I have tried growing zinnia's, petunias, and Gerbera Daisy's from my own flower seeds in my garden. But with no success. I am a novice gardener, and I don't know what this requires. My goal is to complete a full cycle with the flower, using the dried head to get seeds, and grow more... Any advice?

Welcome to the forum!

Petunias like lots of sun and water! Deadhead the spent flowers for more blooms and mid-season, when the plant begins to look leggy, prune them for bushier new growth. Don't worry if you think you've pruned too much...they're fast growing and very resilient.

In early autumn, seed pods begin to form - they look sort of like hard, brown buds, which start off closed tightly, but as they mature, begin to open slightly at the top. When the pods are just beginning to open but before they disperse all the seeds, pinch the pods off and shake the contents out onto a piece of white paper. Petunia seeds are black and very tiny, similar to poppy seeds. When the seeds are dry, store them in an airtight container or seed envelope (don't forget to LABEL them!)

Then in the spring, you can sow them directly outdoors or start them inside about 6-8 weeks earlier. Because the seeds are so tiny, I just lightly sprinkle them directly into the soil and lightly tamp them. Petunias don't take long to germinate (can't remember how long though) and are easy to grow. You'll probably need to thin them if you scattered the seed. I hate wasting the seedlings I've thinned, so I just transplant them elsewhere (don't know if this is good gardening practice or not but it works for me).

Two most important things to remember are sun and water! They'll begin to droop quickly if they aren't getting enough water but a good soak usually perks them up in a few hours. Good luck and keep us posted how they do!

P.S. I've never grown zinnias and I only recently have acquired an indoor gerbera daisy which I'll plant outside in the spring (if it's still alive ) so can't help you on those!

I started early - I had a clump of alyssum (nice sized one) that was uprooted in the planter outside the library. Might have been the one I tried to turn around when I saw it wasn't growing outwards - guess ya' think I'm kidding, but I'm not. It looked like it had been raised elsewhere, put into the edge of the planter with the blooms facing in toward the centre. I wasn't amused (the queen, heh! heh!) So I dug into it and turned it around.

Around mid-December it was still there - crumbling so I took it home. It was in can with some peat moss I'd saved. I took it out a few days ago, crumbled the whole thing, dead flowers and all and put it in my scrub pot.

It's enjoying a bath every day under a small fluorescent lamp I'm using in the office. An article I read in Canadian Gardening said that's just as good as a grow lamp.

I see there's some bits coming up already so maybe it works.

Oh, I can't wait for spring.

Yes - thanks for that chart. Marvelous!

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When sorting seeds, do not whistle.

Wonder if you're planting your seeds too deep. Just scratch the dirt and throw them down. You can either wet the dirt first so they will stick or pat them in with your foot. Only problem with patting is that they will stick to your shoe.

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http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour

what about the blazing star. when how & where do you get the seeds

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Angela

http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/bibee1990/