Black Eyed Susans for Summer Bouquets and For Growing!

January is seed sowing time at Springwell Gardens. And one of my favorites is Black Eyed Susan! It's funny to think that I am sowing seeds for summer blooms in the middle of winter.

And I got to thinking there may be a few other folks who would like to have a little summer growing in their homes too!

Black Eyed Susans are beautiful in garden inspired wedding bouquets and designs, but another thing about them is how easy they are to grow from seed.

I did an earlier post on growing flowers from seed- Growing Zinnias From Seed and a lot of the basics are the same. One difference though is the size of the seed- these are much smaller than zinnias and will just need to be pressed into the top of the growing medium. Another key for success for Black Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia by the way), is investing in a special light for growing. A good local source for the Raleigh-Cary, NC area is Garden Supply Company. These seeds should be started around mid February or earlier which means they will need a good indoor light source.

Growing flowers from seed is a great way to get a jump on the season and it brings a sweet breath of spring and summer to your wintertime! If you have any questions I would be happy to provide more information. And if you decide to start growing your own flowers from seed I would love to know!!!

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Growing Zinnias from Seed

One of the most rewarding experiences for me is the opportunity to grow flowering plants from seed, and it can be for you too. An easy plant to start with is the zinnia, and now is the time to get your seeds for some GREAT summer blooms.
For years, I have used Johnny's Selected Seeds www.johnnyseeds.com/  for my cut flower zinnias. They carry the Benary's Giant Series (the best zinnia for cut flowers), and Johnny's offers them as separate colors as well as a mix of colors.
I purchase seed starting trays from the big box stores such as Lowe's or Home Depot. Many come with potting medium plugs (I take these out and save them for other seeds). I prefer to bagged seed starting mix for my zinnias and this is what I fill the trays with.

Simply pour some of the medium into a bucket. Mix with just enough water to make a crumbly mixture- you don't want it to be soggy wet.

 Fill the seed tray up with the mix, and tamp down a little. I then press a zinnia seed into each cell of the tray and cover with a little of the mixture and water. NOTE: the bottom has no drainage holes so be careful with your watering. You want to keep the mixture moist. You do not want to have the cell tray sitting in water. If this happens, carefully remove the cell tray and dump the water from the lower tray. 

In about three to seven days, you should see the zinnia seedlings starting to emerge.

 I use grow lights and a heat mat for zinnias. With the warmer weather coming you could place the tray in a protected sunny area outside, BUT be sure to bring it in overnight when temperatures drop into the 40's or below.
If you are concerned about forgetting your seedlings outside, you could opt for a sunny window, or delay planting until the temperatures are warmer at night. Zinnias can be planted outside anytime after our frost date of April 15th. I usually do several plantings up through late June.

You will be rewarded with tons of beautiful flowers. Questions- don't hesitate to email me!

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