Hello everyone...so far I have winter sown:
astilbe purple pumillo
joe pye weed-eupatorium maculatum
inula goliath
lynchnis chalcedonia-salmon
heliopsis 'Lorraine Sunshine'
Jack in the Pulpit
cimicifuga racemosa
silybum-(milk thistle)
meconopsis benetifolia-Himalayan Blue Poppy
artemesia -beach wormwood
blue flax
short delphinium-'Summer Nights'

Lots more to come...very exciting to see 'who' gets planted next. Happy sowing!

Hello everyone...so far I have winter sown:
astilbe purple pumillo
joe pye weed-eupatorium maculatum
inula goliath
lynchnis chalcedonia-salmon
heliopsis 'Lorraine Sunshine'
Jack in the Pulpit
cimicifuga racemosa
silybum-(milk thistle)
meconopsis benetifolia-Himalayan Blue Poppy
artemesia -beach wormwood
blue flax
short delphinium-'Summer Nights'

Lots more to come...very exciting to see 'who' gets planted next. Happy sowing!

Hello everyone...so far I have winter sown:
astilbe purple pumillo
joe pye weed-eupatorium maculatum
inula goliath
lynchnis chalcedonia-salmon
heliopsis 'Lorraine Sunshine'
Jack in the Pulpit
cimicifuga racemosa
silybum-(milk thistle)
meconopsis benetifolia-Himalayan Blue Poppy
artemesia -beach wormwood
blue flax
short delphinium-'Summer Nights'

Lots more to come...very exciting to see 'who' gets planted next. Happy sowing!

Hi Wendy,
I have started WS and have 13 containers of perennials and biennials out in the snow. I have lots more that i will be doing, but am waiting on more 2Ls. I forgot that I hadn't asked my sister to have her DH save them for me, and so am doing them in bits as he empties them.
I only planted magic carpet thyme as far as herbs go last year, but plan to WS several other types of herbs this year.
sorry that I can't be of help in the veggie and herb dept. but I was curious as to what you did plant in your salad containers.........just nosey I guess. :).
gg

Hi GG

I am also going to be forging for more containers!
I do not mind telling you what I planted, however being a newbie to gardening (2007) I still have a lot to learn, so please do not hesitate to let me know if there are some things I should know regarding the seeds, as it is a steep learning curve for an old bird like myself :)

Amsonia Tabernaemontana Blue Stars
Anemone Hypuensis Pink
Aquilegia Columbine White
Aquilegia Granny Bonnet Pale Pink
Aquilegia Columbine Mix
Aruncus Diokus Goatsbeard
Astilbe Red
Campanula Bellflower White
Coreopsis Moonbeam
Dianthus Barbatus Sweet William Mixed
Echinacea Razzmatazz Pink
Echissacea Paradoxa Yellow
Eryngium Giganticum Miss Wilmotts Ghost Giant Sea Holly
Eryniqium Yuccifolium Thistle Snakeroot
Feverfew White
Foxglove Pink
Hibiscus Moscheutox Mix
Hibiscus Syriacus Shrub Rose of Sharon
Liatris Spicata Gayfeather White
Liatris Spicata Gayfeather Purple
Lobelia Cardinals
Lupin Mix
Lupin Pink
Malva Moschata Pink
Malva Moschata White
Onopordum Acanthium Scotch Thistle Stately
Persian Cornflower Pink
Rose Campion
Tellima Grandiflora
Verbena Hastata

Hi GG

I am also going to be forging for more containers!
I do not mind telling you what I planted, however being a newbie to gardening (2007) I still have a lot to learn, so please do not hesitate to let me know if there are some things I should know regarding the seeds, as it is a steep learning curve for an old bird like myself :)

Amsonia Tabernaemontana Blue Stars
Anemone Hypuensis Pink
Aquilegia Columbine White
Aquilegia Granny Bonnet Pale Pink
Aquilegia Columbine Mix
Aruncus Diokus Goatsbeard
Astilbe Red
Campanula Bellflower White
Coreopsis Moonbeam
Dianthus Barbatus Sweet William Mixed
Echinacea Razzmatazz Pink
Echissacea Paradoxa Yellow
Eryngium Giganticum Miss Wilmotts Ghost Giant Sea Holly
Eryniqium Yuccifolium Thistle Snakeroot
Feverfew White
Foxglove Pink
Hibiscus Moscheutox Mix
Hibiscus Syriacus Shrub Rose of Sharon
Liatris Spicata Gayfeather White
Liatris Spicata Gayfeather Purple
Lobelia Cardinals
Lupin Mix
Lupin Pink
Malva Moschata Pink
Malva Moschata White
Onopordum Acanthium Scotch Thistle Stately
Persian Cornflower Pink
Rose Campion
Tellima Grandiflora
Verbena Hastata

