GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Gardeners come in two sorts… those that start from seed and those that buy plants. Perhaps a combination is best.
Last week we talked about vegetables, this week it's flowers. Five varieties are easy-peasy to start from seed and five have a reputation for being difficult to start from seed.
The easy list is first!
- Marigolds: They germinate quickly and the seeds themselves are easy to handle. Once sprouted, they are a low-maintenance grower that helps keep pests away from the garden.
- Zinnias: Big seeds that are easy to plant or even just scatter can sprout in just a few days on warm soil. Everyone loves these colorful flowers.
- Cosmos: A favorite of mine and easy to start from seed, although you should give these a head start indoors for a few weeks if you can.
- Sunflowers: If you feed the birds sunflower seeds, you know how readily they can sprout in the garden. It's amazing how a tiny seed can grow into a giant flower in a matter of months. No need to start indoors.
- Poppies: These perennials self-seed themselves. Simply scattering their seeds on bare soil or even on top of the snow That's it!
Now for those that are known to be difficult.
- Delphiniums: You'll need to cold stratify delphinium seeds and then give them very specific conditions if you want to grow them from seed.
- Begonias: Begonia seeds are very tiny and can be tricky to handle. They also need to be consistently warm and moist.
- Oriental Poppies: While many poppies are easy to grow from seed, Oriental varieties are more challenging with specific soil and light requirements.
- Sweet Peas: Sweet peas have to be started VERY early in order to germinate. Once growing they are sensitive to heat and need support even when little.
- Foxgloves: The tiny seeds of foxgloves need light to germinate and are sensitive to being overwatered.
But like we said last week with the veggies list… grow what you love. Sometimes it's fun to try new things and experiment a bit, regardless of how easy or difficult that might be!
Watch more of Grow with KARE:
Watch the latest gardening tips and tricks in our YouTube playlist and don't forget to join the Grow with KARE Facebook group:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.