would make the best
cut flower though.

guruofgardens · January 17, 2016

Yes. Zinnias. They are easy to grow and easy to save seeds from. I grow them every year next to my tomatoes to attract butterflies, bees, etc. As cut flowers they usually stay fresh more than a few days.

I may try the shorter ones this year, but will use last year's seeds first.

bjbebs · January 17, 2016

I'll be starting Wave Petunia and Vinca in early Feb. Followed by Impatiens, Verbena and then Gazania in early March. These all do well in containers.

Cuttings are taken from Pentas and Lantana in late summer. These go back into the ground in late spring.

KarenO · January 17, 2016

dahlia, poppy, asters, calendula, nasturtiums, stocks, nicotiana, to be truthfully, most seed-started greenhouse varieties are fairly easy to grow if you can manage their light requirements and have the space. You can also order plug trays like the pro's if you have a greenhouse.

Something I do every spring is buy a few (2-3) vegetative petunias already growing as early as I can get them from a GH, usually early april. I then take as many cuttings as I can and root them straight into potting mix in 4" pots. they all "Take" and are big enough to plant out at the normal time, here about the last week of May. The "mother plants regrow as well so I still have them to plant. You can easily get a dozen good cuttings from each plant.
Petunias are very easy to root from cuttings and a good one to try for a beginner.
I do this only for my own use though. remember it can be illegal to vegetatively propagate for sale many popular annuals due to licencing and branding. It is not illegal to do it for yourself.
I also save seed from those expensive F1 petunias and the F2's will give you unpredicatable colours but always nice spreading vegetative plants. as long as you are not fussy about a certain colour, it's a fun surprise to see what you get.
here's a timeline of it from my NG page
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...3581757&type=3
click on the first photo and keep clicking for seed to full grown plants. you do not have to be a facebook user to see the photos.

KarenO

nancyruhl · January 19, 2016

What Karen said. I make lots of cuttings. What I use is a clear plastic container to root them in though. That way, they have their own little green house. It becomes a steam bath when it is in a sunny location. I cut a 3-4 inch piece and remove the bottom leaves. I make sure to bury at least one node in the soil. I remove all flowers as they take energy from the cutting. Rooting hormone, like Rootone, helps. Also, drilling holes in the bottom of the container helps to not over water. Adding more perlite makes the soil more porous, aiding the rooting process. Coleus will have a generous new root system in 3 weeks. Other plants take longer.

The last slide is begonias I started from saved seeds. (I couldn't help myself) I guess the issue for me isn't so much the small seeds, but the fact that it will be forever before those seedlings are big enough to handle, and them many more weeks before they are plantable out. Just my experience. Oops, no picture. They were so small they didn't show up in the slide

barefootgardener · January 23, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by nancyruhl

What Karen said. I make lots of cuttings. What I use is a clear plastic container to root them in though. That way, they have their own little green house. It becomes a steam bath when it is in a sunny location. I cut a 3-4 inch piece and remove the bottom leaves. I make sure to bury at least one node in the soil. I remove all flowers as they take energy from the cutting. Rooting hormone, like Rootone, helps. Also, drilling holes in the bottom of the container helps to not over water. Adding more perlite makes the soil more porous, aiding the rooting process. Coleus will have a generous new root system in 3 weeks. Other plants take longer.

The last slide is begonias I started from saved seeds. (I couldn't help myself) I guess the issue for me isn't so much the small seeds, but the fact that it will be forever before those seedlings are big enough to handle, and them many more weeks before they are plantable out. Just my experience. Oops, no picture. They were so small they didn't show up in the slide

Very nice Nancy..Thank you for posting.

Ginny

nancyruhl · January 19, 2016

Open container for viewing purposes.

clkeiper · January 19, 2016

Geraniums are easy from seed, too. Don't neglect the heat or if your seeds need to germinate cool, make sure you google it to see so you don't ruin the seeds. Snaps, dianthus, pansies.. all do well to be frozen for a week or two in the kitchen freezer before planting. Sweetpeas for baskets don't need heat either. You can also buy houseplants in the Spring and split them to add texture, trailing or an upright feature to a large planter.

barefootgardener · January 23, 2016

Marigolds, petunias and zinnias are easy to start from seed, and will give you a wide range of colors and heights that will bloom all summer, into late fall. Allysum is a nice flowering plant that looks great mixed in a container with petunias, marigolds and many other flowers. Pansy is another one that is easy and looks great in containers with allysum that cascades down.

Everyone gave great advice and tips.. I would make sure you follow the package directions and look up each variety in a google search as many varieties have different growing and germinating methods. Good luck..

Ginny

January 15, 2016	#1
uno Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: SW Pennsylvania, zone 6a Posts: 147	Best flowers to grow from seed I want to start some flowers from seed this year for my Mom. She usually just buys fully grown flowers at a store. I just wanted to see if anyone could recommend some good varieties of flowers that can be started from seed indoors? Most would need to be varieties that would do well in a container when planted outside not planted directly in the ground. Thanks Jim

January 15, 2016	#6
Nattybo! Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Maryland Posts: 272	Ooh this is a great thread....last year I did not start petunias early enough and so didn't bother. Then I had these big holes in the garden beds where they should have been . I need to plant those really soon. If you go with petunias, try to get the ones that have been pelletized (seeds)...they will be easier to plant. And water them with warm water. They do not like cold water. Alyssums are pretty, seeds are tiny, but easily found at the dollar stores for like a quarter. Columbine was from the dollar store too and was surprisingly easy...and a perennial to boot! Impatiens were not difficult to grow, just teeny tiny seeds. Last edited by Nattybo!; January 15, 2016 at 06:10 PM.

