Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2023 January 11

= January 11 =

UK gardening flower advice
I'm a newbie gardener, in Northern England.

I only have a repurposed drawer from a tall-boy, and a plastic 50l Jerry can cut in half.

I wish to grow beautiful flowers from seeds, to create a vibrant display in spring, summer and beyond.

I'd greatly appreciate recommendations. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.118.116.153 (talk) 18:09, 11 January 2023 (UTC)


 * Try Beginners guide to gardening from the Royal Horticultural Society (they ought to know). Alansplodge (talk) 18:30, 11 January 2023 (UTC):


 * I don't recommend starting with seeds if you are a novice. Just getting the seeds to germinate is something of a black art. Rather, start with a couple of seedling trays (liners) and transplant them into your setup. 41.23.55.195 (talk) 06:31, 12 January 2023 (UTC)


 * Nasturtiums are very easy to grow from seed. I remember a story from childhood about some growing in a old boot, climbing up the wall and people thought the house was on fire. My mother, who has managed to kill mint, has yet to kill nasturtiums. --TrogWoolley (talk) 12:17, 12 January 2023 (UTC)
 * lol. Kill mint. Just saying that germination depends on so many factors (ph, temperature, light, moisture, soil makeup, etc.) that it's easy to get it wrong. I don't want to discourage a newbie. If you can grow a seedling into some beautiful flowers try your hand at seeds. Baby steps. 41.23.55.195 on mobile 41.246.129.130 (talk) 18:38, 12 January 2023 (UTC)
 * And talking about a drawer, if you fill it with soil, the bottom may fall out due to the weight, and it will rot over time. So if you have no garden bed, use pots in saucers. Pansy flowers are quite long lasting too. Mint flowers are not great, so don't grow it for flowers! Other possible hard-to-kill flowers are Gazania, Osteospermum and sea side daisy (sorry I have not figured out what that last one is) Graeme Bartlett (talk) 22:43, 12 January 2023 (UTC)
 * The seaside daisy is Erigeron glaucus and it and other Erigeron species such as Erigeron karvinskianus are readily available in the UK. Mike Turnbull (talk) 15:53, 13 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks, Erigeron karvinskianus looks to be what I was thinking of. The plants I mention can survive heat, dry, excess water, freezing cold, and poor soil. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 21:50, 14 January 2023 (UTC)