Gloxinia (Sinningia Speciosa Brocade Series) - Sow Gloxinia seeds to produce a beautiful mixture of red, blue, and white blooms. These compact Gloxinia plants blossom four to six months after sowing. They will flower for about 2 months, go dormant for about 2 months, and then begin growing again and start flowering. Gloxinias make a great house plant, giving wonderful, colorful blooms! Sinningia Speciosa is often referred to as Florist's Gloxinia or Brazilian Gloxinia.

Gloxina seeds are a bit tricky to germinate and do best indoors and under lights. Do not cover the flower seeds after sowing since they need light to germinate. Sinningia Speciosa seeds should germinate in about 3 weeks at 70 - 75F degrees. Soil should be kept uniformly moist, but do not keep it saturated. Florist's Gloxinia care includes avoiding watering the crown of the plant as this might cause the plant to rot, and use water that is at room temperature for watering. The Brazilian Gloxinia plant needs lots of light, but no direct light. Gloxinias do best in temperatures around 65 - 75F degrees, especially when they are blooming. After blooming, keep watering to a minimum and don't fertilize.

Meadowfoam (Limnanthes Douglasii) - Grow Limnanthes Douglasii seeds for this annual that is native to California. Limnanthes is commonly called Poached Egg Plant or Meadowfoam, and it is not only visually very striking and attractive, but it also has a very nice aroma as well. Limnanthes Poached Egg Plant is not fussy about soil, and it will easily and quickly spread, creating a low-growing, shiny, carpet. Each meadowfoam plant can spread up to 30 inches! Poached Egg Limnanthes is a very long blooming annual with a mass of charming, 1 inch clear white and lemony yellow 2-toned blooms on 8 inch stems. It easily sows its own flower seeds for next year's display. Meadowfoam plants are great as a ground cover plant, and they will grow well in pots too.

Sow Limnanthes Douglasii seeds directly outdoors in a prepared seedbed in spring after danger of frost has passed. Meadowfoam seed should be pressed into the soil and very lightly covered with soil. When large enough to handle, thin the Poached Egg Plant seedlings. 

 

China Rose (Rosa Chinensis Angel Wings) - Start Rosa Chinensis seed and enjoy these lovely China Rose plants. China Rose Angel Wings flower seeds produce a mixture of blooms. The blooms are a mix of singles and doubles and the colors range from shades of rose and pink to white. China Rose uses include containers and front of the border plantings. This miniature rose reaches a height of 12 - 14 inches, and it prefers full sun and well-drained soil.

How To Grow China Rose From Seed: Start the Rosa Chinensis seed indoors in late winter. Use a quality seed starting mix, press the flower seed into the soil and lightly cover. Keep the miniature rose seeds cool and moist. The germination can be irregular and take some extra time so patience is required. Once the China Rose seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant them into larger individual pots. Apply a liquid fertilizer at half the concentration every 2 weeks. When the plants are 3 - 4 inches, begin to acclimate them to the outdoors for 10 days or more. Plant the China Roses into rich, well-draining soil. Typically there are a few flowers the first year, and the following year will produce many more blooms. Keep faded flowers trimmed and fertilize regularly for the best display of blooms.

Purple Bell Vine (Rhodociton Atrosanguineus) - Grow Rhodociton Atrosanguineus seeds for an exotic vine that will have everyone's attention! Rhodociton Purple Bell Vine has heart-shaped leaves and dark purple bell-shaped flowers that dangle from thread-like stems. Bell Vine uses include baskets where it will cascade over the edges and look stunning or give it a trellis where it will grow with support up to 120 inches in height. Rhodociton Purple Bells needs rich, well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade although it prefers afternoon shade in hotter climates. Purple Bells bloom from late spring to late fall.

Sow Purple Bell Vine seeds indoors in late winter. Gently press the flower seeds into the soil and barely cover the seed with soil. Keep consistently moist until germination occurs. Harden the seedlings off for 10 days or more before planting outdoors. Purple Bell Vine is free-flowering and needs little care.

