One of our local nursery owners who also grows many of the plants from seed starts his plants during late summer and early fall so that they can be potted up by November and ready for delivery to garden centers by late March. His perennials are started in late summer and the more tender plants in early fall. This way perennials will bloom the first year and the more tender plants are in bloom or close to it. Hardier plants are grown in an unheated greenhouse and others with minimum heat. I had mentioned that I plan to start some seeds earlier this year in order to have a few plants ready in the spring. Mr. Weber's info confirmed that this would work as long as I don't go overboard with too many seedlings or cuttings.



Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

This makes complete sense and confirms what I have noticed this year. The cuttings I took last year were towards the end of the season. They survived indoors but definitely took their time catching up in spring. The plants I got from Bustani are growing like crazy. The root system seems to make a lot of difference. I will be taking cuttings much earlier this time.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

Late summer??? Sounds easier to just pot up theis years seedlings and store em indoors.....I couldn't imagine housing plants for that long a period. Well, maybe just one or two.

Penny,
I'm down here in Cape May County and only found couple of nice greenhouses so far, but their growing season must be a bit longer cause I'm not seeing the sales like we have back home. I did find a pot of 'Lucifer' I am contemplating. $12 for a 2 gallon size plant and it is just getting ready to bloom.

Pam NJ 6B

Priya
It made sense to me also. I figure it is worth a try at least for a few starts. Anything to get a jump on the growing seaosn.

Pam you wouldn't really have to 'house' the seedlings that long. you could actually keep them outside and move them in before an impending frost just like you would do for plants you were going to move inside.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Go for the Lucifer, Pam. I hesitated before buying a gallon pot of Tutti Frutti for $13, but it is now planted outside my kitchen window. The flowering spikes are massive and I can see the hummers just inches away. Priceless!

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

Priya--- Your tutti frutti sounds great mine were that big last year and it became the #1 attractor of hummers in my yard. Mine was 4and 1/2 ft tall and the hummers just could not resist. This year my T.F is slow growing with all the rain and lack of sunny days. But I think they will get there before migration is over. Keep us updated on how it attracts hummers for you.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Tutti Frutti is a strange grower and highly variable. One of them here has reached 6 feet tall and another not 4 feet away is less than 2 feet. It must have taken 6 or 7 years before any of them would winter over for me, and unlike many other Agastaches they don't seem to be much improved by age.

I was surprised by the Tutti frutti. I bought some from Bluestone a couple of years ago, and they never amounted to much. This plant is from a local nursery, and it took off like a rocket. I will do my best to protect it during winter.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

Me too, Priya--- I want to try Donalds method on my main garden this winter and see what happens.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Timing of new starts is a whole topic of discussion. As far as I can tell there is no universal answer, it is species by species and also dependent on climate and safe days.

Pam, $12 would buy you quite a few crocosmia bulbs in the spring...about how many individual plants are in that 2-gal. pot?

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place