After years of trying to toss seeds for these and never getting plants, I now can see one possible difficulty. The leaves look very similar to the plant I have the most of in my spring gardens. If it's sprouted in the past, I've been pulling it out!



Can anyone tell me if the leaves are also similar in size?

You're in good company there, Chelle. And it's one big advantage of wintersowing them- you know what to expect in the milk jug.

Distinguishing between the two might come down to comparing plant habits. The bells are a taller, more upright plant, while the henbit is shorter and spreads like wildfire. If I remember correctly, color is a little different, too. I think the bells are a little brighter green, while the henbit has a more blue shading.

I also have trouble distinguishing the henbit from digitalis and nepeta... I sometimes pull up a bigger henbit which is certain henbit (blooming) and use it for comparison. If all else fails, there's always smell and taste of leaves

Karen

Ah, yes! Thanks, Karen! I'd totally spaced the smell test for comparison thing!

I usually yank the henbit in the cultivated areas before plant habit or color deviations are noticeably apparent. I have a patch of seedlings that struck me as being different from the rest, and since I don't recall now exactly where I tossed the Bells Of Ireland seeds I'm thinking these might be some of them.

Off to check!

Yes, the Bells of Ireland are a bit lighter green than the hen it and the leaves will get quite a bit larger than the hen bit, but not when they are just emerging. So sorry you were pulling out. I did that this year with columbine mixed with yellow clover! Luckily I caught myself before I tore them all out!

Heck. After checking closely, I'm almost certain my lovely mess is just several different kinds of weedy plants... drat! Oh, well...plenty of seed left, so I'll try again.



Thanks for the advice.

I start mine inside. Just throw them in a tray of soil. I had some last year and I thought they were reseeders but I haven't seen any volunteers yet.

The rules are: They only reseed where you don't want them.

But, ya gotta get the first one before they'll do that!

I'll try some indoors tomorrow. I think that one of the very few ways left that I haven't tried!

Too funny, Arlene! Years of fussing around trying to direct sow and wintersow these guys...and all I had to do was listen to you. Those babies sprouted indoors over the weekend!!

Thanks ever so much!

That's funny, Chelle! I generally get volunteers from the ones (ever so carefully sown indoors several years ago) I planted, and they're never anywhere I want them! Sigh, in with the strawberries, in the walkway next to the strawberry planter, in stray pots nearby... And if you do get them going and decide to collect seeds, be careful! They bite!!!

Sometimes the most obvious path just seems too easy.

Karen

Glad they germinated for you Chelle!!!

I almost took a picture of the sprouted seed before I planted it ...it's been that elusive for me 'til now. Appreciate the finger biting warning, too. I wonder if that's why those seeds get *planted* everywhere else, Woofie. Cling-ons on rabbits and Rovers perhaps?
Do you move them, yank them or just let 'em be?

Yeah, Karen. Too easy...results in two days or less!

Bells are one of those that took me a while to finally get them to grow - now they are sprouting up EVERYWHERE and I need to pull them out as they are taking over my garden. Don't let too many go to seed......

Wow, I haven't seen any volunteers yet. I was hoping for a few. Isn't that the way it always goes?

Lots of babies showing today! They make me grin.

Thanks for the warning, Diane. I'll add these to my deadhead early list.

Sooooo, does someone have her camera out to take pics of those little seedlings for the database?

woofie said:Sooooo, does someone have her camera out to take pics of those little seedlings for the database?

Not quite yet for these...they're just barely showing! As soon as they get a true leaf or two, I will.