My husband was listening while I was watching today and he said, "you're growing most of those flowers, aren't you?" I love he's paying attention. Love these! 💗
What a helpful video. I hope you plan to do this "What to Sow " for every month of the growing season. Thanks! And if that'a your garden in the video, the plants look so healthy and lovely!
The good news is that I have a whole year of them already filmed that you can enjoy PLUS a year of monthly edible seed sowing videos too! Head across to my channel page and they’ll be there for you 😃
My Mexican sunflowers grew (in Virginia) endlessly. They produced armloads of flowers and kept the bees happy. They were a big hit with neighbors and provided such lovely color around my vegetable borders.
I’m in the process of binge watching your previous videos on your channel Niall. And, I’m SO glad that I came across your channel. You have a great personality that shows through while filming. Also, you seem to truly enjoy gardening and sharing great information.
Good morning, Niall, from Windermere, Florida zone 9b USA 🇺🇸 We are having a week of mid 80°'s daytime and 60's nights. Great for planting. I just uploaded a video on repotting my Amaryllis bulbs. I bought 5 bulbs years ago and now have about 100. Repotting and dividing is the key.. As alway, your video was informative and well presented. I'm subscribed to Huw, also. Brilliant 👍 Happy Gardening 👩🌾👍
Hi Peggy! Hope you're keeping well. You really are having some perfect planting weather. Great that you're expanding your amarylis numbers! Glad to you enjoyed the video - I was delighted to have Huw on the video. Have a great week!
Wow Niall you like the same flowers as me. I have lupin, marigolds, hollyhock, sweet peas, begonias, petunias, lobelia, allisum, Biden, all planted in seed trays and I'm starting my cosmos ,love in a mist, cornflowers tomorrow hopefully. The colour is amazing. Looking forward to seeing them all flourish. Take care love your videos 🙂. Marion
Last year, my Mexican sunflowers grew to at least 10 feet tall! And then they fell over and made this beautiful arch. They're so hardy! They bloomed from spring to late fall. And my cosmos were tall too! They rivaled my sunflowers. Loved the video and thanks for the opportunity to share my flower journey :)
That is awesome! That sounds fantastic! Glad that you enjoyed the video and definitely do keep me updated in the comments with how your flower journey goes - I love hearing from people
Fantastic recommendations Niall. Spring is in the air. Knew and have collected the leek flowers, they smell divine, someone at the allotments had discarded them on the compost pile so i took them,never knew could soak them. Thanks for another great video and reminder on my last lilies to plant.
Hi Lorraine! Glad you enjoyed it. That's really cool that you knew about using leek flowers, and even better that you got them for free like that, off the compost pile! Have a great week!
@@niallgardens Thanks Niall, enjoy the sunshine. Currently doing a sustainable gardening course, learning so much to add to all you, youtuvers have taught us
Hi Niall ! Im glad i found your videos. Love all the flowers you suggested. Lupin are always a disaster. They never make it to the flowering stage as they get eaten away by something everytime. 😢
You're right. Huw is great. I found your channel by the last video when you gave advice on his channel. 😉 So i'm lucky to follow you both now. Last summer i collected lupin seeds at my moms garden. I always loved the lupins when i was a child and i wanted to take a little piece of that warm childhood feeling to my balcony. 😊
That's so cool that you found my channel through him - he's a fantastic guy and I was delighted that he was willing to be on this video. That's such a lovely sentiment about the Lupins from your mom's garden - I hope you have loads of success with them this year and in the future! Have a lovely week! 😃
Great video as always. Love the close ups you do - the Nigella flower was beautiful. I plan sowing lots of the seeds you mention. I have planted gladioli and dahlias (saved from last year) to see if they are viable. At least I feel I’m getting started. My winter sowing are just coming through - simple pleasures. Have a great week.
Thanks so much Honore! Yeah I really work to make my videos as beautiful as possible (I don't always succeed but I try!). That way I hope that people can just enjoy them for inspiration and entertainment as well as for info. That's great you've got some stuff growing already. Have a lovely week!
