No frost in the greenhouse!

This week has seen a lot of cold frosty weather. As it has been so dry, from inside it hasn't looked particually cold, as the grass has not been white and crisp, but on Friday the thermometer didn't rise above 0 degrees C at all.

This is always a good time to go into the greenhouse and sow seeds. We had grasses and perennials from the RHS seed distribution scheme, which were sowed in potting compost and covered with perlite. These were watered and placed in the two covered propagating units at either 15 or 20 degrees C depending on the seeds germination requirements. Seeds can be fickle things, and some will germinate within a few days, while others may take up to 6 weeks.

Just before christmas, Rachel and I had sowed seeds which needed stratification (a period of cold to break dormancy), so after sowing we placed them in our coldframes outside to expose them to the cold, of which we have had plenty of nights below freezing. This has already triggered germination in Nepeta parnassica, Sedum aizoon and Hyssopus officinalis. So don't assume every seed needs heat to germinate!