There are many different ways to grow flowers, but nothing beats starting with the seed. The sense of accomplishment when you have a full, thriving garden makes all those hours of work worthwhile. Plus, you get to choose exactly what kind of plants will best complement your garden and watch them grow.
To learn more about growing flowers from seeds in San Francisco, CA, read on!
Outdoors
This technique, sometimes called direct sowing, involves placing the seeds outdoors in your garden right where you want them. This works with a variety of annuals, but there are a few varieties of tender annuals like sweet alyssum, poppies, sweet peas and larkspur that need to wait until after the threat of frost has passed. But for these annuals, direct sowing is a good choice anytime:
- Cosmos
- Castor bean
- Calendula
- Morning glory
- Bachelor button
- Sunflower
- Zinnia
- Annual poppy
- Marigold
- Hyacinth bean
Indoors
Other seeds do better indoors. Place these seeds in soil under lights, then wait six to eight weeks to see the results. Smaller seeds should start in a seed tray. Once they’ve sprouted, then they can be transported into separate growing areas. Here are the varieties this is a good choice for:
- Salvia
- Impatiens
- Petunia
- Statice
- Cleome
- Snapdragon
- Nicotiana
- Ageratum
- Amaranth
- Coleus
Why choose seeds?
One major reason to start plants from seeds is that they are far cheaper than buying mature plants, costing as little as 10 percent of a grown plant. That means you can spend that money you’ve saved on plants on other gardening essentials.
Another major reason is variety. Every garden center can’t carry all the annuals green thumbs are looking for. If you have particular favorites that you’ve been wanting to grow, then choosing to do so using seeds is the way to go. Most annuals are relatively simple to grow from seed. The biggest challenge will be finding the right spot.
Consult your local experts about the best conditions for each seed, such as how much light they need, how much moisture they need, whether they’re frost hardy or not, etc. You’ll also want to ask about special germination requirements and determine how long the seedlings will take to grow in your garden.
We hope you’ve learned a little something about growing seedlings in San Francisco, CA. Here in the Bay Area, one place has remained an institution for over 75 years in the Richmond District: The Delicate Daisy – House of Flowers. We’re a locally owned and operated business that cares about delivering quality flowers to all our customers. We source our flowers from the flower market and select new ones three times a week.
Opened in 1939, our charming flower shop in San Francisco, CA has been the premier destination for anyone looking for flowers or gifts for any occasion. We bring decades of experience to creating flower arrangements in San Francisco, CA, and work with both individual and corporate clients to create beautiful, handcrafted arrangements that will delight any recipient. Stop by our store today to see our collection of stunning flowers!