Fabulous as usual with your cheery enthusiasm and inspiration. Have followed Huw Richards and Liz Zorab for two years now and then through them found you. What a great mix of lovely people helping me along with this new time in my life. I'm going to take a chance at mixing up all my flower seeds and broad-cast them into my new no-dig area and see what happens!!! Thanks again for sharing your time. Best wishes.
Thank you so much! That sounds like a lot of fun - mixing up the seeds and seeing what happens! Yeah I'm very fortunate to know great people like Liz and Huw - I'm biased, but they really are great and kind.
Looking forward to planting some of these! I think I have a pack of nigella seeds already. My January planted snap dragons and dahlias are growing great! Thanks Niall and Huw! Sending love from Northumberland xx
Great video Nile, I’m trying looping for the first time too! Now, one plant worth a mention…… calendula! I grew them for the first time last year and they flowered their little hearts out until October! Not only that, I collected fresh flowers all summer, dried them steeped them in oil and now enjoying lip balms, creams lotions and salves. It’s also known as the poor man’s saffron so they’ve given garden beauty, food enhancing plus health/beauty products too there’s no end to how much these plants give 😁
I'm a massive fan of Calendula - so much so that make sure to watch my April seed sowing video, because I have a feeling that it's going to feature heavily! 😃
Oooo great, I’ll be there for sure! I decided to try and give mine a head start by sowing them in August and over wintering them. It was all going great, they were romping away, I had been hardening them off slowly and they were just ready to go into the poly to get more light….. then I broke my ankle badly in October and couldn’t get outside 🙄 I watched them (and some other crops) all keel over and die 🤦🏼♀️ However, I’m battling through, ankle, braced and have already got mine to 6” and in the poly (Just got to battle the frosts now) 🤞🏼 I’ve had such success with the dried flowers/oils I’m really going for it this year….. chamomile, evening primrose, lavender, echinacea are all in seed trays as we speak so I’m hoping for a great skin care pampering session!
I had a (grocery shop bought) forgotten leek last year in the shed, no water no nothing, and I got a great surprise when I found it flowerering! I put it in water first, and then planted it in my regular flower garden, and it was FANTASTIC! Lasted a very long time, and even when it stopped flowering it still kept the nice form for a very long time. And indeed, all insects LOVED it! I'm going to get some for real this year, buying them just for the flowers this time :)
@@niallgardens Me too, but I've bought seeds this time, also not for eating 😀 I've sown them everywhere I would like the big flower balls to float above the lower existing plants next year. Can't wait! 🥰
I grow allium bubls too, never thought to just grow leeks for the flowers. Cool idea if I had more room to let them wait hahahah. I dont have room for too many biennials in my yard. I need blooms. Great list.
It's a very cool idea isn't it! I was so surprised! Yeah I can totally see where you're coming from with that about not having sufficient room. It can be a challenge
Awesome...thanks for the Leek flower idea! I have several wimpy overwintered Leeks that I was considering pulling up...excited to let them flower now!🌞
Lol my daughter went crazy for me. There’s no way I can plant everything this year but I’m trying. I’m in the Deep South in the states and our stores sell all bulbs in march😮. They have to be planted around November so I’ll be getting them ready for this fall planting season. Great video.
Hey Niall! Awesome video...I am now on the Nigella train as I am winter sowing some now. You and Huw have provided some excellent recommendations! Thank you!😎
Gardeners often say that a plant is "good for bees". The problem is: which bees? You see, a bumblebee has a longer tongue and can reach the nectary of some plants (e.g. foxglove) which a honeybee can't. Also plants that have complex double flowers are useless to some bees as there is just too many petals to deal with. They need open single flowers.
How wonderful you had Huw on your channel & what an amazing flower choice. I’m going to see if I can grow leaks in Central Florida. Your Marigold choice is something I always grow. I just love them. Thank you for another magnificent video!
It's so nice that he joined me in this episode isn't it? I was delighted. Yeah French Marigolds are just great aren't they - I have to admit that I used to hate them, but I've changed my tune!!
