Growing flowers from seed

[MissDianaBarry]

I am wanting to grow some flowers from seed this year. I only have a sunny kitchen window. Any ideas for flowers that are easy to grow from seed? Many thanks

Cosmos
Corn flowers
Poppies

Any flower mixes aimed at children

Cosmos
calendula
ammi
tagetes
dahlias
cornflowers
californian poppies

all mega easy from seed

Sunflowers
Sweet pea
Lupin
Cosmos
Zinnia

I bought some propagation trays with lids from Amazon last year and they grew really fast on a window ledge.

Thank you - lots of plants listed that I usually buy from the garden centre/roadside stalls - will try some out. @NashvilleQueen will look out for propagation trays with lids.

Sunflowers and cosmos germinate really quickly. Asters, zinnia, cornflowers worked well for me last year too (all on windowsills until I could move them outside)

Poppies aren't easy to start indoors as the have long roots. Better in situ if slugs don't eat them.

I found it really hard to do this. I'd no space and they were so fragile. Made me wish I had a lovely wooden greenhouse!

@hopeishere - agree - I never have success. Couldn't get cosmos to germinate last year but everyone tells me it is easy.

If by “I only have a sunny kitchen window.” you mean literally that, and that the plants will spend their life on the kitchen windowsill, I’d limit to things that are no talker than 20cm. That would rule out Cosmos and Amni, for example.

No such limit if you mean you’re raising the seed on the window and planting out later.

Sweet peas germinate easily. Also love-in-a-mist.

Just be careful scattering poppies Willy nilly in the garden they are extremely prolific self seeders and you will be pulling them out for ever more, especially the big gorgeous double ones !! same goes with daisies and calendula. Don't plant your cosmos too early that's probably your germination issue. I'm going to suggest dahlias from tubers sunflowers and stacice as super easy and also stocks that smell amazing and they all make great cut flowers (that's my expertise) get the stocks in now and save the sunflower to March

I also only have a sunny windowsill! I started during covid with some free children's m&s seeds they gave out and never looked back.

I mostly do flowers but also love growing veggies too; I've grown brussel sprouts, pumpkins, radishes, spinach, kale easily on the windowsill initially, herbs too including parsley and chives, (chives look so so beautiful when they flower so I'd especially recommend these)

Viola, marigolds, petunia, cosmos, sweet peas (my favourite!), sunflowers have all worked previously for me with a reasonably proportion coming up. Petunia seeds are tiny and take forever - 12 weeks mim indoors but when you pop them out they basically explode and they're just everywhere by July.

Calendulas and poppies I've had mixed success with personally but will pop the poppies straight in this year.

Good luck! Brings me such joy every year.

Are these going to be transplanted out into the garden OP?

I would add Scabiosa to the list, quite a variety of colours and bees and other pollinators love them.

You say your window sill is sunny but I find that germination is better on a north facing sill , then move them somewhere lighter once they sprout.

I wish my poppies were such a problem as mine get gobbled by slugs as soon as they sprout.

Yes, I just want to germinate and produce some 'plug plant' sized results to then plant out in the garden. Some great ideas thank you.

The only planta I can grow from seed are Sweet Peas and Nasturtium
Plant
Sweet Peas I love , the scented climbing ones are glorius , just need to keep them fed and watered and deadheaded
Nasturtiums I really don;t like but they attract butterflies (especially Cabbage Whites ) .And they grow well so I can pretend I;m A Gardener .

I;ve tried last year -
Chonese Lanterns-nil
Califoria Poppies -nil
Sunflowers- planted 12 , only one survived slugs and even that only grew a couple of feet
Runner beans- grew , planted , slugs ate them .

This year , I plan to make mini propagators from 2l lemonade bottles (cut half way then fill , put the top half back on and cover the open spout with mesh ) They can sit in the mini greenhouse .

The only way I saved my new clematis from being slug fodder was a plastic bottle cloche while it grew

www.pyracantha.co.uk/how-and-when-to-grow-lobelia-from-seed/

Sunflowers are slug fodder. I gave up years ago.

Runner beans I grow in tubs (because most of my garden is shaded, I grow veg in tubs on the area where we park our cars), which means I can keep them in my slug-free greenhouse until they start to flower, by which time they’re too tough to be palatable to slugs.

Clematis I grow to 6ft of woody stem before planting out, and never prune lower than 5-6ft. Luckily I love the look of 30ft trees with clematis and climbing roses cascading through them

Remember seed growing is a combination of your skill and happening to hit the right conditions. Germination is either 0 or 100%, so sow what you need and maybe a few extra, and save the rest of the packet. Then you can try again later or next year. I’ve usually got about 40 packets of flower seeds, but buy no more than about 5 a year.

Higgledy garden has a great selection of seeds and an informative blog. There are hundreds of flowers you could grow out there!

I never can get poppies to germinate (papaver rhoeas, such as Amazing Grey or Shirley) nor Californian poppies. I hear that you can sow them in modules and overwinter them. Has this worked for anyone?