Seed Talk #33 - 3 Perennials to Start from Seed with Dave Dowling

{Insert 1 Did you know that many perennials can actually be started from seed? Today, Lisa and Layne are joined by Dave Dowling of Ball Seed to discuss three perennials grown for cut-flower use that can be started from seed. They cover why each plant is worth growing, USDA hardiness zones, favorite varieties, the meaning of "first-year flowering", growing and spacing tips, the proper harvest stage, vase life, and more. Listen to the podcast and get ready to grow echinacea, echinops, and yarrow from seed!
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The “Seed Talk with Lisa & Layne” podcast is produced by The Gardener’s Workshop and co-hosted by Lisa Mason Ziegler and Layne Angelo. Lisa is the founder and owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, where Layne works as Seed Manager. Lisa is the award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers and the publisher of Flower Farming School Online, Farmer-Florist School Online, and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with her on social media. Layne is an avid gardener, seed starter, and engineer who loves learning and applying her technical knowledge to all areas of life, including gardening and growing flowers. Thanks for joining us! video description here}
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[@fionavietje2430]

I love your Seed Talk show! Each one is so useful and interesting and jam packed full of information. Thank you!

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

You are so welcome, Fiona! Thanks so much for your kind words ☺ If there are any particular topics you would like to hear us discuss, feel free to let me know! Thanks again, and have a wonderful day 🤗

[@FoxHollowPeonies]

I think you should name the Koala “TGW” for The Gardeners Workshop! 😄

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

How adorable - great idea! Thanks so much for this name suggestion, and have a wonderful spring day! 💚🐨💚

[@cbak1819]

Great content on echinacea, echonops and Yarrow. Thanks ladies and Dave.❤

[@mimlauj6869]

Yuki or Euci (short for eucalyptus!)😂

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Adorable, Mim! Thanks so much for this creative suggestion 🤗🐨💚

[@andreap22]

It is always a pleasure to hear your seed talk. Thank you so much for your work. I learned so much from your videos and podcasts. Best greetings from Germany Andrea

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Vielen dank, Andrea! It must be so beautiful in Germany in the springtime 🥰 Enjoy, and have a wonderful day! 💚🤗💚

[@i-dx2ow]

Coneflower = Echinacea Echinops = Globe Thistle Yarrow = Achillea

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Thanks for this great summary! Have a wonderful day 🤗

[@rachelle3445]

Thank you

[@patrinamason8164]

Great information. Thank you.

[@kellycornett6219]

Wow! So informative. I’m a first year starter.

[@michellejames5953]

Great episode

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Thanks so much for the positive feedback, Michelle! Wishing you a garden full of beautiful blooms this year ☺ Have a wonderful day! 🤗

[@cogasawara1]

I love all three of these flowers 🌸!

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Me, too! 💚😍💚 Have a lovely day 🤗

[@sheilahurford5931]

Fab thankyou

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

You are so welcome, Sheila! Thanks so much for watching and for the kind words 🤗

[@ltuerk]

❤❤❤

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Thanks so much for watching, Lisa! Have a wonderful day ☺

[@Ma1ingo]

You said that all the flowers mentioned today don't require any special treatment before sowing. While that is true for Echinacea Purpurea, many of the newer colours are hybrid plants that do benefit from a period of cold stratification. While it's possible to get germination without it, the success rate is much higher with it. I have grown Purpurea, Cheyenne Spirit, Canary Feathers and PowPow White. Currently struggling with getting Green Twister to germinate D: I've tried without stratification and now with a month of the packet in the fridge. Next will be moist cold strat. Typical that the one I love the most I'm having most trouble with!

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hello, Celsith! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences ☺ I agree with you - I have gotten much better results stratifying all my echinacea seeds. As you mentioned, Echinacea purpurea does not necessarily require stratification, however I have found that it does benefit from it, and stratification seems to be required for many other species of echinacea. I have started 'Green Twister' seeds before, and around four weeks of a moist, cold stratification in the refrigerator did the trick for me! Just make sure to check in on the seeds in case they decide to sprout right there in the refrigerator 👀 In the video, I believe I mentioned echinacea stratification in the echinops section 🙃 Best of luck with your 'Green Twister' seeds - hope you get lots and lots of sprouts followed by lots and lots of flowers 🌱💚🤗💚🌱 Have a wonderful day!

[@Ma1ingo]

@@LayneAngeloTGW Thanks Layne. You must be good luck as I have a sprout today!

