Spoiled for choice of garden.

Higgy, I read your blog entry where you were planting bulbs on the lawn and also where you wrote about ponds in winter - I would never have thought that breaking ice could disturb or kill fish, so I am pleased that I came across the advice in your blog. I don't have a water feature - I did have a plastic dish of water for the birds on the lawn but one day I looked out of the window in time to see a bird flying past with the plastic dish upside down falling to Earth behind it. I know it sounds ridiculous and a tall tale but that's what I saw. As for the bulbs, I am going to have to try a more modest effort - needing a lot less wind and limb than yours!!!

Every little helps as they say!

There are some good deals on line for bulbs so long as you know what you are looking for and that's why I directed you to the list. You could google each name and you might be surprised how many you can purchase compared to the local garden centres pre-packed bulbs?

Ah ha! I hadn't thought of Freecycle--thank you, Higgy.

No probs, always happy to help!!...

Today my daughter and my son-in-law took me back to the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. I took the opportunity to buy more seeds. I chose Cornflower Double Blue because it said on the packet,"Easy to grow favourite.Attracts bees and butterflies." I also chose Californian Poppy Single Mixed as it says easy to grow and is a lovely flower. My third choice was Russell Lupins as I have often seen bees on these flowers and my final choice was Primrose. The packet said plant in autumn outside or at any time of year sow in a tray of damp compost and place in the fridge for 6-8 weeks. In the fridge!!! The sow by date is October 2014 but I will be planting them in autumn. My fridge? No way! Perhaps I'm old-fashioned?

Hi Elizabeth,

It's a funny old thing but many of our native wildflowers require a cold spell and a period of complete dormancy to germinate. If you think about it this make sense as in nature they would fall to the floor or stay in the seed pods and be subject to cold weather and even frost! What you are trying to do is replicate this process.

With the above in mind a lot of our native wildflowers and quite a few hardy annuals and perennials can be 'winter sown' now!

If you fill a seed tray with soil and sow your seed you can leave it in a cold frame or a cold corner of the garden and this should be enough for them to germinate and for you to start seeing seedlings in Spring.

If you are thinking of trying this with wildflowers such as your Primrose seeds you need to use soil that isn't too enriched in nutrients. I use just plain sieved garden soil mixed 60/40 with a low nutrient compost and a little grit and this seems to work quite well.

Once your seedlings come up next Spring you can pot them up and then grow them on until big enough to plant out.

It might be worth trying half of your seed this way to see if they work or fail for future reference and before sowing the rest?

Try a Google search on 'Winter Sowing' and I'm sure you should find more info if required.

I hope that has been of some use?

Best

Higgy

Hi Higgy,

Thank you for explaining about winter sowing. I know that sometimes on gardening programmes they do experiments to see what does best by treating half the plants one way and half the other. I'm not putting compost in my fridge though. What about insects in the compost?

All the best,

Elizabeth

Hi Higgy,

My friend and I went to Perth today and I bought more seeds. One packet of Pansy Giant Fancy Mixed;and a Butterfly and Bee selection - over 10,000 seeds for under two pounds. Does this sound too good to be true?

All the best,

Elizabeth

Hi Ekizabeth,

You can never be sure, can't comment on the pansy seeds but the Butterfly & Bee mix sounds interesting and worth a go at that price!

Does it say on the packet what plants are actually included in this mix?

Where are you planning to sow them?

Best

Higgy