Growing Penstemon From Seed & Seedling Update // Cottoverdi

[@leahnichol6665]

Your honesty is so encouraging Anette. Thank you. I garden on a balcony with no tap on it so I have to haul water. I get distracted by other things as well, and feel terrible for abandoning the poor suffering plants when I notice. ❤

[@cottoverdi]

😂 Glad it's not only me - our plants just have to become tougher! 😁

[@moniquegodon5712]

I feel so sorry for you Annette. Taking care of babies is so stressful at times and you’ve been caring for them for months. I think you are very courageous and admire the plants that survived the slugs and other life’s troubles. Good for you!

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks Monique. Yes, it can be so annoing when everything gets eaten and I feel quite dispondent but then I just start again and sow some more 😁🌱

[@moniquegodon5712]

@@cottoverdi 👍

[@suewilkinson910]

Annette, there’s a slug, snail, ants nest in and on everything I’ve picked up this year. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Ants razored all the edibles as they germinated, apart from tomatoes which are full of small, green fruits and going nowhere. Slugs have ruined everything. Greenfly has been prevalent but lupine fly smothered the lupins and made them look dreadful. And finally, the encore as it were, 2 weeks ago my garden was filled with cabbage white caterpillars which ate all my pretty nasturtiums. It’s been a brutal year. And all my new Peter Beales roses have black spot and are shedding yellow leaves. I don’t know if we are all deluded. Come spring we will get excited for summer and repeat the process! But your boarders, despite a few things you are disappointed with, look fabulous. A riot of careful colour planning and heights. Just lovely. You should be very proud of yourself and what you do.

[@cottoverdi]

I've had the dreaded black spot and leaf eaters too and I had a horrible problem with black fly on the dahlias earlier in the season - something I have never seen before. And now the weather has turned and it feels like autumn already What happened to the Indian Summer that we normally get in September??? At least there are loads of seeds to sow and I do enjoy a good garden tidy-up session! 😁

[@suewilkinson910]

@@cottoverdi Well that was yesterday, today Indian summer! 25C and quite humid, or at least I am! Watering the tomatoes and chillies with more food again. I'm timid about how far back to take my perennials. Especially my penstemons. Have you done a video on getting the bigger perennials ready for winter bed sleep?

[@tamaramacmillan4832]

I love that you share everything, the good, the bad and the ugly! Thank you so much, I have really learned a lot especially about dahlias.

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks Tamara 😊

[@JackieShorter]

The slugs and snails have been relentless this year. It’s absolutely heart breaking to have seedlings carefully nurtured to be decimated in one night. Sometimes life conspires against us, like you and I’m sure many gardeners, I have seedlings languishing in seed trays crying out for attention. We can only do our best and strive to do better.😻

[@cottoverdi]

Yes, thanks Jackie. We can only do our best and then promise ourselves to do better next season 😂

[@bewoodford2807]

WoW! Annette- your garden is looking splendid. So full of colour. Beautiful. Fab seed update. I am guilty of leaving plants in a seed tray far too long. I still have my Canterbury Bells languishing in trays, sown earlier this year. I planted out one tray and the plants are huge now. I haven't got a space for the others yet, so I must get on with clearing the plants that have gone over in my beds.I am quite ashamed, poor plants. Love your honesty Annette, so lovely to know I'm not the only one. Happy gardening 🙂 x

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks so much Be. Yes, I think all gardeners have trays languishing in a corner somewhere..🤣 I'm also guilty of buying plants before the beds are ready...and then I have to stash them in the plant nursery, which involves even more work!!!

[@bewoodford2807]

@@cottoverdi likewise, lol!🤣

[@sofiahopefloats]

Great job, Anette and Richard! Beautiful gardens and what a fun season you have. Thank you for sharing. So eager to follow along as your clematis from seed grow, the flowers are beautiful like fairies!

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks so much Sofia 😁

[@Daisy-Hey-Hello]

I grow my seedlings on an old metal table. And put the 4 legs of the table in 4 buckets of water: no slugs on my precious seedlings!! 👍

[@cottoverdi]

Great idea Daisy! I might have to try that 👍🏼

[@linda59238]

Love how you show both your accomplishments and disasters! Your garden is beautiful. I’ve sown biannuals too but I don’t have a cold frame so have been hardening them off in a sheltered spot. Shall I leave them in this position over the winter and plant them in the garden during the Spring (if they survive?).🤞

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks Linda. I think I'm going to have to have another go with the biennials...I need them too much! 😊

[@tinacruz9162]

Happy to see you’re feeling better. Thank you for the update.

[@cottoverdi]

Yes, thank you Tina, much better now 😁

[@LindaPadian]

the garden is looking amazing I have failed many times at seedlings but i kept trying and eventually it works and somehow it feels more satisfying because youve got there in the end so dont be so hard on yourself because you have a wonderful garden

[@SuzanneTheme]

I tried pansies and got only 1 that made it. Seedlings take a lot of skill but it is challenging to strive for that. 😉 Good Luck 🍀

[@cottoverdi]

Oh that's a shame but that 1 plant must be precious! 😁

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks Linda. I love sowing seeds and watching them grow - it's one of my favourite pastimes. Filming the process makes me very aware of just how many I lose though 🤣

[@youlamatou]

Still hot here in Greece. I am in Crete at the moment and temperature is around 32C during the day, so we are still in shorts. Cicadas during the day and crickets at night sound gorgeous. Your flowers are stunning as always.

