Which seeds would have been better off left in the packet? Which ones have surprised you in just how well they grew?

The summer before last I bought a new variety of pansy seed: 'Envy'. On the packet, the flowers are a glowing shade of what is very definitely pale green. The end result? Smallish flowers that were a sort of sludge yellow. Maybe it was my compost :( .

I also made the mistake of trying to grow lobelia. Never again. Seeds like dust and the tiniest of tiny seedlings. Even when thinned into clumps, they're virtually impossible to handle without damaging them; the seed leaves are just too tiny to get a hold of, so you end up damaging the stem.

On the plus side, my sweet peas are always glorious and they've always been true to the image on the packet. Well, perhaps some of the blues have occasionally been more purple than blue, but that's a minor quibble.

Naturtium! Worth while every time. Seeds big enough that you don't have to prick them out and loads of flowers from them.

I am with you on lobelia (allysum are not much better). Interestingly though chard (bright lights) is pretty good - it makes a great bedding plant and you get to eat it as well!

With lobelia I use inserts in my seed trays so I dont have to prick out. Just a tiny pinch in each. They are not a plant to prick out. But just buy them from B&Q or morrisons, theyre cheap enough usually.

I find marigolds of all types really easy to grow.

Nasturtiums are just a huge magnet for blackfly.

...But just buy them from B&Q or morrisons, theyre cheap enough usually.
Absolutely agree with that, but the different varieties do look so pretty on the T&M packets in the garden centre :lol: .

The gardening guru who has the has the garden over the wall from mine suggested I should have used the mini inserts too.

...Nasturtiums are just a huge magnet for blackfly.
Agree with that too. I love them, but growing them resulted in the blackfly and - worse - caterpillar-mediated massacre of a garden full of sweet peas. Cabbage white butterflies absolutely adore nasturtiums, and soon load up the leaves with eggs, and eventually hundreds of caterpillars :o .

The little buggers destroyed my sweetpeas that summer in the space of about a fortnight :( .

Well so far my Cauli's have started to sprout yay! Thats about it so far :hihi:

Back to the lobelia, if you like the different coloured varieties, morrisons sell those too, ready grown, about June time. I just love the deep blue ones. Same with geraniums, I love the really really bright red ones!