Didiscus Lacy – Trachymene
I can’t wait to see these flowers in bloom this year. They are an annual plant that self seeds so hopefully will stay in the garden for years. I have sown twenty seeds in a seven inch pot of good compost, enclosed the pot in a polythene bag to retain moisture and I shall keep it in the warm until germination. This could be up to three weeks. Didiscus is a member of the parsley family and is related to Dill and Fennel. 29th April – I have lost these seedlings to frost so have sowed another pot today.
Sow Lace Flower seeds, Didiscus, indoors six weeks before last expected frost. Sow the seeds into moist compost and cover very lightly. Keep the compost moist until germination. When seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant into pots and gradually acclimatize to outdoor conditions for two weeks. Plant outdoors after all risk of frost has passed. This annual variety of Didiscus will grow to a height of 90cm. The plants produce flower heads that range in colour from Rose White, Pink through to Lavender. This variety makes an ideal plant for cut flowers that appear in July / August. Another good buy from Seekay at 99p for 100 seeds.
This morning, 27th January, I am sowing the Lobelia seeds bought from Seekay (99p). When I saw that there were 3000 seeds I was surprised but now I’ve seen them I understand. They are really tiny dust like seeds and impossible to separate. I have sprinkled some on top of a seed tray of compost in which I have buried the tiny modules that my perennials arrived in from T&M last year. I did buy a packet of Lobelia seeds years ago and sprinkled them directly onto the soil on the flower bed at the allotment but they never grew. I shall probably use these half hardy annuals in containers and around the pond when it is done. I do prefer single colours and didn’t realise that I had bought mixed. If I am successful with them this year I shall buy them annually as they are a pretty space filler. Update 21st January 2018 – I had no success at all last year with these. I have sprinkled a pinch of seeds onto a pot of Dahlias that I have put together today.