

The quickest way to begin is with a nursery seedling. Please consult our complete guide to dividing perennialsfor instructions. Perennial gardeners can divide large clumps in early spring to thin them out and transplant elsewhere. New growth indicates successful rooting which should take two to three weeks. Moisten the cut end of the stem and dip it into rooting hormone powder.īury the stem in potting medium in a four-inch-tall biodegradable starter pot, or plant it in the garden, at a depth of two inches. Snip off all but the top one or two pairs of leaves. Once perennials put on new growth in the spring, cut a length of stem about three to four inches long from a non-blooming growing tip. When the seedlings have two sets of true leaves, thin them to one per nine- to 12-inch interval, and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Keep them moist, but not soggy, during germination. To direct sow seeds in the spring in warm regions, sprinkle a few every nine to 12 inches, or 12 to 20 inches for spreading types, and cover them with 1/8 inch of soil.

This is called “hardening off,” and is accomplished with a few hours outside in a sheltered location for about five to seven days prior to transplanting.

When the seedlings have two sets of true leaves, thin them to one per cell.Īt this stage, you can fertilize with half-strength liquid fertilizer.Īs the seedlings grow, pinch the growing tips back if the stems get too leggy, to promote bushier growth.Īfter the danger of frost has passed, acclimate the seedlings to the outdoors. Maintain even moisture during germination, but don’t let the potting medium in the cells become soggy. Some folks like to use a heat mat, but your warm and sunny window may do just as well. The ideal soil temperature for germination is between 70 and 75☏. Sow several seeds per cell at a depth of 1/8 inch, and cover lightly with potting soil. Use biodegradable seed starter cells that can be transplanted in their entirety to the garden or container. If you are cultivating these plants as annuals, start seeds indoors up to eight weeks before the last average frost date of spring, to get a head start on the growing season. You can start plants from seeds, stem cuttings, divisions, or transplants.
Claycord dragon spring series#
Today, in addition to a host of cultivars, we have the Serena and Serenita series that are grown from seed and offer compact size and a varied color palette. angustifolia ‘Hilo Princess’ was introduced. In the case of summer snapdragon, it remained a leggy wildflower propagated by stem cuttings for many years. Many of the species collected during the 19th Century were crossed with one another and cultivated to develop hybrids suited to commercial propagation for the floral industry, as well as home gardening. angustifolia in his extensive herbarium, when he donated it to Kew Gardens in 1854.Īn ambitious taxonomist, he co-authored three volumes of “Genera Plantarum,” between 18, in which almost 100,000 seed-bearing plants were classified. It is likely that British botanist George Bentham had a specimen of A. Like so many of today’s garden flora, summer snapdragon probably made its way to US gardens from native tropical habitats via international plant collectors. Plants exhibit an above average capacity for drought, heat, and humidity, and deerare not attracted to them.
