[lettice]

Normally, I buy bedding plants of many of my summer through Autumn flowers and that has served me well over many years.
But for a good decade I've saved my Marigold seeds and they have always done very well each year, just by scattering the seeds outside in pots from March to  May, and last year I grew Antirrhinum from previous years saved seeds and they produced strong healthy plants through summer and autumn.

So this year I thought I'd buy some seed of some of my flower staples.
Started them on Feb 14th in my spare bedroom, where I always start off my veg seeds like tomatoes.
Its been a success already for the flower seeds.
Cosmos, was up in 3 days for the first batch in the spare room and moved to greenhouse after a week and are now strong seedlings. I started a new batch 4 days ago in the greenhouse and they have germinated already.
Verbena and dianthus took about a week to germinate in the spare room and moved them after 10 days to the greenhouse where once again they are producing good seedlings.
Petunia have just a few days ago started to germinate in the spare room.

One other flower plant type I've always liked in other gardens is Gazania. I planted the seed again in the spare room on Feb 14th and were also up in a week and last week moved into the greenhouse and they also now are producing a good batch of strong little seedlings so far.

I've tried growing lobelia seed in the past and had poor success rates. S so glad I've had some success with the above. Will just buy lobelia bedding plants as normal, that always do well around the edges of the flowering beds and pots.

Anybody else grow their flowers like this from seed or save your own?

[lettice]

I have also sown the previous and last years Antirrhinum seeds and they too are all up starting their long giant journey slowly.

Will in a few weeks time do the normal scattering of Marigold seeds outside, just too early for them yet.

[mumofstig]

I grow some bedding plants every year, and yes, some are easier than others.
Strange that Lobelia doesn't work for you, I grow Cambridge blue every year, for my tubs and baskets.
I just sow a tiny pinch of seeds in each small module and then pot up into a bigger module as they get bigger.
If they look very crowded I pinch a few seedlings out.
I've never tried to prick them out individually, though as they are such tiny seedlings...