This is my second year winter-sowing. I bought two bales with Sunshine mix and filled and soaked a few big salad containers. Having access to a big supply, this year I will be using big and small salad containers only. Wendy you are right, there is no cutting/sawing with them. With the cold we were having last week (-29â°-31â°C) I didn't sow them yet, and still I have to find a spot for them in the garden where the snow is so high this year, I even gave up on shoveling the deck.

Herbs I spring-sowed last year: basil, lovage, lemon balm, chive, oregano, chilli pepper and parsley. All of them grew well except the parsley. I know the parsley seeds were not fresh, and parsley is slow or late to sprout, but I had np luck with them. Veggies I sowed experimentally last year just to get an idea of what I can grow here: tomatoes grew to huge plants with nice size fruits but not enough time to get red (they were pickled and almost all eaten), three kinds of lettuce, swiss chard, beans, all were OK. Spinach and radishes didn't do a thing here. The spot I have for veggies is quite shady. Well, the whole garden is much like gardening on the bottom of a big bucket/pail. Not much sun gets in here.

Graylady-gardener, how much snow have you got so far down there? Here it's a crazy winter again, the snow is piled up so high...we drive on snow covered roads. The city had to come and remove the snow from everybody's driveway that had piled up so much it had narrowed the streets.

I'm considering moving somewhere with a zone 6, searching houses in Chatham and Wallaceburg right now.

I was early starting. Hope not to early! I sowed:
Aster 'Powwder Puff' and 'Alma Poschke'
Calendula "Touch of Buff'
Cardinal Flower
Clematis 'Margaret Hunt' and a Skinner fall flowering clematis
Convolvulus
Delphinium 'Summer Skies'
Echinacea purpurea
Flax 'Scarlet'
Foxglove 'pink Excelsior'
Four O'clocks 'Broken Colors', red, pink and yellow
Gallairdia 'Oranges and Lemons'
Gazania 'Lemon Kiss', purple, yellow and orange ones. These are a test to see if they will w/s
Geranium 'Max Frei
Hostas 'Big Daddy', S&S, Halcyon, Maraschino Cherry and a vase shaped one 'AE'.
Lupins 'blue and white Russell', rust colored one, 'Dwarf Fairy'
Morning Glory 'Picotee Blue'
Marigold 'Naughty Marrietta'
Nigella 'Persian Jewel Mix'
Rudbeckia 'Prairie Sun'
Snapdragopns 'Rainbow Showers, 'Black Prince'
Veronica 'Purpleishus'
Yucca
I still have more to do. Hope I have enough containers! This is only my second year but w/s is addictive! Marg

Nice lists! I hope we will be able to post some pics as they sprout and finally flower. I still have the 13 containers out there. So far I have planted:
poppy 'allegro'
poppy-oriental mix
columbine-yellow
foxglove-yellow
foxglove-candy mountain
lychnis chalcedonica-dusky salmon
lychnis coronaria-white
lychnis arkwrightii-molten lava
blackberry lily-orange
daylily mix
asclepias incarnata-milkmaid
allium karataviense-ivory queen
scabiosa-dwarf-blue

Hi Marianna...the snow is piled everywhere and is getting tiresome!! It is definitely more than we have had for a few years.

wendy- I did some columbine last year and can't wait to see them bloom this year. I will be planting reg. coneflower this year from seeds from a plant that blossomed just amazingly! I hope they are just like the mother plant.
marg-I finally got some scarlet flax this year--I grew the blue last year and hope it grows big enough to flower this year--it did well with the WS
still waiting for more 2Ls but do have a couple of the containers that baby spinach and spring mix comes in so will use them too this year

off to work
happy garden/WS thoughts everyone!
gg

The winter sowing bug caught me again this morning. I did:
Hosta 'Golden Tiara'
Balloon Flower, blue
Malope
Rose of Sharon
Rudbeckia 'Cherokee Sunset'
Lupin 'Band of Nobles'
Echinacea, white
Gazanias-Lemon Kiss, Orange and Yellow ones
Gaillardia 'Oranges and Lemons'
Asters 'Powder Puff'
Four o'clocks - red, pink, yellow and Broken Colors
Columbine 'Winky Mix'
Foxglove 'Alba' & 'Candy Mountain'
Hollyhock, burgundy
Carnation 'Chaubauds Mix'
Flax 'Ruby'
Convolvulus - both red and blue
Lupin 'Dwarf Pink Fairy'
Echinacea purpurea
Coreopsis 'Baby Sun'

Since this is only my second attempt, I did replant some of the same things, just in case. Marg

The two i did were Clematis 'Guernsey Cream' and red lupines. That's it so far! :)

I need to start again.... WSed 4 years ago and loved the results...

