A To Z Guide how i Grow Alyssum from Seed Alyssum Germination A study published in Scientia Horticulturae (Volume 106, 2005) by researchers at the University of Almería, Spain — “Seed germination of Lobularia maritima: effects of temperature, light, and seed priming” — documented three findings that directly change how you should start Alyssum seeds: … Read more

Learn how i grow Zinnia from Seed I’ve been growing zinnias from seed every year since. In fifty years, no plant has given me more return for less investment. But “easy” is not the same as “foolproof.” There are specific things zinnia seeds need — and specific things they absolutely cannot tolerate — that most … Read more

A To Z Guide how i Grow Lantana from Seed I suggested lantana. Not the nursery transplants — too expensive at that scale. Seeds. We sourced open-pollinated Lantana camara seed, started thousands of them in a rented greenhouse space, and transplanted five-week-old seedlings into that median in late April. By July, the median was solid … Read more

A To Z Guide how i Grow Verbena from Seed The head deacon had planted verbena every spring for thirty years — always bought as transplants from the same nursery, always the same compact red-and-purple bedding types, always reliable. The nursery closed that winter. The deacon showed up at my door in January with a … Read more

Low-Maintenance Flowers That Bloom All Year in Pots for Easy Container Gardening Last summer, I counted how many days in a row I forgot to water my patio containers. Nine days. It was hot too—mid-90s most of that week. When I finally remembered, I walked out expecting everything to be crispy and dead. The petunias … Read more

A To Z Guide how i Grow Calibrachoa from Seed Nobody warned me it would be this hard. I’d been growing flowers from seed for nearly thirty years when calibrachoa started appearing in garden centers in the early 1990s. The plants were extraordinary — cascading mounds of tiny petunia-like flowers in colors I’d never seen … Read more

A To Z Guide how i Grow Chrysanthemums from Seed That single lesson—that chrysanthemums operate on a day-length trigger most gardeners never hear about—captures something essential about this plant. It rewards knowledge. It punishes assumptions. And growing it successfully from seed, all the way through to autumn bloom, requires understanding things that most beginner guides … Read more

A To Z Guide how i Grow Portulaca from Seed Timing the Seed Start Portulaca is a warm-season annual that absolutely refuses to perform in cool conditions. Starting seeds too early indoors results in seedlings that are ready to go outside before outdoor conditions can support them — leading to weeks of stalled, stressed seedlings … Read more

A To Z Guide how i Grow Impatiens from Seed Old or Low-Quality Seeds Poor Seed Viability Impatiens seed viability degrades faster than most gardeners realize. Seed stored beyond two years — even under reasonable conditions — shows significantly reduced germination rates. A packet rated at 75% germination when packed may drop to 40% or … Read more

A To Z Guide how i Grow Anthurium from Seed Anthurium from seed is one of the slowest, most exacting seed-starting projects in tropical horticulture. Every stage has a specific failure point. This guide covers each one directly — what goes wrong, why, and how to fix it. Seeds Not Germinating or Losing Viability Quickly … Read more