My two favorite gardeners in the same video, you described Huw very well ‘A really Epic gardener and grower’ he’s so nice, and so easy to listen to , I subscribed years ago and never regretted it, wud love to see the two of you’s eventually doing a video together 🤞here’s hoping 🥬🌷🌾🌻🌿💁🏻
That's so cool! Delighted you liked having both of us in one episode. I'll have a chat to Huw and see if there's something we can come up with in the future! 😃
Fab video Niall. For the first time i noticed the lupins came back , which has never happened before. BTW I also bought alot of tubers from B&Q yesterday ~ just couldn't help it. Planting them along with seeds will give me a long March of mindfulness.
Great list Niall I am adding Honeywort to my list, very disappointed with my black cosmos seeds the germination rate was trash from Rare Seeds but I’m doing lemon cosmos too. Zinnias are my favourite from last year they are so varied. Thank you for sharing as always 🐝 safe 🙏🇺🇦❤️🩹
Yeah I think you'll love the Honeywort / Cerinthe - it's such a stalwart and a top performer. Yeah Zinnias are superb and they may just make an appearance in the future! Have a super week!
I left some leeks in the ground over winter just to see what would happen, what a surprise to hear about those tall gorgeous flowers! I can't wait to see what happens. Thank you for all this information, where I live in the US I am just starting onion and celery, still very early.
Wonderful, that sounds like you're well set up for lovely leek flowers - brilliant! It was such a surprise to me when Huw mentioned it, and I love the idea!
So glad to see your snowdrops. I do corncockle bachelor buttons and larkspur...ahhh you call bachelor's button cornflower, dear me forgot the hollyhocks
Wonderful video, Niall, but Huw's choice of flower is just perfect! 🤣 (I don't do ornamental alliums at all because there are always a few runts among the leeks - and onions, too)
Thanks Rebekka! Yeah I thought it was a super idea, and like I say in the video, a real surprise! If they work out, I'm totally going across to growing leeks rather than ornamental alliums!!
Great video...Just a few Qs please. 1. is it too late to sow these now in April? 2. when you say pot and then put them where you want them, do you mean still in the pots?
You could add carrots to that flower list too. And carrot blooms in the 2nd year are just darling! And even when you think they didn't survive the winter..just water them slowly and they will rehydrate and bloom!
A Great Video as always, thanks Niall. Glad to hear that you have a liking, for 'Hot' 'coloured flowers. I intend to devote a flower bed to just 'Hot' colours. Reds, Oranges, Yellows, maybe with some purple mixed in. I will certainly be growing the Tithonias you mentioned, plus some Dahlias, which you also mentioned.
Here in Pennsylvania a flower I think is good to grow now is verbena bornariensis. It is like queen ans lace, but with small purple flowers and are great for butterflies and bees. They need cold stratification so plant them outside in milk jugs or cups.
I totally agree because I love Verbena Bonariensis too! Actually, I featured it in either my January or February seed sowing video, so you and I are on the same wavelength!!
Great choice of possibilities. Good information from Huw also. like leeks I have purposely saved old crummy onions and planted them in the garden and let them flower and left everyone confused what kind of flower they were. Another fun one to let flower is rhubarb, yes a few less stalks to eat but to me worth the gigantic stalks of flowers plus incredible draw to pollinators.
Hi Niall - from Midwestern USA (zone 6B). Quick question: in which hardiness zone are you located? 9A? Maybe pop it in your bio so newbies can understand how your zone compares to theirs. Love your videos, just binge-watched quite a few! Well done on content and production!
Great video Niall, fruit and veg growers seem to be really embracing the benefits of devoting some space to flowers . Tithonia is wonderful but a real heat lover so don't be too disappointed if yours don't do so well in a typical Irish summer. My advice is plant them out in the sunniest spot you have, give them plenty of room and just pray for good weather!
Absolutely, big time! I've always loved both and I think having the mix is important (and just plain lovely!). It'll be interesting to see how the Tithonia gets on - always worth a try isn't it!