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

@@Ma1ingo Oh, yay! Hope there are many more to follow 🌱🌱🌱 I love 'Green Twister', too! 💚🥰💚

[@cheriberry9633]

Another great Seed Talk episode. Thanks so much ladies, I always learn something new, or am reminded of something important. The koala’s name should be DAVE, of course. :)

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

You are so welcome, Cheri! So glad to hear you are enjoying "Seed Talk" ☺ I love your koala name suggestion, by the way! 🐨💚🐨 Thanks again, and have a lovely day! 🤗

[@colleenbahm7712]

I love this topic. Thank you. On a follow up (part 2) video would you talk about sea holly please? I'd love some tips for that flower.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hello, Colleen! I love eryngium, as well, and have added it to my list for a future episode. Thanks for this suggestion! I have started a lot of eryngium from seed and have found it to be a very easy germinator (I did not stratify the seeds or do any other special treatments). I am sure Dave would love to discuss growing and harvesting tips for this flower! Thanks so much for watching, Colleen, and have a fantastic day! 💚🤗💚

[@jlp4111]

I have some echinops growing in the garden bed for over 15+ yrs in N Utah, 7a. It has self seeded, not bad at all, just gives me more plants to move around. My plants do best in part shade because of our hot dry summers.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hello, Jamie! How lucky that your echinops seeds itself in your garden - more plants and flowers for you to enjoy! Interesting to hear that your plants do well in part shade conditions due to your climate. I have mine in a part sun / part shade situation, and they seem to like it, as well! Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your echinops experiences ☺ Have a wonderful day and a beautiful spring! 🤗

[@anpe4970]

My mother has a 30+ year in her flowerbed.

[@HikeMichigan]

How about naming it Koko… thanks for this information! I appreciate you all so much.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Love the name Koko, Krista! 😍 Thanks so much for this suggestion and for watching 💚🐨💚

[@elainehauser4033]

They grow in zone 3 and will come back. We alway plant more ever year but they will grown in zone 3!

[@brendarosenau5880]

I always love your podcast! Such great questions, Layne! And I find the topics SO useful! ❤😊❤ Layne, one quick perennial question for you… in another episode you spoke of growing Lady’s Mantle this year. I have had trouble germination it from seed ( even with a cold/moist stratification). Got any good tips on getting it to germinate?🤨

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hello, Brenda! Thanks so much for the kind words ☺ So glad to hear you are enjoying "Seed Talk"! Yes, I am happy to share some lady's mantle tips 😊 The variety I grew this year was Alchemilla mollis 'Thriller ApeX'. The seed was less than a year old. I did a moist, cold stratification in the refrigerator in paper towels as discussed in the video (as it sounds like you might have done!). I sowed the seeds into 3/4" soil blocks, pressing them gently into the surface and covering with vermiculite to help with moisture retention. The air temperature in my grow room was only around 55 - 60 degrees F, and I put my trays directly on a heat mat until the seeds had germinated. They came up surprisingly quickly, and I raised the trays up on cookie cooling racks with the heat mat still on to give them a boost of heat (since my room was so cool). If I were growing in a warmer 65 - 70 degree room, I may have opted to put them on a cookie cooling rack on the heat mat initially (rather than putting the trays directly on the heat mat), or I may have even experimented with no heat mat if my room was on the warmer side. I have found some culture guides that recommend temperatures of 68 - 72 degrees F or even 60 - 70 degrees F for germinating alchemilla, so my sense is that the seeds do not want to germinate in overly warm conditions. I had excellent germination, to the point that I did not know what to do with all the plants! Hope these tips help, but feel free to ask follow-up questions if you have any ☺ Thanks again, Brenda, and have a wonderful day! 💚

[@brendarosenau5880]

@@LayneAngeloTGW Layne, thank you so much for the tips on alchemilla mollis! I am growing a different variety and seem to be doing what you are doing. However, my air temps seem to be a bit warmer (72-74 degrees). I will try again in a cooler environment. Perhaps that will make a difference. I so much appreciate your advice ! Thank you for your time and expertise! I look forward to your “Seed Talk” episodes ! 🥰

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

@@brendarosenau5880 You are so welcome, Brenda! Are you using a heat mat? If so, I might try putting the seed trays up on a cookie cooling rack above the heat mat instead or even experiment with no heat mat to see if that helps. Best of luck with your seeds! Wishing you a beautiful spring 🌱🤗🌱

[@dianeyoungberg2472]

Dowling Dave for the koala s name

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Oooo - I like the reversal of first and last names you suggested there 😁 Thanks so much for watching and for this clever name suggestion! Have a wonderful day! 🐨💚🤗

[@bktcz]

Lola the koala!