Have been saving my 20l water bottles for this and bought the soil and seeds from CT...

So far I did:

Astrantia (warm 1 month indoor, and now under the snow)
Cimcifuga (same, 1 month warm, now under the snow)
Monskhood (same, warm and now at cold)
Columbine mix
Poppy Iceland
Saskatoon berry
Snapdragon Rocket mix
Liatris
Rudbeckia

Marric, last year I replanted the same seeds at different time like you. Most seeds reacted the same, the later sowed were sprouting first, growing faster and more seedlings.

Thanks graylady_gardener. Here we had some sunny days with a high -12C, and wearing suntan lotion :). Seriously, it's better now.

Mariana

Hello
it's my first time trying winter sowing and I am in the GTA. I started gardening in 2008, when I got married and moved in a townhouse with a small backyard.

I already sowed lots, because I had no patience. Sowed in November, December, January:

Lupines- Russel Mix
Lupines- dwarf variety
Delphinium- two mixes and a blue one and a white one, don't remember the names
Lovage
Wormwood
winter savory
Sweet William mix
perenial Dianthus
annual Dianthus
Aster of some kind
Columbine Mc Ghana mix
Holyhocks
Poppy Angel Choir
Kitchen poppy
Snapdragons Rocket tall
Alyssum snow

and I don't remember what else, cause I'm not very organized.
I did label them, but they are outside on my beach bed, covered in two feet of snow.

I still have lots to saw, but I'm waiting for later. Among the ones I didn't saw yet, Tomatoes, Jalapeno, Marigolds, Zinia, Morning Glory, Black eye Susan vine, Nasturinium, annual phlox, flax, rubeckia, calendula, viola,and a whole lot of other stuff that I keep collecting.
My backyard is tiny and shared with my big doggie, and so I can only garden along the fence. I am already too crowded (this summer I planted roses and clematis, in fall I planted bulbs, and I also ordered 8 new roses.
I have no clue whatsoever how I fit everything in, if my WS turns out successful.
But deep inside I don't think I can succeed 100%, because I'm so clueless. My soil is heavy clay, so not much will thrive to grow very big here.

What happens if you don't respect the spacing requirements when planting? Will I just get more of a good thing? I like the flowers over flowers over flowers look, where there is no mulch or spacing.

So far sowed
sweet pea
hollyhock
lupines
poppies
foxglove

Started last week with eight containers. They have seeds of NY Ironweed, Blackberry Lily, and Verbascum Olympicum. I have to laugh at the assortment. Just needed to get my hands in soil that day and those are the seeds which happened to be in the front of the basket.

Going through an ice storm here in Halifax. Even though it's dark out you can see the ice on the trees. Waiting to see what the morning brings. :O)

I planted again on the 25th of Jan. Seven more containers:

rudbeckia-green wizard--did this last year but nothing grew, so trying again;
agastache-apache sunset;
cynoglossum;
sweet william-super duplex double mix;
Mexican tulip poppy;
verbascum-southern charm--planted this last year and it grew, but I love it and want more :);
artemesia stellariana

way too much going on right now to be able to find the time to do more--very frustrating! :)
I am hoping to be able to get some more out on the weekend as Saturday is my day off. I have eight more containers just waiting for the soil and seeds! :)

Adiro--I am not sure anyone worries about the spacing requirements. I think everyone has way too many plants to try and fit in.

Tiffy-I hope the ice storm wasn't too bad--no damage or power loss, hopefully.

Love seeing what everyone else is planting.

gg

gg,
Didn't lose power but we've had to enter and exit the house from the basement since Tuesday. The deck, veranda, and main entrance stairs have 3 solid inches of ice on them. Haven't been able to winter sow because of that. Don't want to break a leg putting the containers on the deck.

Will be doing some containers today and placing them in the basement in anticipation of a melt tomorrow. It's suppose to be +7 with rain and I expect that deck to be cleared by Mother Nature!!!