January 17, 2016	#10
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,922	dahlia, poppy, asters, calendula, nasturtiums, stocks, nicotiana, to be truthfully, most seed-started greenhouse varieties are fairly easy to grow if you can manage their light requirements and have the space. You can also order plug trays like the pro's if you have a greenhouse. Something I do every spring is buy a few (2-3) vegetative petunias already growing as early as I can get them from a GH, usually early april. I then take as many cuttings as I can and root them straight into potting mix in 4" pots. they all "Take" and are big enough to plant out at the normal time, here about the last week of May. The "mother plants regrow as well so I still have them to plant. You can easily get a dozen good cuttings from each plant. Petunias are very easy to root from cuttings and a good one to try for a beginner. I do this only for my own use though. remember it can be illegal to vegetatively propagate for sale many popular annuals due to licencing and branding. It is not illegal to do it for yourself. I also save seed from those expensive F1 petunias and the F2's will give you unpredicatable colours but always nice spreading vegetative plants. as long as you are not fussy about a certain colour, it's a fun surprise to see what you get. here's a timeline of it from my NG page https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...3581757&type=3 click on the first photo and keep clicking for seed to full grown plants. you do not have to be a facebook user to see the photos. KarenO Last edited by KarenO; January 17, 2016 at 04:21 PM.

January 19, 2016	#14
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	Geraniums are easy from seed, too. Don't neglect the heat or if your seeds need to germinate cool, make sure you google it to see so you don't ruin the seeds. Snaps, dianthus, pansies.. all do well to be frozen for a week or two in the kitchen freezer before planting. Sweetpeas for baskets don't need heat either. You can also buy houseplants in the Spring and split them to add texture, trailing or an upright feature to a large planter. __________________ carolyn k

January 15, 2016	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Any kind of Petunia does great in containers as well as snapdragons. I grew them both when I was a little kid from seeds. Worth

January 15, 2016	#3
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Marigolds are easy to start from seed.

January 15, 2016	#4
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,886	Wave Petunias are pretty, cascading, and more expensive to buy (as plants) than regular petunias. Linda

January 15, 2016	#5
nancyruhl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan Posts: 1,051	I personally don't grow anything with extremely small seeds. That would mean begonias, impatiens, petunia, and coleus off the top of my head. I also only grow from saved seeds. What I have been successful with is cosmos, marigolds, nicotiana, snapdragons. I also save seeds from geraniums, but that is tedious. Purchased seeds are prohibitive in cost. The marigolds that I really love are the ones I got in the seed exchange here one year called Tashkent Monastery. The foliage doesn't smell unpleasant and they are velvety red with gold edges. The cosmos is the native cosmos Ladybird Scarlet. They stay very compact with brilliant. orange color. Also, I always grow Salvia coccinea, red and coral numph. Another easy to grow annuals I suggest, especially attractive in containers is talinum limon. It has brilliant gold foliage and sends up sprays of small pink flowers. Dahlias are also easily grown from seed, plus you can dig and store the roots for next year. Of course, I belong to the local chapter of seed savers anonymous.

January 16, 2016	#7
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	I grow most of my flowers from seed. The easiest are the ones with larger seeds. My favorite is the zinnia, it does get very tall though. As other have mentioned Marigold's and Cosmo's are easy. Petunia seed are very tiny, so you have to be careful not to put too many seed in a container. You sprinkle them on top of the soil since they need light to germinate. I don't know if they would make the best cut flower though.

January 17, 2016	#8
guruofgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: zone 5 Colorado Posts: 942	Yes. Zinnias. They are easy to grow and easy to save seeds from. I grow them every year next to my tomatoes to attract butterflies, bees, etc. As cut flowers they usually stay fresh more than a few days. I may try the shorter ones this year, but will use last year's seeds first.

January 17, 2016	#9
bjbebs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: illinois Posts: 281	I'll be starting Wave Petunia and Vinca in early Feb. Followed by Impatiens, Verbena and then Gazania in early March. These all do well in containers. Cuttings are taken from Pentas and Lantana in late summer. These go back into the ground in late spring.

January 23, 2016	#15
barefootgardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Michigan Zone 4b Posts: 1,291	Marigolds, petunias and zinnias are easy to start from seed, and will give you a wide range of colors and heights that will bloom all summer, into late fall. Allysum is a nice flowering plant that looks great mixed in a container with petunias, marigolds and many other flowers. Pansy is another one that is easy and looks great in containers with allysum that cascades down. Everyone gave great advice and tips.. I would make sure you follow the package directions and look up each variety in a google search as many varieties have different growing and germinating methods. Good luck.. Ginny