Flower Seed Help Please!

[SomeLikeItTepid]

I'm very much a novice gardener and seek out most advice online, so I was wondering if any of you green-fingered MumsNetters might be able to help. I love growing flowers from seed with my children each year. We've had varying success. Do you always buy your seeds from the same company or do you think it makes little difference? We've generally stuck to Suttons, Mr Fothergills, and Thompson & Morgan. The Sarah Raven seeds always seem a little more pricey and I'm not sure if that's because they're more reliable growers? Also, are the seeds sold in B&Q, Wilko etc of inferior quality? I'm just curious to know your thoughts. Thanks 😊🌱🌷🌸🌻

I tend to buy plug plants instead as I think they are more reliable.

I have had a lot of success with seeds from Wilkinson's. I love Wilkinson's! They tend to stock the more reliable varieties. I like Sarah Raven too as she sells the more special or unusual varieties, but some may be more susceptible to failing if you don't get it quite right.

I'd class myself as an experienced gardener and I use Wilkinson's. The range has all the usual suspects and is often half the price of seed from the big companies. There are some tricks that they don't tell you like soaking the sees of sweet peas overnight and not planting lettuce in hot weather as it likes to be cooler to germinate but mostly the Wilko seed is good.

It is a lot of phaff to grow everything from seed so use plugs as well. Geraniums can be grown from seed but they can be tricky. Fuchsias are always taken from cuttings. Dahlias on the other hand can be grown from seed and you can fill a garden with a few packets.

I buy mine from Lidl’s and have has great success. Wilkonsons are also good. I did buy some patunia seeds on amazon and out of 50 seeds only 3 have germinated ☹️. I’m going to buy some more from Lidl.

Thanks for the replies! I'll seek out my local Wilkinson's I think!! I'm sure I'll pop back up on here with questions about which ones to sow in a propegator or not! Thanks again 😊

Lovemusic we have had a similar thing with our delphiniums too. Only three sorry looking seedlings out of a whole packet. Never mind! Well just try again with something else.

I buy cheapest seeds. Asda has some good ones this year, £1.59 a packet iirc.
Don't bother growing lobelia from seed. Such a palaver and they're so cheap to buy as plugs.

mostlydrinkstea I'd love to grow some dahlias! I've always assumed that they are quite difficult as the price of the bulbs/tubers (not sure if that's the correct term!?) are a little more expensive than the other bulbs. We have daffodils, muscari, tulips, loads of enormous alliums, potted roses and climbing roses, and a hydrangea that really suffered with the very hot summer last year. Snapdragons and ox eye daisies seem to be our most reliable go-to when it comes to growing from seed! Any help would be hugely appreciated 🌸🌱🌸😊

I've grown dahlias from seed but my garden designer friend says they are hard to grow from seed! I just started them on a windowsill, no special skill or work was involved... I should have pinched them out more for a bushier look though.

Nasturtiums grow quickly but get eaten by aphids!
Sunflowers are always fun too.

I've used Wilko seeds, Mr Fothergills and Suttons. I haven't noticed a big difference in germination rates, I think the main thing is to make sure they're not old.

I've found dahlias really easy. I've grown the shorter varieties and did really well with Bishop's Children which are the dark leaved variety. Keep the ones you like as they will form tubers and bin the ones you don't.

The Thomson and Morgan site has details of how to grow dahlias from seed.

www.thompson-morgan.com/dahlias-from-seed?source=google&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnKHlBRDLARIsAMtMHDGnVxbmD2v8wqh44N1ZaDAf1f3pqtbs6ykNCb61SVUvf59j-7at4dUaAkAHEALw_wcB

Slugs love them so you need to bear that in mind and deal with that by pellets or barrier methods. Stake them so that they don't flop.

I recommend The Real Seed Co because they give vetter value for money than eg ThompsonMorgan and the varieties are well tested and grow well under our growing conditions.