Seed Germination Table and Growing Tips
Below is a Germination Table and Growing Tips for the plants I have selected. Notice that most of the plants require watering when the top 3" of soil is dry. This means that they are more drought hardy than most plants.
Seed GerminationSorted by Planting Time |
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| Name | Planting | Special Treatment | Days to Sprout | Planting Depth | Seed Spacing | Spacing after Thinning | Soil |
| Penstemon (Penstemon gloxinoides) | Indoors - 8 to 10 weeks before last frost. Transplant after last frost. | none | 20 - 30 | do not cover | 2 seeds per pot | 18" | Well drained - even gravelly site enriched with compost. |
| Salvia, blue bedder. (Salvia fainacea) | Indoors 4 - 6 weeks before last frost. Transplant after last frost. | none | 10 - 14 | do not cover | 2 seeds per cell | 10" | Soil enriched with compost |
| Lupines (Lupinus hybrida) | Oudoors - early spring | Nick pointed end of seeds with knife - or soak seeds overnight. | 14 - 28 | 1/4" | 4 - 6" | 18" | Well drained soile enriched with compost. |
| Poppy, Shirley (Papaver rhoeas) | Outdoors - early spring | none | 10 - 14 | 1/8" | 2 - 3" | 8" | |
| Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia birta) | Outdoors - early spring | none | 14 - 28 | 1/8" | 4 - 6" | 12" | |
| Dusty Miller (Senecia cineraria) | Outdoors - 2 - 3 weeks before last frost | none | 10 - 21 | do not cover | 2 - 3" | 10 " | Soil enriched with compost |
| Delphinium, Pacific Giants (Delphinium elatum) | Outdoors - early spring | none if started outdoors - cold treatment if indoors 3 - 5 weeks at 41 degrees. | 14 - 21 | 1/8" | 4 - 6" | 24" | Well - drained soil enriched with compost. |
| Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) | Outdoors Early spring. | none | 10 - 21 | 1/8" | 6-9" | 18" | |
| Foxglove, Shirley (Digitalis purpurea) | Outdoors - 2 to 3 weekds before last frost | none | 14-21 | do not cover | 4" | 20" | Soil enriched with compost |
| Dusty Miller (Senecia cineraria) | Outdoors - 2 - 3 weeks before last frost | none | 10 - 21 | do not cover | 2 - 3" | 10 " | Soil enriched with compost |
| Rockcress (Aubrieta deltoidea) | Outdoors - 2 weeks before last frost | none | 14-21 | do not cover | 2-3" | 10" | Soil lighlty enriched with compost. |
| Daisy, Shasta (Chrysanthemum maximum) | Outdoors - after last frost | none | 10-21 | do not cover | 3-4" | 12" | Well Drained soil enriched with compost. |
| Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa) | Outdoors - after last frost | none | 10 - 28 | 1/8" | 2 - 3" | 6" | |
| Poppy, Oriental (Papaver orientale) | Outdoors - after last frost | none | 7 -14 | do not cover | 4 - 5" | 15" | Well drained soil enriched with compost. |
| Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi) | Outdoors - after last frost | none | 14 - 21 | 1/8" | 3 - 4" | 18" | well-drained, even sandy, soil enriched with compost. |
| Allysum, Gold Dust (Aurinia Saxitilis) | Outdoors - after last frost | none | 7-14 | do not cover | 2-3" | 10" | Soil lighlty enriched with compost. |
Growing TipsSorted by Watering Needs and Height. |
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| Name | Soil | Watering | Growing | Height |
| Daisy, Shasta (Chrysanthemum maximum) | Well Drained soil enriched with compost. | Water when top 1" layer of soil is dry. | Fertilize monthly. Remove faded blooms to prolong flowering. Cut back stems after flowering. Protect overwintering plants with a layer of mulch. | 3-4 feet |
| Lupines (Lupinus hybrida) | Well drained soile enriched with compost. | Water when top 1" layer is dry. | Cut back stems after flowering. | 3 - 4 feet |
| Foxglove, Shirley (Digitalis purpurea) | Soil enriched with compost | Water when top 1" layer of soil is dry. | Fertilize monthly. Cut off main flower spike when it fades to promote second blooming. Plants reseed themselves. | 4 - 6 feet |
| Delphinium, Pacific Giants (Delphinium elatum) | Well - drained soil enriched with compost. | Water when top 1" layer of soil is dry. Keep water off leaves. | Stake to prevent wind damage. Fertilize monthly. cut off main flower spike when it fades to promote second bloom. Protect overwintering with a layer of mulch. | 5 - 8 feet. |
| Rockcress (Aubrieta deltoidea) | Soil lighlty enriched with compost. | Water when top 3" layer of soil is dry. | After flowering stop, cut plants back by 1/2 to rejuvinate. | 6" |
| Allysum, Gold Dust (Aurinia Saxitilis) | Soil lighlty enriched with compost. | Water when top 3" layer of soil is dry. | After flowering stop, cut plants back by 1/2 to rejuvinate. If not cut back, plants re-seed themselves after flowering. | 6-12" |
| Dusty Miller (Senecia cineraria) | Soil enriched with compost | Water when top 3" layer of soil is dry. | Remove flower buds and keep trimmed to maintain shape. | 9 - 18" |
| Lady Tips (Layia platyglossa) | Water when top 3" layer of soil is dry. | Plants reseed themselves after flowering. | 9 - 12" | |
| Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi) | well-drained, even sandy, soil enriched with compost. | Water when top 3" layer of soil is dry. | Cut stems to ground in fall. To dry: Cut stem when papery lanterns turn reddish. Strip leaves from stems. Hang heads down in a dark airy place. | 18 - 24" |
| Poppy, Shirley (Papaver rhoeas) | Water when top 3" layer of soil is dry. | After flowering, plants reseed themselves. Remove faded blossoms to prolong flowering. | 24- 30" | |
| Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) | Water when top 3" layer of soil is dry. Keep water off leaves. | At end of season cut plants back to a height of 4 - 6". | 2 - 3 feet | |
| Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia birta) | Water when top 3" layer of soil is dry. | After flowering plants reseed themselves. At end of season, cut back to 4 - 6". | 2 - 3 feet. | |
| Penstemon (Penstemon gloxinoides) | Well drained - even gravelly site enriched with compost. | Water when top 3" layer of soil is dry. | Remove faded blossoms to prolong flowering. Cut plants back after flowering. Protect overwintering with layer of mulch. | 2 - 3 feet. |
| Salvia, blue bedder. (Salvia fainacea) | Soil enriched with compost | Water when top 3" layer is dry | Pinch back young plants for bushier growth. Fertilize monthly. To dry, cut stalks in full color - hang upside down in dark place. | 3 feet |
| Poppy, Oriental (Papaver orientale) | Well drained soil enriched with compost. | Water when top 3" layer of soil is dry. | Do not fertilize. Remove faded blossom to prolong flowering. Plants die back in mid-summer with new leaves appearing in early fall. | 3 feet |