On the windowsill, July 2022

The two cosmos Casanova White which I sowed during last month are making good progress and are now both almost 6 in/15 cm tall.

Until a couple of weeks or so ago I was well pleased with the two dwarf sunflowers, but sadly the Pacino Gold then died which was my fault as I’m fairly sure that I overwatered it.  Earlier this week I sowed another one, in a 3 in/7.5 cm pot, but it hasn’t yet germinated.

Thankfully the Bambino (shown here) is now about 12 in/30 cm tall and has a flower bud forming.

One of the pot marigolds Flighty’s Favourites which I dug up on the plot bought home and repotted has been flowering throughout most of this month, usually showing several flowers at any one time.

Needless to say I’ve been delighted with this plant, being one of the best windowsill plants I’ve had so far.  From now on I won’t bother trying to grow these from seed but will dig them up on the plot and, after repotting, grow them on the windowsill.

I intended putting aside some candytuft (Iberis umbellata) Fairy Mixed Colours seeds earlier in the year to grow in a pot on the windowsill but forgot to do so.  The plot plants have now finished flowering and this week I started collecting the seeds, a few of which I will now sow in a 5 in/12.5 pot to hopefully germinate, grow and then flower in a couple of months.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

On the windowsill, late June 2022

This post details the plants I now have on the windowsill, having made a few changes over the past couple of weeks.

I’ve taken the dwarf tomato Red Robin to the plot as it’s now far too tall, having grown to around 18 in/45 cm.  I think that a lack of direct sunlight for much of the day is the main reason so I’ve conceded defeat on trying to grow one and won’t be trying again next year.

The primrose I was given early in the year is looking healthy with plenty of new leaves appearing.

It would be nice to know the variety as the label  just read primrose acaulis.  A picture of it flowering can be seen here.

 

I dead-headed the small cosmos Casanova White but it then started dying back so I sowed  the last two seeds both of which germinated and the first true leaves have recently appeared.

 

 

Further to the May post I sowed four dwarf sunflowers Bambino and two Pacino’s Gold, all of which germinated are growing well with four pairs of true leaves now showing.  I’m growing one of each at home and the others will be going out on the plot.

 

The two Pot Marigolds Fruit Twist grew too tall so I’ve also taken these to the plot.  The Flighty’s Favourite that I  mentioned in the mid-June post  has remained around 8 in/ 20 cm tall and the third flower bud has yet to open.  It’s been joined by another, larger plant (see photo) I dug up and bought home recently which has three flower buds showing, one which is just opening. It’s a yellow flower with a dark centre, the same as the other one.

At the moment I’m  well pleased with the plants I have on the windowsill, and hope that they all continue to flourish over the coming months.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

On the windowsill, mid-June 2022

When I was weeding through the plot pot marigolds Flighty’s Favourites recently I noticed one  less than 4 in/10 cm tall which had several flower buds so I dug it up, brought it home and replanted into a small terracotta pot.  A week or so later it had grown a few inches taller and a small, dark centred yellow flower appeared, which lasted about ten days.  Since then it has flowered again, with a third one on the way.  I’m really pleased to have this plant doing so well on the windowsill.

The two dwarf pot marigolds Fruit Twist are both around 6 in/15 cm tall but as yet there’s no sign of any flower buds.

I dead-headed the flower, which hadn’t opened properly, on the cosmos Casanova White  but since then it’s not flowered again nor has it grown at all, and is still only about 4 in/10 cm tall.  I sowed a couple more seeds both of which germinated and started growing, and hope that these do better.

I’ll be doing another On the windowsill post at the end of the month about the dwarf sunflowers I mentioned in last month’s post, and the tomato.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

On the windowsill, May 2022

So far I’m well pleased with the plants on the windowsill, particularly now that they’re all in 5 in/12.5 cm pots.

The bigger pot marigold Fruit Twist (left) is about 4 in/10 cm tall  whilst the other one (below), in a smaller pot, is barely half that.

 

Despite several sowings these have been the only seeds of this variety to appear so far.

 

This is the only cosmos Casanova White that has germinated and grown, which as you can see has already flowered despite being barely 4 in/10 cm tall. I’ll dead-head it soon to see if the plant grows and flowers again.

This sunflower Music  Box I dug up at the plot, bought home and then replanted into the terracotta pot I acquired last year. As you can see it’s still a really small plant being only 1.5in/4 cm tall, although it has grown noticeably since it’s been on the windowsill.

 

I’m being sent a very small number of seeds for two varieties of dwarf sunflowers to try growing in pots on the windowsill. One is Bambino, with a single lemon-yellow flower and chocolate-brown centre, whilst the other is Pacino Gold which has multi-headed golden-yellow flowers with light coloured centres.  Both only grow to around 12-16 in/30-40 cm with 4-5 in/10-12 cm flowers, and these I’ll be growing in slightly bigger pots.

The tomato Red Robin is really doing  well, and is now 5 in/12.5 cm tall.

I’m growing it in grow-bag compost, rather than multi-purpose compost I use for the other plants.

 

Have a good week, and take care!

 

On the windowsill, April 2022

I sowed two dwarf tomato Red Robin seeds just over five weeks ago,  both germinated and have grown, although they’re no more than 3 in/7.5 cm tall. I’ll be replanting the smaller one soon to grow on the windowsill in a 5 in/12.5 cm pot.