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

What a sweet name, Kristin! 🐨☺💚 Thanks so much for this suggestion, and have a lovely day! 🤗

[@lindafraser1396]

Maybe “Eucie” short for eucalyptus

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

So cute, Linda! Love it 🐨😍💚 Thanks so much for sharing this suggestion, and have a fantastic day! 🤗

[@joannesmith1287]

The perennials mentioned - are you planting in soil or soil blocking

[@leslitalley347]

Koalas name needs to be Dave😁

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Another vote for Dave! Thanks so much for this suggestion, Lesli 😁 Have a fantastic day! 🤗

[@bettyjocohagen7955]

Good morning from Kentucky! When is the best time to transplant ekchana

[@lynne7656]

Question for dave...if I start a Cheyenne spirit from saved seed, will I get a plant of the same color (since Cheyenne spirit comes in many colors)? Thx.

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

On the west coast our native coneflower is a Rudbeckia, (Rudbeckia occidentalis) that is just a cone, it has no ray flowers at all, so I wonder how that would look dried... But I am having a lot of issues growing it, something is eating it so I might not even end up with any. Do squirrels eat Echinacea as much as they do Rudbeckia?

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hello, Hayley! I have had issues with rabbits eating my echinacea seedlings in the garden, and deer seem to like the actual plants 🐇🦌🙃 I have extreme deer and rabbit pressure, though, and echinacea is on a lot of deer-resistant plant lists, so perhaps they will be less appealing to your particular collection of critters. I cannot speak to squirrels eating the actual seedlings, however they do seem to enjoy pulling my soil blocks out of the ground 🐿😩🐿 I would still give echinacea a try, in case your squirrels do not find them appealing, but I really hope you are able to grow that rudbeckia (it looks so beautiful 😍)! Best of luck, and have a fantastic day 🤗

[@victablet3480]

What time of year are you sowing?

[@madonnaschmid7707]

Wonderful info! Koala name...euCALYptus: Caly:)😅⁹

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

How sweet, Madonna! ☺🐨💚 Thanks so much for this suggestion, and have a wonderful spring day! 🤗

[@lisagreen7499]

Where can consumers buy plugs?

[@beckycook4569]

Kody

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Love it, Becky! 🐨💚🐨 Thanks so much for this suggestion, and have a wonderful day! 🤗

[@cbak1819]

DO CONEFLOWER NEED FULL SUN?

[@amys.7112]

As a landscape architect, some of the newer coneflower cultivars don’t seem as tough in the commercial landscapes. I know this isn’t the direct subject of your video, but any suggestions as to why this might be? Not as drought tolerant?

[@amys.7112]

I listened a little further into the talk and wonder if the winter drainage is not good where I’ve seen them not survive.

[@GreenGranny]

Side note: both Echinacea and Yarrow are medicinal.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Thanks for sharing, and have a wonderful day! 💚🤗💚

[@helenachase5627]

Off topic but I planted generic grass seed 2 years in a row no luck. Turns out perrenial rye grass is not fully hardy in zone 3. Kentucky bluegrass is. So even some perrenials are not hardy in all zones including some echinacea. I have luck with echinops

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Thanks for pointing this out, Helena, and for sharing your experiences! Good to know that you have had luck with echinops in your zone ☺ Thanks so much for watching, and have a wonderful day! 🤗

[@cynthiahargrove1723]

Can you save seeds from the flowers to start the following year

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hello, Cynthia! Which particular flower are you interested in saving the seeds from? Thanks, and have a great day! 🤗

[@apriloestman8304]

How about "Kiwi" the Koala🍃

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

How adorable, April! 🐨🥰💚 Love that name suggestion ☺ Thanks so much, and have a wonderful spring day! 🤗

[@juha7830]

My daughter has a koala (toy) which name is Coca Koala

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

How adorable, Juha! I love the name Coca Koala 🐨🥰🐨 Thanks so much for this suggestion, and have a fantastic day! 💚🤗💚

[@tinaschaller8055]

Name him Corky!

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Love it, Tina! Thanks so much for this suggestion, and have a fantastic day! 🐨💚🤗

[@lesliem3]

Wally the Koala

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Love it, Leslie! 🙌🐨💚 Thanks so much for sharing this suggestion, and have a fantastic day! 🤗