Reproduced from January 07 issue of Gardeners' World magazine. This month's issue on sale now. Subscribe now and save 30 per cent.
Flower project: sow now for luxuriant summer blooms
You'll need to sow geranium seeds early in the year to get a head start on your flower displays, says Adam Pasco How to grow geraniums successfully from seed
With increasingly warm weather and summer watering restrictions in many areas, geraniums are the perfect choice for summer colour without the hassle of frequent watering. These tender perennials love the sun, tolerate hot, dry conditions and perform well in pots and borders despite neglect. Although their correct name is pelargonium, most seed catalogues and garden centres use their popular name of geranium. Don't confuse them with hardy herbaceous geraniums, which in turn are often called cranesbills.
Many named varieties with fancy flowers and colourful foliage are raised from cuttings by specialist nurseries, but others are simple to grow from seed. For success, you'll need a heated propagator and a warm greenhouse or window sill. To ensure large plants in flower for planting out in late May or June, you must sow between early January and March. Just follow our step-by-step sowing guide for beautiful displays this summer.
Something for every budget Geranium seeds vary widely in price, depending on the variety you choose. Those called F1 hybrids are expensive to produce, so you won't get many seeds in a packet, but you will get strong, uniform and floriferous plants. Thompson & Morgan's 'Maverick Mixed' F1, for example, which contains eight colours, from white through to scarlet, via pink and coral, costs £3.99 for just six seeds - that works out at around 66p each.
F2 and other hybrids are cheaper to produce and, although they're not as spectacular to the discerning eye, they offer great value when you want to fill large spaces on a budget. 'Vista Series' F2 from Dobies is a lovely colour mix of deep rose, scarlet, salmon and white, costing £2.45 for 25 seeds - about 10p per seed. Compare that to the cost of buying geraniums as plants or seedlings and you'll see how much you can save by growing your own. You'll also have the satisfaction of raising your own plants.
Adam's pick of the geraniums
Black Velvet Series Dark chocolatecoloured leaves and four flower colours:
red, salmon, apple blossom and the award-winning rose-pink 'Black Velvet Rose'. Nicky's Seeds, Thompson & Morgan. For similar leaf and flower colours, try 'Black Magic Mixed'. Dobies, Mr Fothergill's, Suttons. 'Sensation Mix' A loribunda variety producing masses of flowers in scarlet, cherry, salmon and rose. It's a great performer, even in wet weather, and at just 30cm tall, it's ideal for containers. Nicky's Seeds, Suttons. 'Multibloom Mixture' A popular and prolific 10-colour mix of reds, pinks and white. At 30cm tall, it's also good in pots. Early to bloom. Marshalls. 'Orange Appeal' This distinctly different geranium has brilliant orange blooms. AGM and Fleuroselect award winner. Nicky's Seeds.
Adam 's Sowing guide
- Use seed compost for sowing - don't make do with multi-purpose compost, which is too coarse and rich in nutrients.
- Warm conditions are required for germination. Use an electric propagator set to about 21°C.
- Germination takes anything from a few days to three weeks, depending on the variety. .
- Water sparingly to avoid drowned seedlings and waterlogged compost. .
- If seedlings only develop one long shoot, pinch out the main tip to encourage sideshoots. .
- Gradually harden off plants in May by placing trays outside during the day and moving them back into the greenhouse or a cold frame at night.
Where to buy
Dobies 0870 112 3625, www.dobies.co.uk
Marshalls 01480 443 390,
www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk
Mr Fothergill's 0845 166 2511,
www.fothergills.co.uk
Nicky's Seeds 01843 600 972
www.nickys-nursery.co.uk
Suttons 0870 220 0606,
www.suttons-seeds.co.uk
Thompson & Morgan 01473 695 225,
www.thompson-morgan.com
8 steps to... growing geraniums from seed
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| Fill small pots with seed-sowing compost, then water thoroughly and leave the pots to drain. | Sprinkle seeds evenly over the surface of the compost, leaving at least 2-3cm between each one. | Cover the seeds with a thin layer of compost (use a sieve to remove any lumps) or vermiculite. |
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| Cover pots with a sheet of glass or polythene, then place in a warm greenhouse or heated propagator. | Remove glass as soon as the seeds germinate, and grow on until large enough to prick out into trays. | Fill a tray with seed compost and plant seedlings about 5cm apart. Keep in a warm bright position. |
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| In about six weeks, the young plants will be large enough for you to pot them up individually | Pot up the plants into 7.5cm pots. After 3-4 weeks, transfer to larger pots and start feeding with liquid feed. |
Greenhouse
cleaning glass...planting begonias...heating...
Top up fuel for cold nights
Paraffin heaters have a nasty habit of running out of fuel in the middle of the coldest night of the year, so top up the fuel very evening to make sure you're not caught out. Where bottled gas heaters are used, invest in two bottles linked by a switch-over valve which automatically connects the second bottle when the first runs out. With both forms of heater, be sure to provide a small amount of ventilation to ensure they burn efficiently and fumes can escape.
Checklist
- Bring potted peaches under cover to prevent leaf curl.
- Water pot plants sparingly, and avoid wetting foliage.
- Pick off faded leaves and flowers regularly to avoid grey mould developing.
- Start sowing summer bedding and crops that need a long growing season to mature, such as geraniums.
- Buy chrysanthemum cuttings, or take from your own plants.
- Sow pots of hardy annuals, like calendula, for early flowers.
Time to clear the decks
January is a quiet month in the greenhouse, giving you the perfect opportunity to clear out any rubbish and clean everything thoroughly. Start by removing all accumulated clutter, piles of pots and bags of old compost, then brush down the framework, staging and floors. If you are overwintering tender plants, choose a mild day so that these can be moved outside while you clean up. Next, wash the glazing inside and out. You can buy glass cleaner specifically for the purpose, but any cleaner will do. Rubbing carefully with a sponge and soapy water will remove any build-up of grime, but wash off any residue with clean water.
Bag a batch of begonias
Begonia tubers may look unpromising, but by July will be stealing the show. Dormant tubers are available to buy now, ready for planting in pots or trays of moist compost. Shoots will develop from the tubers' concave side, which must face upwards. Keep in a warm propagator and pot up individually when shoots are about 8cm tall. Gloxinia tubers are planted in exactly the same way, producing flowering pot plants to decorate the home or conservatory through summer.
Tip: early strawberries
Bring potted strawberries into the protection of a greenhouse or cold frame to encourage earlier flowering and fruiting. Strawberry plants from the garden can be lifted and potted up for the winter. Keep them watered, pick off dead leaves, and check regularly for signs of greenfly.