I grew some for the first time this year Teri... just love them

I had a dead plant from last year sitting in my GH. Sprinkled the seeds on some dirt and ended up with about half a dozen new Lisianthus! No idea what color they'll be tho.

My favorite annual is larkspur! It reseeds here in zone 5 which is a big bonus for me. Last summer I messed around with pollination and got some this year from them that were white with a purple dot on each petal!

Right on, Randi.

Some of mine have bloomed all summer long this year since I trimmed off the seed stalks instead of yanking the entire plant after the first flush. Very nice to have in a drought year. So many (perennial) blooms are MIA, or just not very pretty this year, but the larkspur is lovely, regardless.

to ATP!

BTW - I love the notes in your infobox.

randijowilcoxen said:
♥ I LOVE gardening!
♥ Weeding is my therapy
♥ Gardening is my Sanity

What zone is Larkspur ?

I have larkspur that self-sows here, in Zone 3. Not great picture, its in between the 2 roses

I had a lone larkspur show up in one my planters this year, too.

So how come I can never get larkspur to grow? I've tried sowing in the fall, in the spring....it just never seems to get going. What's the trick?

I never see it around here but I don't know why.

Maybe the seed needs to be fresh? I remember buying seeds one year and had no trouble getting them to grow; and I had lots of volunteers the next year. But the last time I tried to start them, I didn't have any luck.

mom2goldens said:So how come I can never get larkspur to grow? I've tried sowing in the fall, in the spring....it just never seems to get going. What's the trick?

Sow them now if you have them - they need to grow a bit before winter hits. Alternatively, toss them out in muddy slush this winter and press them in with your boot. If you can do it right before a refreeze, it's even better. They seem to germinate best in darkness, but they don't like being planted too deep - so if you sow them now just cover them with a piece of board or something similar, and check them often.

All I usually do to add to mine is to do the winter thing.

[I did container sow some Parisian Pink this year on February 15th, and recorded sprouts on March 15th.]

Thanks, Chelle. I'll check to see if I have any seeds left and give it a try.

LMK if you need any.

I had trouble growing them for years and finally got a LOT of them this year. Best I can figure, they like to be planted late fall here. I don't think I get sprouts before winter. I also suspect that I may have weeded them out in the spring, as their foliage looks a lot like a weed I get. Now that I know the difference I'm hoping for lots more, they were gorgeous!

Where can I get some seeds? I would like some pink or red.

Chelle's right. Direct sow in fall. Seeds will sprout and winter over as seedlings. In summer, they'll be tall and lush.


I had no luck growing then transplanting. The trick is direct sowing early enough in fall that they sprout and put on growth before winter starts.

Karen

they are very nice

That's such a pretty mix, Karen!


Susan, saved seed from here would be labeled as *garden mix*. They're usually shades of blue, purple, and white - with a few *eyed* surprises each year. If you'd like some of mine, send me a tree-mail. (I'm not sure if my pinks would still be pink next year)

Very pretty Karen

That does look very nice, Karen! I never had any trouble transplanting them, but it would certainly be much easier to direct sow them in the fall. Heh, heh, maybe I'll add them to my "try winter sowing" list. They looked really nice when I grew them with Cosmos. Wonder if my seeds are still good.......