 

I’ve also sown and grown one each pot marigold Fruit Twist, cosmos Casanova White and sunflower Music Box. The tallest of these is the cosmos at around 3 in/7.5 cm. I’ll also be replanting these during next month.

Further to the On the windowsill, March 2022 post I took two of the primroses to the plot where I  replanted them in the ground by the pond.  I repotted the primrose acaulis into a slightly larger black pot to keep on the windowsill, where it’s growing well with new leaves appearing.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

On the windowsill, March 2022

The three primroses I’ve had on the windowsill for the past couple of months or so have now finished flowering.  I’m not sure what to do with them now although the primrose acaulis certainly needs repotting.

Last Thursday I sowed sunflower and tomato seeds in pots to start off at home before taking them to the plot to plant out later next month.  I’ll be doing a Sunflowers 2022 post soon and will include details then.  The tomatoes are the red Alicante, which I’ve not tried before but is highly recommended, and my favourite variety the yellow Golden Sunrise.

I also sowed a few dwarf Pot Marigolds Fruit Twist and Cosmos Casanova White which will remain on the windowsill at home, and likewise the two dwarf tomato Red Robin seeds I sowed just over a week ago, which have since germinated and started growing.

Take care, and have a good week!

On the windowsill, 2022

I’m looking forward to growing on the windowsill as I did last year, and have now decided what flowers to grow.

In particular I’m really pleased that I’ve found the dwarf calendula Fruit Twist which only grows 6 in/15 cm tall.  Also new to me is the cosmos Casanova White which appears to be  the shortest one available at less than 18 in/45 cm.  I’ll also be trying to grow a mini sunflower  Music Box again, and emulate my success last year.  The candytuft  Fairy Mixed Colours only grows to 8 in/20 cm, and according to Chiltern Seeds make attractive pot plants.

I’ll be growing these mostly in a variety of 5 in/12.5 cm pots, including a terracotta one I acquired last year which is in good condition.

Last year I tried, yet again, to grow a dwarf tomato in a pot on the windowsill without success and said that I wouldn’t try again.  However I still have a few Red Robin seeds so I’ve changed my mind.

I won’t sowing any of these seeds until late next month when it will be lighter for longer and hopefully warmer.

Take care, and have a good weekend!

On the windowsill, October 2021

There is now just one of the three cosmos Sonata White plants still budding and flowering.

This picture was taken earlier in the month and as of today has four each buds and flowers, but very little foliage.

 

 

 

The second small flower on the sunflower Musicbox had opened by mid September and lasted  a couple of weeks.

Sadly since then this plant has finished, with all the leaves having died back.

 

I’ve previously mentioned that I’ve been looking for an alternative pot marigold to grow instead of the Oopsy Daisy.  I’ve decided to try Fruit Twist, a dwarf  variety which only grows to around 6 in/15 cm.  The picture on the seed packet and this webpage shows both orange and yellow flowers, all with light coloured centres.

Next year I’m also going to try Candytuft Fairy Mixed Colours which only grows to around 8 in/20 cm on the plot, and maybe some Cornflowers Polka Dot which are a few inches taller.

Among a few 5 in/12.5 cm pots I’ve recently acquired to use is an old terracotta one in remarkably good condition.  I’ve not yet decided which of the above I’ll be growing in it.

It’s been fun growing plot flowers like this and I hope to do even better next year. Please note that there probably won’t be any more On the windowsill posts until next March.

Take care, and have a good weekend!

On the windowsill, September 2021

These are the last of the pot marigold Oopsy Daisy flowers as there are no more buds showing and the leaves are now steadily dying back further down.

As I mentioned last month I’ve been looking for a different variety to try next next year and have now found a proper dwarf variety which only grows to 6 in/15 cm.  Details about these next month.

I haven’t sown any Winter Sun, which I also mentioned last month, as I haven’t been able to find where I put the seeds despite looking a few times.

The cosmos Sonata White continue to flower, and there’s still a few more buds showing.

I only realised recently that these are fragrant, which given my poor sense of smell I was surprised to scent.

 

 

Further to my post This year the sunflowers…  the sunflower Musicbox lasted over two weeks, and I’m going to see if I can save any of the seeds.

I was pleased to see a further three flower buds appear, two of which I’ve since pinched out in the hope that the remaining one will flower.

Take care, and have a good weekend!

This year the sunflowers…

haven’t been as good as I had hoped due mostly to numerous slugs and snails taking their toll.

Thankfully the ones that did survive and flower have been buzzing with bees most days.

 

 

Still to come are two self-sown ones which are by far the tallest ones this year.  One is over 7 ft/2 mt  and is multi-headed with around twenty flower stems and buds for much of the way down the main stem.

The other one is over 8 ft/2.5 mt with just one bud at the top of the stem, and I

 

wonder how big this flower will be.  This sunflower has grown nestling against the side of the dogwood.

Following on from last Thursday’s On the windowsill post the 12 in/30 cm tall sunflower in a 5 in pot flowered at the weekend.

I have been really delighted with this plant and especially the flower.

Take care, and have a good weekend!