Being at the beginning can be a real blast Steve. There is nothing better than seeing what these babies can do. Which ones are you growing from seed?

For me it is a new year and a new project. I first became interested in salvias because one of the kinds of gardener I am is a hummingbird gardener and once you've stumbled upon sages there is no going back. Many of the New World types evolved along with hummingbirds so they make a perfect pair.

This year we're looking to do the biggest public hummingbird project we've ever tried. It will involve four or five hundred plants and cover a lot of garden space at a local nature center. All winter we'll be making cuttings and around February seed starting will begin. If all goes well the gardens will be something to see.

Hi Wardda--sounds like you will have a big project going for sure. Well lets see, in the fridge waiting till feb. I have guaranitica black and blue, sunset hyssop, apricot sunrise, shades of orange, lady in red, coral nymph and one or two more that I cant remember at this time, certainly enough to help fill my hummingbird garden. Also I have some brandywine seeds to start. So I think I will have added a lot of color to my yard and pickings for my hummers

That is all good stuff Steve. The coccineas Lady in Red and Coral Nymph are both very quick starters, young plants set out in mid May should be in bloom by late June. And despite their ease of growth, they are among the finest nectar plants available. Both look great when planted with Zinnias.

Hey Wardda--thanks for the tip about the zinnias. Besides those seeds I mentioned before I also have scarlet sage, subrotunda and Ipomopsis mix, red, yellow and orange. I have already experimented with the scarlet sage and it is real easy to germinate and Im assuming the lady in red and coral nymph will do about the same. I happened to stop over at walmart near me and they have already started putting out their seed starting stuff. They had a whole skid of greehouse trays with the peat pods and the covers and they also had some that didnt have covers that had the light seed starting medium already in it. They said they have much more to put and that it would all be out by the 16th They also had small peat pots and single peat pods. At this point I would like to get some input on which is the best way to go using peat pods or my own mix. Is it matter of preference or does one do better than the other.

I use those little plastic 9 packs for for most of my seedlings. They get started in a single pot and then transplanted into the 9-packs after they have developed true leaves. I'd also recommend not starting things like coccinea until March. They are fast growers and if started to some can create space problems. I don't use peat pots for my seedlings, and only use them for early germination on my heirloom lima beans - it can be hard to keep them properly watered.

I was going to offer to send you subrotunda seeds. It is a species that really responds to rich soil. Last year was my first year with them and I tried them in a number of different situations. The ones in compost enriched soil grew to about 6 feet tall, while in more barren conditions they were much smaller and slower to flower.

It has been at least 15 years since I've grown Ipomopsis. As I recall it was overwhelmed by larger plants, meaning it probably didn't get a fair shake. It was a modest reseeder and came up here there for several years.

Wardda, I was experimenting with subrotunda but had trouble getting them to germinate had to resort to the paper towel method to get them to germ. I had them set up the same way I had the s. sage but they just would not pop that way. So I must have been doing something wrong , but dont know what. Thanks for the info and direction on how to get them started . I still have some s. sage that are still going now for about a month and a half. They wont make it thru to spring but its just experimentation.

Salvia subrotunda will germinate in the normal way, but for some reason takes up to 3 times longer than coccinea if sown early in the season.

Hi Robin, it only took scarlet sage 4or 5days to pop, but I had the subrotunda in for about 2wks and nothing so according to yu I will need to start them separately and about 2wks earlier than the rest to have them on the same level.

Not necessarily earlier, as subrotunda is a very fast grower once it starts. I got the impression last year that it needed a bit more warmth than scarlet sage to germinate.
I planted some in late Feb which took ages, and some more in April which germinated within a week, and soon caught up with the earlier ones.

Robin.

Steve, do you use heat cables or a heat mat? If you are starting lots of seeds you should consider it since it makes germination much more reliable. I don't recall any problem with getting subrotunda started last winter with bottom heat. Like Robin I noticed that subrotunda was a very fast grower. The February planting only bloomed a couple of weeks ahead of the April planting. Incidentally, a friend took cutting of a plant I gave her last year, and when I was visiting her last week it was in bloom.

No I dont have a cable or heat mat, but you know I was thinking that very thing. I have no trouble germing the coccineas, but I feel too that subrotunda might need a heat mat . I will see how much they are. I have already picked up my seed trays dont have the 9packs yet, might need a few small pots. I also might need one more small shoplight. Im getting antsy and excited about getting started. Do you still feel that or is it old hat to you?

Old hat - NEVER! I am always a beginner. There is just no telling what surprises a new gardening season will bring. And seed starting and cutting rooting is always a bit uncertain. Last year indoor sucking insects killed off my Salvia splendens 'Yvonnes' crop and if not for the kindness of friends there would have been none to experiment with. Over against that, subrotunda was a smashing success, as were many other types in their 2nd year here. I count myself lucky to be a gardener, and doubly lucky to know other gardeners.

Alright, Wardda!!!

If you didnt seed or cuttings, do you feel you could go into some garden store or nursery and find all the plants that you want in the spring? Im wondering what you could find and what kind of shape would they be in and then what about the cost in buying them in that way. I know I paid about $15 for a agastache plant I bought in august.

Ive seen the plastic 9packs and ive seen the cork or paper packs , I think they are 12pack and Im wondering if it would be better to use the paper packs and just bury the whole thing in the ground as opposed to removing the seedling from the plastic.

The seedlings come out of the little 9-packs very easily. I'm not saying that the other method doesn't work, but transplanting the seedlings into cell packs means that all your growing space has a plant growing in it. If you have 80% germination you will have 20% of the space in the flats unoccupied. Also, and this is important - with very young seedlings never handle the plants by their stems, lift them by their leaves. I dig them out of the progagation trays with a fork so that as much of their roots can be preserved as possible. Maybe you know all this already, but it is worth talking about if you are new.

Yes, I have read that yu should handle the seedlings by their leaves and not the stems but I had forgotten it, perhaps I should write that down, ha,ha. Do you feel that the soiless mix is best use for germinating? I had success germing the coccinea seeds in just regular soil, but as you say they are easy.

Yes I do. What with weed seeds and various fungi you can never know what to expect from garden soil.

As to your earlier question about whether I could find the plants I need at local nurseries I'd have to say occasionally. Various coccineas are now being sold at reasonable prices locally and you never know what might show at local box stores. Several have had guarantica Black & Blue in the past few years, but they often don't get them until well into July. I try to support some of the local small nurseries who sometimes sell some interesting stuff. Many of the best plants here in the gardens are here because of the kindness of others and have arrived as seeds and cuttings and occasionally potted plants. In a lifetime I could never repay that kindness.