Hi! I grew Mexican sunflowers last summer. I loved how they brought so many pollinators to my garden, especially butterflies. The color looked lovely in bouquets. I will say they grew more than I expected, they were over 5 feet tall and they threw a lot of shade on other plants. Which was fine for greens, but not so good for peppers. I definitely plan to grow them again (collected lots of seeds) just will be a little more careful where I put them in. 😁
Great video Niall, if you like hot colours have a little peak at Ratibida (Mexican Hat) it's a dainty coneflower that nods around in the breeze. It will be the end of March before I take my dahlias out of storage, far too cold for me here in North West England. I know you are in Ireland (Duh obvious!), but what are your temperatures like for through March?...Steve...😃
Glad you enjoyed it Steve! 😃 I'll check that suggestion out 👍 We have just that bit of extra moderating influence from the atlantic and the coastline so our average max/min temps would be (very approx!) 4-11oC conservatively. We still definitely get frosts, but I find that March works well for starting the tubers under cover.
Tithonias are amazing! I've grown them the past couple of years and they look fabulous in the garden. The bees love them too. This year I'm going to try growing Morning Glories up the stems. 💜
I just stumbled across your video this morning and wondering how my area that I live in SE Michigan USA zone 6 compared to yours, this morning it is 27 degrees Fahrenheit and will probably only go to 45 degrees Fahrenheit
Love rudbeckia. My MIL divided some of hers and I have further dotted it around my garden. Awesome winter seed heads too. I wish I could get on with lupins! I love them because they’re beautiful but they get eaten alive by aphids which doesn’t set me up well for my veggies. 😢
Yeah Rudbeckia are really strong plants to have in the garden aren't they? And I love how varied they are in size. Sorry to hear that the dreaded aphids keep attacking your Lupins - I'll have to see if mine suffer the same fate!
Question for Nigella growers! This is my first year growing them. I’m in 9b California and my days were pretty much 65F/45F, and they were transplanted in this perfect flower growing temp. So why haven’t they grown further? It’s like they’ve stalled but I can’t figure out WHY. They get plenty of light and their soil is rich - maybe the rich soil is the issue? When they were growing inside (basically 65F around the clock) they grew fantastically. To compare this to my sweet peas (both direct sown and potted up sweet peas) they took the transition outside like a champ and never stalled. Help! What am I doing wrong? 🥺
Hi Melissa! I wonder if they didn't take kindly to the shock of being moved even though your growing conditions are good. I think the best trial would be to sow some more in pots and at the same time, direct sow some into your ground and compare their progress?
@@niallgardens Probably. I did have some direct sown but they’re still super tiny compared to the sweet peas, and my geranium daffodils are almost completely finished. I guess I just assumed the warm temp of the soil would help speed things up. Gah.
I realize that as a nearly official Crazy Cat Lady, I'm more sensitive to this issue... but please, when you mention planting lilies, don't forget to give a quick reminder to people who may have them in their gardens that true lilies and day lilies are extremely toxic to cats? The flowers are lovely, but no one should have to get sick or die for you to enjoy them. ;-) Loved the tip about eating allium flowers. Who knew?
Dear Niall I'm Arash, living in the northern part of Iran, beside the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests. I've just made a greenhouse and wanna grow houseplants which grow very happily in our climate; but I have a big challenge. Nearly all of the houseplant growers here gather dry undecayed leaves from the forests of the mountainous, mostly oak forests, and shred them to add to the potting soil. The problem is this is not environment-friendly and by the development of the houseplant market, it hurts the forests. On the other hand, tree farming in the plain parts of the region is convenient, and many farmers grow some species of populus tree. But when I ask the local veterans in the field of growing houseplants about replacing forest oak leaves by populus leaves of the tree farms of plain regions, they say that they've learnt from their ancestors to use forest oak leaves and they can't guarantee the populus leaves to have the same positive (as they say) effect on the soil. Now l wanna ask you, as an educated and experienced person, whether what the veterans say is trustworthy or one can use populus leaves. Sorry for lengthening🙏🏻🙏🏻💐💐
March is not bumper month if you live in REAL north. I live in there and I'm torturing myself with this. Personally I hate when people tell they live in north ( or northern hemipshere) when they have snow for a week in a year. Yeah, my frost day is 15th of june...
It’s not just about cold, it’s also about light. The UK and Ireland are very, very far north - further than most people realise - but lucky to be protected by the Gulf Stream and so have a temperate climate.
Thankfully not - they can be sown simply in some compost and they should work perfectly for you. What does help is soaking the seeds overnight beforehand 👍