Chinese Foxglove (Rehmannia Angulata Rosy Purple) - Rehmannia Angulata seeds can be grown as annuals in all climates and as perennials in USDA zones 7 - 11. Commonly referred to as Chinese Foxglove, this beauty does well in full sun or partial shade, and the Chinese Foxglove plants continuously produce large, foxglove-like flowers from late spring through fall. The flowers can measure 2 - 3 inches across and are rosy purple with spotted throats. Chinese Foxglove is great in the flower border, and the flowers are nice for cutting. A synonymous botanical name is Rehmannia elata.

How To Grow Chinese Foxglove From Seeds: Sow the Rehmannia Angulata seeds indoors in the late winter. In a starter tray using quality soil, press the flower seeds gently into the soil. Keep the Chinese Foxglove seeds consistently moist until germination occurs. Transplant the Chinese Foxglove seedlings into 3 inch pots and let them grow on indoors until all danger of frost has passed. Harden the Chinese Foxglove plants off for 10 days or more before planting outdoors. Provide winter mulch for extra protection in zones 7 and 8.

Pinkhead Smartweed (Polygonum Capitatum Punching Balls) - Polygonum Capitatum seeds can be grown to form a low-growing, spreading ground cover. A synonymous botanical name is Persicaria Capitata, and it has many common names: Pinkhead Smartweed, Pink Knotweed, Pink Clover, and Pink Fleece Flower. Pink Knotweed uses include containers, baskets, edging the front of the border or as ground cover plants. It looks especially lovely in raised beds or containers where it can spill over the edges. Pinkhead Smartweed is praised for its burgundy tinted foliage and small coral-pink round flower heads. It is a tough, easy-to-grow ground cover for sun or shade with a long bloom season.

Start Polygonum Capitatum seeds indoors in late winter for areas with a short growing season. Use quality seed starting soil and small pots. Press the ground cover seeds into the moistened soil and lightly cover. Maintain moisture until germination occurs. After danger of frost has passed, transplant the Pink Knotweeds seedlings outdoors after hardening the ground cover plants for 10 days or more. For areas with a long growing season, start the Knotweed ground cover seeds directly outdoors after danger of frost has passed. Prepare a weed-free seedbed and lightly cover the seeds with soil after broadcasting.

 

Scarlet Runner Bean Mix (Phaseolus Coccineus Mix) - Every gardener should try growing Scarlet Runner Beans seeds. This unique plant is a decorative runner beans mix with colorful beans, three flower colors and edible young pods. Here are some very interesting facts about Phaseolus Coccineus Scarlet Runner:

• They are nutritious, good and healthy to eat
• Have a more distinctive flavor than French beans
• You can eat the fresh pods after cooking, or harvest seeds from older pods to cook as haricot beans
• They are often prolific croppers - with a freezer you can grow enough to last many months
• They easily grow in odd spaces amongst flowers, etc...
• Scarlet Runner Beans also have attractive flowers
• Flat runner beans are not stocked fresh in small fruit and vegetable shops, or in tins or frozen packs
• Like other plants of the pea family this crop leaves your soil enriched in nitrogen

Scarlet Runner Beans have brilliant red flowers that last throughout the summer. This wonderful mix has brown, purple, and red flamed beans as well as white. Flowers are scarlet, white, and bi-color red and white. The blossoms are less than an inch across and grow in clusters. The edible beans grow up to a foot long and are especially good when picked young. Pick them often to promote continued flowering. The Scarlet Runner Bean vine will quickly and brilliantly cover fences, trellises and other garden structures and will climb 10 - 12 feet.

Sow Scarlet Runner Beans seeds outdoors after all danger of frost has passed. Plant Phaseolus Coccineus seed 1 inch deep and 3 inches apart. Germination takes 7 - 14 days. Keep the soil moderately moist during germination. Thin 4 - 6 inches apart when plants are 2 - 3 inches tall.

Runner beans are a favorite with hummingbirds and butterflies. Plant some on a back fence or a trellis and enjoy the flowers and the hummingbirds year after year! Plants need full sun and plenty of water. Growing Scarlet Runner Beans is fun and rewarding!