SHIFTING ROOTS

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The 3 Easiest Cut Flowers to Save From Seed

August 31, 2020

I love growing an annual cut flower garden from seed, but the costs can quickly add up. Every year I spend over $200 on flower seeds–and that’s after I try and pare down my choices!! Over the last couple of years I’ve been saving seed from more and more of the flowers that I grow, and it’s really starting to make a difference in my budget.

Seed saving cut flowers doesn’t have to be complicated. In this post I’m going to share 3 super easy annual flowers that you can save from seed. Can you imagine buying cut flower seeds once, and never having to buy them again? Here’s my picks. . .

P.S. For those of you who prefer to watch videos, you can watch this YouTube video instead.

Snapdragons

To save snapdragons, wait until the flower has almost finished blooming and there are little balls all the way up the stem. We want a few blooms left just so we know what colour we’re collecting! Cut off the stem, keeping as many of those little balls as possible–they contain our future seeds!

Let the snapdragons dry until they are golden brown. I leave mine indoors on a paper plate for around 2 months before I try to collect the seeds. The plant should be very brittle and dry at this point. Then, you can lightly shake the seeds out of the little pods.

Snapdragon seeds are very small, so make sure you shake them on the paper plate or some other spot where they are easy to collect. Store the seeds in an envelope and label for future use.

Marigold

I love saving marigold seeds–they’re so easy to collect and I almost always have good germination. Once the marigold is finished blooming and ready for deadheading, cut it off and leave in a hot and sunny location. Once the head is dry and brittle, tear it apart. You’ll be left with lots of marigold seeds like these below. . .

Zinnia

Zinnias are one of my favourite flowers in the cut flower garden, and they’re also so easy to save from seed. Let your favourite zinnia grow so that it looks either like a big cone or a stack of pancakes (it will depend on the variety). Cut it off (or leave it on if it’s the end of the season) and leave it to dry for at least two months. Once it’s completely dry, tear the cone (or pancake) apart and you’ll see little seeds that look kind of like daggers or trowels. Those are your new zinnia seeds!

Love Cut Flowers? Here’s Where to Find the Best Seeds, The 10 Easiest Cut Flowers to Grow, and how to arrange the prettiest bouquets.

Cut Flower Seed Saving Tips

Some of these tips are going to seem painfully obvious to more experienced gardeners, but I include these tips only because I have actually made these mistakes when I should have known better.

Save the Best Flowers

Is there a flower that’s really large, has a unique colour, or some other quality that you like? Earmark that flower and make sure you save that one!

The Bees Might Have Other Plans

Last year I saved a lot of Calendula seeds, expecting them to look a certain way. Little did I know that the bees had cross pollinated my 4 different varieties and the calendula that came up looked different than I expected them to. Thankfully I loved the looks of them, so it wasn’t a big deal. Just know that unless you put a mesh bag around them to avoid cross pollination, you might get some surprises.

Don’t Leave Seeds Outside to Dry

Yes, you can leave some seeds outside to dry and they’ll be just fine. However, some seeds like sunflowers make amazing snacks for birds and mice–ruining your future flower garden. So don’t let your seeds get eaten and take them indoors.

Learn to save even more cut flower seeds

Honestly, there’s so many more seeds you could save from seed, easily saving you more than $200 on your cut flower gardening bill. If you’re tired of spending so much money on your flower garden every Spring, you need Savvy Seed Saving. It will teach you how to save 18 different annual cut flower seeds, putting money back in your pocket.

Yes, I want to save $$!

Grab your copy now or learn more here.


Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

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Filed Under: Uncategorised Tagged: annuals, cut flowers, seed saving

5 Easy Annual Flowers for Beginner Seed Savers

September 16, 2019

What’s the easiest way you can make a dent in your gardening budget?  Saving seeds!! It’s so easy to save seeds from cut flowers and other annual flowers that you can use next year.  While some seeds require a little more know-how than others to save, I’ve compiled some of the easiest flower seeds to save–even if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here’s my list of 5 easy annual flowers that are perfect for beginner seed savers.

[Read more…]
Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

11 Comments
Filed Under: Backyard Florist, Flowers, Gardening Tagged: annuals, Autumn, calendula, easy, fall, Flowers, nasturtium, poppy, seed saving, sunflower, zinnia

22 Annual Flowers That Grow in the Shade

January 8, 2019

Shade can be the bane of every flower gardener’s existence. You’d like something to brighten up that dark corner in your yard. . . but what? I’ve compiled a list of 22 annual flowers to fill up your shady flower bed, along with a few helpful hints for gardening in the shade.

