Growing Lisianthus from Seed

It’s getting to be that time again for seed starting, beginning early with my new favorite flower Lisianthus. This flower amazed me last summer, producing the most dreamy rose like blooms. After seeing so many photos of this flower online, I decided that I wanted to try them out. I started them in January which is suppose to be about 22 weeks out from my last frost date here in zone 6b. The first thing that I noticed when growing these from seed is that the first set of leaves were tiny. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong, but read that was common for these plants to take a really long time growing in this initial stage. The next thing that happened is that the soil began to form fungus which I learned to control by using cinnamon and vermiculite on the surface. It is so helpful to be able to learn from others who have grown these already and that is why I believe that I had so much success with this. Once the second set of leaves showed up and were getting bigger, it was very encouraging and I just continued to keep them well watered and under grow lights until early spring.

After reading about the care of these flowers, I decided to go with online advice and I provided some support for them. I used bamboo stakes and garden twine to make the structure after they were planted. There were a few leaves and petals that were being eaten by something but for the most part they were easy to care for and pest free. After several weeks the stems grew much taller and buds formed. I cut flowers and added to vases and gave to friends. It was definitely hard to make the first cut because I wanted to enjoy them longer in the garden but I also know that I would not get more flowers unless I did cute them. After the first set of blooms faded, I cut them all the way back to the base and was able to enjoy a second flush in very late summer/early fall. I started with Apricot Arena III, Borealis Yellow, Super Magic Apricot and Roseanne Green seeds. The variety that did the best and enjoyed the most was the Apricot Arena III. I just cannot get over how beautiful these flowers were. If you have any desire to grow this flower and and have patience in the beginning, you will want to give them a try, I would highly recommended it. The pictures posted here are from last year, starting with the seedlings to vase stage.

Today I’ve prepped my seed starting mixture and Im beginning the process all over again. I am hoping that I have as much success this spring as I did last year. Im trying something different this time though and I’m using some seed that I collected from last years flowers to start a few of them. I also bought some new seeds in my favorite color, apricot.