[@cottoverdi]

Thank you! Sounds like you are having a wonderful summer 😁🦋

[@youlamatou]

@cottoverdi Yes, I am in Crete with my daughter and sweet grandson. Very hot all the days and today it rained.

[@อรชาเทียนสิรกุล]

New subscriber, just found yours, loved it ,so informative. Thank you for providing the name, and planting info. Beautiful flowers thank you.

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks for subbing! 😊🌸

[@paulinecrispin121]

Hi, great video. Love all you have achieved. I didn’t even get round to sewing my seeds. 😊😊😊

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks so much Pauline 😊

[@paulinecrispin121]

😊

[@lisab.6818]

😂 Annette, I laughed so loud at the end of this video that my hubs asked if I was okay! I so ❤ the Newport pink sweet william. I grow the Roguchi clematis, just one large plant. You sound like you feel so much better. I needed some inspo as we are in a drought and everything is fading fast 😢

[@cottoverdi]

So happy that I could make you laugh! 🤣 Here, the weather has turned and it feels much more like autumn every day 🫤

[@dustyflats3832]

I just started a year ago with penstemon and love them. Did the twizzlers. Mine didn’t get as large yet and I’m leaving the seed in hopes it will reseed. Good to know they need room. I have a lot of plants that need thinned. Love peaches and pinks together.

[@cottoverdi]

I love this coral twizzle so much - it's really pretty and a great performer! 😊

[@VivSimmons]

Your ambitious seed sowing is wonderful. Once you have honesty in your garden you will have it forever! Also Erigeron Karvinskianus. Seeds everywhere. I have sown Newport pink on your recommendation. You sow so many seeds. Wow Aquilegia Cottoverdi.

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks Viv. Yes, the Honesty does self seed well but I;ve not found that with my Erigeron Karvinskianus. Shame - because I'd love it to self seed! 😁

[@linda59238]

Love how you show both your accomplishments and disasters! Your garden is beautiful. I’ve sown biannuals too but I don’t have a cold frame so have been hardening them off in a sheltered spot. Shall I leave them in this position over the winter and plant them in the garden during the Spring (if they survive)🤞

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks Linda. I think I'm going to have to have another go with the biennials...I need them too much! 😊

[@catherinehenderson627]

I love your enthusiasm and energy. I am much like you with seedlings getting really annoyed with myself if they get eaten by slugs or mice. I keep any seedlings that come up until sure they are weeds. I have nurtured many weeds for weeks in the hope they are budding plants

[@cottoverdi]

Thank you Catherine 😊 Yes, I think nurturing weeds is quite common 😂 I do it all the time!

[@maggiecimba7390]

Your garden is beautiful

[@cottoverdi]

Thank you so much Maggie 😁🌸

[@ruthannecoro6198]

Your gardens are so lovely. Your dahlias are gorgeous! I love penstimen. I have one plant with dark stems and white/pale pink. I have seeds to start this winter!

[@cottoverdi]

Thank you so much Ruth Anne. Yes Penstemon flower for such a long time and they have the most beautiful colours. I always need more 😂

[@Flowerlady-s2j]

Thank for a tour😊

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks for watching! 😁

[@b.m.-ez1xw]

Bravo super video samo naprijed

[@cottoverdi]

Thank you so much 😁

[@berthaflores9733]

Gorgeous! 😍🥰❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏

[@cottoverdi]

Thank you Bertha 😁🌸

[@andyh4573]

Super update as always, the clematis try I notice the two on the bottom right they look like a pair of perrennial verbena's that we had self seed

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks Andy, they do look a little like Verbena but hopefully they are actually the Clematis that I sowed!

[@SuperLilyF]

Such a beautiful garden! How are the foxgloves doing ? I don’t think i’ve seen them in this video ? Thank you !

[@cottoverdi]

Hi there, I didn't have a great success with the foxgloves this year - we took a holiday at just the wrong time and they all got munched by slugs!

[@lilacmile]

Penstemon seeds are notoriously hard because in nature a portion of the seeds are genetically predisposed not to germinate the first year they drop to the ground. There’s such a thing as too old penstemon seeds, but they’re rare in that it’s possible some do not germinate because the seed’s too young rather than too old.

[@cottoverdi]

Ah, thanks. I didn't know that. I'm definitely going to try again because I loved the Coral Twizzle that I grew 😊

[@قناةطبخالمغربيالاصيل]

مسيرة موفقة💚💚💚🌹🌹🌹🌻🌻🌴🌴🌿🌿🪴🪴🪴👍🏾🪻🪻🌳🍂🍹🍹🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻👍🏾👍🏾🍹🍹

[@cottoverdi]

Thank you ☺️🌸

[@Flowerlady-s2j]

What new bulbs do you plan plant?

[@cottoverdi]

Hi, I will be planting mostly tulips in November. I will film the process so look out for that video 😊

[@Daisy-Hey-Hello]

There is a larger variety called Ptilotus exaltatus MATILDA (50-80 cm) it is in my cart in a webshop because i cannot decide: 25 euro voor 100 seeds. Thats quite expensive. But it looks so beautiful!

[@cottoverdi]

Thanks Daisy, yes, I have just recently discovered it too and I'm going to be trying that one next year. We can buy it here in UK for £5 for just 5 seeds! so it's going to be precious 😬

[@ruthannecoro6198]

Your gardens are so lovely. Your dahlias are gorgeous! I love penstimen. I have one plant with dark stems and white/pale pink. I have seeds to start this winter!

[@cottoverdi]

Oh thank you!