Green Thumb Sunday Seedling Update

Gaillardia Razzle Dazzle Mix seedlings

My seedlings have been coming along. It's been almost a month now since they have been planted. I really should get the bigger ones out of there and into something bigger. I only have 4 pots, 3 small 4 inch, and one 6 or 8 inch. Really that should be enough to pot what I have. I'm thinking I'll do that in a bit and see how it goes.


Dimorphotheca seedlings

My African Daisies (Dimorphotheca aurantiaca) are doing great. I got the one big seedling that has been growing for 1 month now. A week ago I believe I planted some more. The one seedling was the only one that germinated so I decided to try again. This time I followed what I read online and just very slightly covered them so they wouldn't get blown away. Now I have many more seedlings popping up and getting ready to grow. The first time I planted them I think I stuck them in too deep.


Nemesia seedling

The Nemesia is growing slowly. I have 3 seedlings of Nemesia. One seedling is quite elongated and I'm not sure why. Maybe it just needs to go into a bigger pot but it's not that big. It looks like the one pictured but with a longer stem on it.


Parsley seedlings

My Parsley seedlings have their true leaves now. They are funny frilly edged leaves. I'm glad that I got these as a freebie. I love parsley and use it constantly on my pasta. Pasta just doesn't taste right if it doesn't have parsley. I hope that these do well once the heat and sun get going.


Laurentia seedlings

Never did anything come from the first batch of laurentia I planted. I tried again when I replanted the Dimorphotheca seeds. There are two little seedlings in this one plug. None of the other have come out. I'll try again another month when it gets warmer.


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Do you have a true Osteospermum?

Dimorphotheca aurantiaca "African Moon"
Image from Thompson and Morgan

If you think you have an Osteospermum..check again. It seems some companies have been selling Dimorphotheca under Osteospermum. There is a difference surprisinging. Dimorphothecas are annuals that can be grown from seed. Osteospermums are really tender perennials that are mostly hybrids. If it is a hybrid chances are it's seeds will not be true to the original plant. Osteospermum Passion Mix can actually be grown from seed and produce true plants. Because of this most Osteospermums can only be cultivated by cuttings.

I found this out one day when I was looking up information on Osteospermums. I purchased seeds that I thought were Osteospermum because that is what they were labeled. Upon going to the Osteospermum website I began to wonder if I had a true Osteospermum. The website has a list of their cultivars. If you don't find you plant on the list it's not an Osteospermum or you bought it under the wrong name. I looked for mine and it was not on the list. There was no African Moon. That was when I looked under Dimorphotheca and there was African Moon.

This was very interesting to me seeing that there was a difference. Companies selling seeds might not be labeling things correctly and that is a scary thought to me. I would like to know what the name is of what I am buying. I was wondering why I had a hard time finding information on my particular Osteospermum. It was because it wasn't an Osteospermum at all. If you would like more information do look at the Osteospermum website.