I did a few more containers:
-Ladybells
-Coreopsis
-Malva moscata pink
-Calendula mix
-Monarda purple and pink
-Verbascum Nigrum
-Goat's Beard
-Asclepia Incarnata
-Poppy Shirley double
-Oriental Poppy mix
-Buterfly bush purple
-Pasque Flower
-Muscary blue
-Alyssum "Rosie O'Day"
I'm still waiting for my Swallowtail's order to come, so I can plant my petunias and begonias inside. It's been almost a month since they shipped it and it's not here yet.

Hello everyone,

I w.s last night, 10 salad containers
-Coreopsis
-black eyes susan
-daisy
-shoo fly
-Petunia
-Morning glory
-hollyhock

waiting to get more containers, this is my second year w.s. If I could get my hands on more containers, at of March or early April, I would like to w/s herb and veggie

Hello everyone,

I've sowed 21 big and 15 small lettuce tubs since the 16th, but only now am getting around to posting. Last year I had amazing success with winter sowing, after about 50/50 the year before that. Now I'm out of containers :( I've put out a call to my usual sources, so hopefully more soon! Hope your all well and not too snowed under, we've got several more inches today in SW ON.

In annuals:
Purple cleome (2 of these)
White Queen cleome (2 of these)
Monkey flower
Scarlet gilia/ipomopsis

Biennials
Sweet William Pinocchio
Sweet William Beauty Holborn Glory
Sweet William multicoloured heads
Wallflowers- tangerine, ?colour, Italian mixed colours
Siberian orange wallflower

Perennials
Italian bugloss Dropmore (2 of these)
Alkanet Alba
Delphinium Blue Mirror (2 of these)
Sky blue penstemon
Chimney bellflower
Viola Heartsease
Viola Bowles Black
Canadian columbine
Blue columbines
Black columbines
Cuty johnny-jump-ups
Pam's Choice foxglove
Blue Clips bellflower
Monarch's Velvet potentilla
Cervicaria bellflower
Americana bellflower
Peach leaved bellflower (bit of a pattern here :)
Blephilia ciliata
Echinacea White Swan
Oriental poppy - an astonishing cherry red one
Blue Lupines

Hello, I'm in London, Ontario (so right on the border of 6a and 6b), and I'm wintersowing for the first time. I've got lots of different seeds going, but I'm most attached to the Lupines I've got going (multicolour and red Russels). Has anyone had success getting these to bloom in their first year? And if so, did it have to do with soil quality/location/sun? I was planning to put these in mottled sun (with morning light and filtered light in the afternoon). And my plan is to put them out with snapdragons I'm also seeding (hopefully they'll make good allies). Any hints about what I should do?

Has anyone had any luck with WSing Lupines and getting them to bloom the first year? I chipped the seeds, soaked them, and put them in the right amount of soil, so there shouldn't be any trauma to the plant as it sprouts. I'm hoping that these precautions will mean that my plant is v. hardy come spring.

Gerbera, you shouldn't have to do that with WSing. The freeze/thaw action of your containers should be enough to get the seeds going.

I've WSed lupines several times, but i don't think they ever bloomed first year.

This is my 9th year for WS and I could not last the winter without planting something. I have 35 large salad green clear plastic boxes accumulated over the years and they work great. This is the weekend that I WS as it's now March and guess what - it's snowing - lovely temp. to set the boxes out without too much shock.
I've also got lots going indoors too - can't wait for spring to come around - hope it arrives soon.

WOW, I just popped over from the GJ Forum and I'm an avid gardener and I've never heard of WS??

Can anyone guide me to the correct spot here to get information on how to WS??

I take it from reading a bit here that I'm too late but I would love to learn for next year!

Happy sowing,
Linda :)
bluesapphire30@hotmail.com

Hi Linda
the link below will answer all your questions and then some! :)
this forum is a bit slow so once you have gone to the link and done your reading, then the people here or the 'mother' forum (look in the forum list for 'wintersowing') will be happy to chat with you and offer their experiences and advice.
go and get reading and get started! you will love it. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: winter sowing info

Hi Linda
Wintersowing can still be done for this year if you plant seeds that DON'T need a lengthy cool/moist stratification period (i.e. 60-90 days). Many plants are warm germinators or only need a 20-30 day cool period before germinating.

Hi Linda
Wintersowing can still be done for this year if you plant seeds that DON'T need a lengthy cool/moist stratification period (i.e. 60-90 days). Many plants are warm germinators or only need a 20-30 day cool period before germinating.