Started from Seed

I started quite a few things from seed this year with mixed results. There doesn't seem to be any difference in size between the ones that I started indoors and the ones that I sewed directly into the garden. There were some that never came up at all; delphiniums and bellflowers. For the most part the annuals are doing well and the perennials are tiny.

(You can click on any picture to enlarge it)

The morning glories are not covering the teepee as fast as I had hoped but I got my first bloom today and it is beautiful.


The coleus were slow to get going but are now catching up to the ones I bought. I’m pleased with the color variation. They’ll get planted in a pot and brought inside for the winter so that I can have fresh cuttings for the spring.




I thought something with the name liliput would be small! These zinnias are quite a bit taller than I expected them to be. You can see some of the blanket flower seedlings in the background, which are the perennial that is doing the best.

I love the way they open a row of petals at a time. You can see that the japanese beetles have been feasting on them.


The sunflowers are doing well, especially considering that I planted them late. You can just see a tropical milkweed seedling in front of them. If you enlarge the picture you can just make out the tiny butterfly weed seedlings that I started inside back in March. Is it normal for them to stay so small the first year?


These sweet peas are my biggest disappointment. They sprouted very fast and now seem to be taking forever to do anything. I can picture in my head how pretty they’d be covering the trellis so I’m doubly frustrated whenever I see wild ones growing by the side of the road.