Thank you to reader Pauline Janzen for sharing this picture of her shade container.

Partial Shade and Full Shade

Not all shade is created equal. Partial shade is defined as an area that receives 3-4 hours of sun a day. Full shade receives less than 3 hours of sun or no sun whatsoever.

When assessing your yard for how much shade an area gets, take into consideration any trees that currently do not have any leaves on them (if you’re doing this in winter or early spring). An annual shade plant that you’ve grown from seed may start off strong with dappled shade, (the kind made from leafy trees) only to stall out on growth once all the leaves fill in.

A beautiful fuchsia from reader Pauline Janzen

Bigger is Better

If you are a beginner gardener, I recommend buying your shade plants started from a garden centre. A lot of annual flowers need to be started indoors in January and February and if this the first year in your journey, it’s a task that’s best left to someone else.

When buying starters, buy the biggest plant you can afford–especially if you’re planting in full shade. Sure, small plants will do fine in full shade. But they won’t fill out the space the way you were hoping. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way!

If you can’t purchase larger plants, plan on spacing your smaller ones closer together for a nice block of colour.

I could not resist including this adorable pic from reader Shelley Lynn of her begonia and her sweet dog.

Shade Flowers Don’t Have to Be Boring!

If you’ve been gardening for longer, it’s easy to get bored of the same old begonias, impatients, and coleus. (Note to new gardeners: these are the pillars of annual shade plants that will work without a lot of fuss!) Hopefully this list of 24 shade loving annuals gives you some new inspiration.

P.S: U.S. readers, White Flower Farm has a very good selection of shade plants for sale online. I wish I could order there, but alas, they do not ship to Canada.

Looking for Shade Perennials instead? Here’s 17 Shade-Loving Perennials to fill up your flower bed.

24 Annual Flowers that Love the Shade

Alyssum

Alyssum is a lovely flower for borders and makes a beautiful cut flower.

Balsam

Before there were impatients, there were balsam flowers. While you likely won’t find these in the garden centre, you can start them from seed approximately 8 weeks before intended bloom. The taller varieties are lovely for cut flower gardens, and a big planting of them gives your yard a cottage-garden vibe.

Begonia

New to gardening in the shade? Make sure you get a begonia or two (or more!) They come in many different sizes and colours. My personal favourite are the large double ones pictured below, but in a yellow with pink edges.

Browallia

Browallia is a lovely blue/purple star shaped flower that’s good for borders and containers. It’s also quite low maintenance and does not spread.

Calendula

Calendula is both beautiful to look at and is very useful in the garden. It makes a good cut flower and is an excellent companion plant in the vegetable garden. Dried calendula flowers can be used in herbal teas, tinctures, soaps, and more.

Cleome

Also known as a spider flower, the cleome can be a prolific self-seeder in some zones.

Coleus

Not sure what to add to your containers in the shade? Coleus is always an excellent choice. It’s widely available in a rainbow of colours at your local garden centre or big box store. Plus, you can take cuttings indoors before the first frost and enjoy as a houseplant over the winter.

Fuchsia

As a I child, I always thought that fuchsias looked like little ballerinas. I’ve loved them ever since and enjoy them as a hanging plant on my shady front porch. Be prepared to do a lot of dead-heading, but also be prepared to enjoy their lovely blooms all summer long.

German Ivy

German Ivy does well in both sun and shade and has been a staple in my family’s containers for 30 years. Every fall before the first frost my Mom brings a couple of cuttings indoors for the winter, and they grow enough that she can make new cuttings in the spring. She is still using cuttings every spring from the original plant she bought 30 years ago.

Hydrangea (Sort of)

Okay, okay, I know. A hydrangea is NOT an annual. However, in zone 3 where I garden, we are inundated with hydrangea plants that are not hardy to our area, no matter how much we wish it were so. So if you can’t resist that hydrangea that is never going to survive here, treat it like an annual, put it in a pot, and enjoy it for the summer with realistic expectations.

P.S. There are hydrangeas that are hardy to zone 3, such as Invincibelle.

Impatiens

Impatiens are another practically-no-fail-flower for the beginner gardener. They also come in many colours and varieties. I personally love the double impatiens. (The ones pictured here are the most typical ones you’ll find at the garden centre.)

Larkspur (Consolida)

Searching for a larkspur can be a bit confusing, as you’ll wind up being shown a lot of sun-loving delphiniums. Ask for a consolida instead, and you’ll find the shade loving annual flower you’re looking for.

