Try grow them from seed and enjoy producing miracles of colour .
Classes
yearbook may be classified according to the metre that theirseeds may be safely sow . There are many annual , which are sometimes known under the rather misleading name of “ hardy annuals . ” These plants are not unfearing in the common sense that the industrial plant themselves live through the wintertime , but are hardy in that their ejaculate will place upright the rigourousness of wintertime out of door if give slight auspices of some sort . The practice of fall seeding of annual would well be confined to those which transfer with difficulty and those which require an specially other kickoff in spring for the best results
The second class of annuals include those which are untoughened , that is , whose foliage can not stand cold at any time . These should not be sown out of door in the open priming coat in spring until the last danger of frost is , gone and the soil is lovesome and mellow . Many clock time in peculiarly prosperous site these plants will leave out semen which will live to germinate the next season , but it is not wise to rely on this for the next yr ’s plants . In this course of instruction fall such plants as the alpiglossis , marigold , Eupatorium coelestinum , candytuft , zinnia , andPhlox drummondi . We would let in in this course of study all the annuals , which will succeed by sowing the seed out of the room access , and thin them if they come up too thick .
The third class ofannualsincludes all of those , which require a foresighted meter for seed sprouting and a long period of growing before blooming . These annual will give the best results if the seeds are started in some protect place such as a inhuman frame or in the house if the conditions are ripe . Among these are such plants as China aster , verbena , petunia , snapdragon , and scabiosa .
Sowing seed
The closed book of success in planting ejaculate is proper soil preparation and depth of sowing , and yearly are no elision . A good rule to follow is that the finer the seed , the finer the soil in the seedbeds should be . The grime should be as laid-back as possible , and if the soil available tends to be corpse , it would be adept to incorporate a magnanimous amount of sand and humus in the form of well - rot foliage clay sculpture or peat moss . Do not admit manure or plant food in your seedbed . Young seedling do not involve much in the style of plant life food , and it is adept to reserve the usance of this fabric for the transplantation bed and the heyday borders . Whensowing the stalwart annual seeddirectly in the bed of flowers in the crepuscule , it is best to propagate the seed over the Earth’s surface of the dirt and lightly skim it in . For broadcasting the seeded player evenly , it is best to mix them with all right dry soil or sand . The seedbed should then be lightly tamp and a thin covering of well - rotted leafmold or fine peat moss be applied over the top to prevent excessive heaving of the soil .
If we would rather wait until other spring for planting hardy annual seeds , they ’re well covered with gunny , to forestall the skirt from wipe out the cum . This same advice would hold rightful for sowing the third course of seeds in the beds in late spring . When covering the seedbed with burlap or cheesecloth , however , one must watch carefully for sprouting , and , now after this starts , hit the masking . It is also authoritative to guard against dry out , during sprouting especially , as it is black at this period . The annuals needing a recollective raise season must be sow in in boxful or pots , and for this purpose , one can make no well investing than to corrupt or construct a cold form , which may be obtained from most glasshouse manufacturers .
There are times , however , when sow in in kitty is advisable . This is true in the face of flyspeck seeds or if one has very few seminal fluid of some choice annual . In the slip of hunky-dory seed , obtain pots , known as bulb - pans , from a florist . These are merely large , flat throne . The 8 or 9 - inch size will be sufficiently large . Fill the bottom of the pot with cinders or crushed rock , the travel along third with soil screened through an average hardware cloth CRT screen , and the last third with territory sieve through the fine windowpane screen . Obtain a while of cop screen for this design and nail it on a square theoretical account , and it will stay serviceable for a number of year . It is best , when the mountain is two - thirds full , to firm the soil and water it before add the concluding third of okay soil as recommended antecedently . This is for honorable distribution . If it is a very all right seed such as petunia , do not handle it but merely fight in with a small-scale firearm of woods . Once this process is complete be sure to label the pot correctly . Wooden labels of appropriate size may be obtain at any seed store .
Transplanting
When it is trust to produce plant life in the cold frames for bloom elsewhere , it is much better to transfer the seedlings once before the concluding lot in their lasting places . They will thus develop better tooth root systems and will be much thrifty than if allowed to grow in the seedbeds until move outside . When the plants begin crowd together one another , which will be when several leaves have formed , the seedlings should be dug up and transplant in rows in the cold frame . If the seedlings grow too vigorously and begin to snap up apace , it is best to pinch out the top , pull up stakes at least two sets of leaves .
photograph byJametlene Reskp
