Propagation is Fun

You may remember that I have luck with cuttings, but not with seeds. Well, I am here to tell you that my luck with seeds is improving! I challenged myself to grow some native plants for the MG plant sale from seed. Look at this.
On the left front are seedlings of phacelia tanicetifolium--a wild flower that bees LOVE! In the back left are spindly seedlings of verbena bonarensis that I didn't start from seed. I got them from mom. In the far back left are two pots hummingbird sage from cuttings--sad looking, but the cuttings have taken and they will become hardy plants, trust me. On the right are seedlings of wild bush lupine that I germinated first and then planted. Funny story. I was on a walk and I grabbed a seed pod and as I grabbed it, it sprung open (dehisced is the word they use--I really like that word!). Rather than carry the seeds, Cheryl offered me her empty water bottle to put them in. Four seeds in a water bottle with remnants of water. I put it on the porch when I got home from the walk, meaning to take them out and do something, but I forgot. In less than a week I remembered that I had them, went to get them, and lo and behold, three of the four had germinated!!!!! The last time I planted bush lupine seeds it took months in dirt for the seeds to germinate. Neat trick, that!

But wait....there's more!
Almost all the four inch pots (22 of them) in this picture have California asters in them that I grew from seeds! Sweet success!!!! On the bottom are a couple of California golden rods that came from cuttings. That plant is an assertive spreader and I love it!

What you don't see are the 5 six packs of erigeron glaucus (seaside daisy) that I transplanted. The seeds are so small that I had multiple plants in each pot. Once they get more than the first two leaves you can transplant. I was waiting for them to grow, but they were too crowded and staying microscopic, but they had more than two leaves. So I transplanted them so that they each have their own room. Five six packs! I even discarded some of the very smallest. (Being a gardener or a farmer means you have to be ruthless! Cull the herd and all that...) I can already see a difference in their size, but they are still too small to make a decent picture. The size of my little fingernail is about right, so not a very impressive picture. But they are growing for me! From seed! Fun doesn't begin to describe it, really!