Prior to January 2022, all I knew about Lisianthus was that it was wonderful in arrangements, it was a favorite of my daughter who would be coming for a visit near the time of the first blooms and that I wanted to grow it.
Many flower farmers advise not trying Lisianthus from seeds as it takes so very long and germination of seeds is sometimes tricky.
But, in the dark of January, I was up for the challenge. The long timeline didn’t bother me as I had plenty of time this winter to “baby” Lisi along.
- Last September I bought Voyage Blue FI pelleted seeds from Johnny seeds.
- Jan 20: Scattered seeds in shallow trays (re-used carry out containers) on a bitter cold day! It was toasty warm in the Potting Shed.
- Feb 3: Seeing a bit of green!
- Feb 21: Some real growth happening. I think every seed germinated!
- Mar 11: Potted up to Gardener’s Supply self watering trays. These are the best!
- Apr 4: Taking on some size now! Finally!
- Apr 17: Time to start hardening off
- May 7: Outside they went! Some to the cutting garden, some to the herb garden and a few scattered through the borders. The roots were unbelievable!
This plant is a true miracle to me in color alone — all of the white buds had me convinced the seeds had been mismarked and these were going to be white instead of purple. Truly they are white until they open to the glorious purple – with a tinge of white here and there!
WILL I DO IT AGAIN?
Yes, if I have time! However, we will most likely be doing more traveling next winter so I am looking for suppliers who have lisianthus plugs that non-professional growers can purchase. I sure don’t want to be without these beautiful bokay game changers! Burpee had them this year and I have found a few sources on Etsy that had them too. As this season ends, we will know more what will be available next year. I won’t wait long to order though! And, I’ll have some seeds just in case!
ONE MORE THING: I will stake them next time! I did get a few staked and it helped so much to keep their long stems from flopping!
Here’s a bit more about Lisi:
Eustoma, commonly known as lisianthus or prairie gentian, is a small genus of plants in the gentian family. They are native to warm regions of the southern United States, Mexico, Caribbean and northern South America.
From Better Homes and Gardens: Lisianthus, often favored by floral designers when an elegant flower is needed for an arrangement, it is the epitome of a classy, versatile flower. The ruffled petals and elegant buds come in many colors. The delicate-looking blooms are known for not only their beauty, but also their ability to hold up as a cut flower in a vase for up to two weeks or longer. (I AGREE!) Link to more info.
JAPANESE BEETLES UPDATE
Seeing fewer Japanese Beetles than last year for sure! There are enough of them to make a mess of the roses but not the “billions” I often see. Maybe the extreme weather conditions aggravated them. (Too wet followed by too dry.) I sure hope they were aggravated as they sure “aggravate” me!!!
SOMETHING NEW: BLOOM THYME MINUTE
I have reprised my YOUTUBE Channel to share short videos of my garden that I am calling Bloom Thyme Minute where I take you on a virtual walk through my garden and we stop for “just a minute” so I can tell you about what we’re seeing. I think that as of today, there are 7 videos and more will be coming.
Here is the BLOOM THYME MINUTE for Vanessa Bell…
BLOOM THYME
The garden was so refreshed by the rain we had this week and the gardener is surely enjoying the cooler temps the rain brought with it. We won’t talk about the heat that’s coming back!
Friends, I hope you are having a wonderful week in the garden. Mr. G’s tomatoes are starting to come on and we can’t wait. There is simply nothing like that first BLT when we have homegrown tomatoes! G’s favorite is Steak Sandwich. I grow them from seeds as we never see them for sale. (Link) What are your favorite home grown tomatoes?
Until next time, I’ll leave you with this greatness…
I am also a Lisianthus ‘newbie’, but wasn’t brave enough to grow them from seed! I just LOVE them! They have a wonderful vase life and remind me very much of little roses!!
They do remind me of roses too! Wonderful vase life and so many colors!
I love Lizzie’s and I’m impressed you grew them so successfully from seed! They’re a little high maintenance, but once they get the care they need, they flourish, I’m also thrilled you chose Johnny’s Selected Seeds for your first try with seeds. I do their catalog and know the work and trialing that goes into selling top-quality seeds that have great germination, as you can attest to. I had lisianthus in my wedding bouquet and decor bouquets and they lasted for weeks afterwards. It’s a shame they don’t have a scent, but that vase life can’t be beat,
Growing from seed is so rewarding! And you are so correct… the vase life can’t be beat! Thanks for stopping by! 🌹🌸💐
your flowers are so beautiful, good job on getting those plants to grow I tried once to grow them no success, but this was ages ago before I had internet, I look forward to your videos.
Hey Roberta, nice to hear from you. Thanks for the encouragement on the videos!
What a beautiful garden! And great information about planting seeds. I love Johnny’s seeds and have always found them to work well. I’m inspired and might try planting the Lisianthus.
I think you will enjoy the process! 🌹💐
Your flowers are stunning! And the dahlias are so beautiful! I remember seeing Lisianthus for sale in potted pots many years ago, but I never see them now. The white ones are very elegant. We are having a heat wave here in VA. Hot and humid! My two fav tomato plants that I planted this season are Park’s Improved Whopper Hybrid (Indeterminate) and German Queen Heirloom (Indeterminate). They both are Bonnie Plants. They produce very large and flavorful tomatoes. You are quite the gardener with your seeds, and you certainly have a green thumb. Enjoyed seeing the yellow rose video. Thank you! (2nd post as it looks as though the 1st has not gotten to you tonight.)