It's a tender one, at least here. Wait a bit to sow them, maybe April. And HOS them, because the plant is a bit spindly and fragile-looking.

PV

Thanks PV!!

Tiffy, I would call it a tender annual in your zone as well. It sure is in mine, and I'm zone 5 in MA.

Last year was my first year with salpiglossis, had both grandiflora and chocolate royal.

sowed the grandiflora on 3/27/07 and they germinated on 4/25 and 4/28

sowed the chocolate royale on 4/20 (they got mixed in with the MG seeds) and they germinated on 5/3.

I agree with PV, sow in hunks or if your seedlings end up getting fairly large before planting them out, plant them real close together. They tend to flop over and when bunched together they stand up better and look beautiful, even if they are mixed colors.

Fran

Some pics of last years blooms, colors not the best in accuracy, but they are a beautiful flower.

chocolate royale

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salpiglossis grandiflora white
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Because I was tired of wondering "when", I put mine out about a month ago. That, and Alstroemeria. I think I may have jumped the gun, but I do have some inside still, that I can sow later.
Do Salipglossis and Alstroemeria grow like Petunias? Do they tend to bush out or get lanky?

Linda

And to add to Linda's questions... Would they be good in conatiners?

Linda,
i found that they got kind of lanky, but if pinched back they did bush out some.
I let the first flowers go to seed to collect them, then pinched them back to get some bushier growth.

Tiffy, I'm putting some of mine in pots this year. From what I saw in growth last year, I think they will be good in pots.
I'm planning to but a bunch of them in a 10 inch pot. Let the ones near the edge of the pot hang over and pinch back the ones in the center to bush out.

Fran

Well, of course they are good in containers! How else would I be able to grow them?? LOL!

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PV

PV the "Container Queen" :-)

Thank you Fran and Tiffy...helps me know what to do and where to put them.

I hope they won't be like Lavatera. I try so hard to grow those things and they never bush out, but always look sparse. I love those flowers, but geez-louise, I can't get them to have any "presence".
I've got my fingers crossed on the Salpi.

L

Yep, after I posted I thought you'd get a kick out of my container q PV!! :O) Feel like a heel asking it. LOL!!

Thanks Fran!