Lobelia

Lobelia is another annual that does well in either sun or shade.

Lysimachia (Creeping Jenny)

Lysimachia is hardy from zones 2-10 and is a great plant to grow in a shady area where nothing else will grow. However, because of it’s invasive nature, you need to check if this plant is banned in your area or not before planting it. To do that, google your province or state plus the term “invasive plants.” You should get a list of plants that are not recommended in your area.

Planting in a container, as shown below, should be fine. (P.S. It’s the green vine, not the purple flower.)

Monkey Flower

I love monkey flowers, but I know from experience that this is one flower that will not grow much in full shade. Plant in part shade or even part sun if you have it.

Nicotiana

Nicotiana comes in many sizes in white, pink, red, and purple. They have a lovely fragrance, especially in the evening.

Oxalis

Oxalis will survive in the shade, but expect less blooms than if you were planting them in the sun.

Pansy

I love pansies and always have a few in my garden. Pansies come in so many beautiful shades of white, yellow, orange, purple, blue, and pink that you’ll find it next to impossible to just choose one colour. Pansies are also edible flowers and brighten up your summer salads.

Polka Dot Plant

Polka dot plants provide some beautiful colour to any shade garden, and can be brought indoors and propagated over the winter.

Salvia

Also commonly called wild sage.

Snapdragon

Have a shady spot in your cut flower garden? Consider adding some snapdragons! If you’re planting from seed, carefully check the packet that you have a tall variety (for cut flowers) or a dwarf variety (for containers).

Planning a cut flower garden? Here’s 36 must-have flowers!!

Sweet Potato Vine

Sweet potato vine is easy to grow and comes in many beautiful colours. This YouTube video is a bit dated, but shows how many options there are.

Torenia (Wishbone Flower)

Torenia is a lovely trailing flower that works well in containers. It is attractive to hummingbirds and not attractive to deer.

Do you have any annual shade flowers you’d add to this list? Tell me about it in the comments!

Coming up with a flower garden design can be tricky, especially when it's in a spot with lots of shade.  Here's 22 shade loving annual flowers that are great for front yards, back yards, or containers.  Some even make great cut flowers!
Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

3 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorised Tagged: annual flowers, annuals, flower garden, flower gardening, shade, shade flower

Fall and Winter Gardening in Zone 3: What you can Realistically Expect

October 11, 2018

Do you scroll Pinterest and see all these wonderful posts about starting a fall garden?  I know I do, and I get so jealous of all my gardening friends in warmer climates.  Unfortunately, if you live in zone 3, you can not plant a garden in September and harvest it in the winter.  (Hello week of -40 sometime in January or February!!)

I wanted to write this post because if you don’t know anything about zone 3 and are just reading gardening magazines and blogs from warmer zones, you might get the impression that you can somehow grow vegetables and flowers year round.  And while it is possible to grow vegetables in the winter with a huge greenhouse, lights, and heaters, most home gardeners don’t have those kind of resources or the money to pay a hefty heating & electricity bill all winter.

But, there are a few things you can do that you might not have thought about.

Want to start a fall or winter garden in zone 3?  I'll help you manage your expectations and give you tips on what you can do with annual and perennial flowers, seeds and seed saving, vegetables, and more. #gardening #fall #winter #beginners #tips #ideas #seeds #perennials #annuals #flowers #vegetables

[Read more…]

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

9 Comments
Filed Under: Backyard Florist, Gardening, Harvest Tagged: annuals, cold climate, fall garden, fall gardening, Gardening, perennials, seed saving, seeds, Vegetables, winter, winter gardening, zone 3

Growing Your Own Wedding Flowers to Save Money? Read this First!

June 27, 2018

Weddings are expensive, and you’ll do anything to save money, right? While growing your own flowers sounds like a great way to cut costs, you need to be smart about it. I’ll show you all the things you need to consider, plus link to some fabulous DIY’s for your cake, boutonnieres, centrepieces, and bouquets.

Want to save money with DIY Wedding Flowers? Here's what you need to know if you're growing your own, plus links to how to make centrepieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, and more for the wedding. #diywedding #frugalwedding #savingmoney #wedding #weddingflowers

[Read more…]

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

1 Comment
Filed Under: Flowers, Saving Money, Weddings Tagged: annuals, Bouquet, boutonnieres, cut flowers, Flowers, perennials, saving money, weddings

Grow roots with us

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Welcome!

Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

P.S. First time gardener? You'll want to download the quick start gardening guide below!

Recent Posts

  • The Best Grow Lights for Seedlings (from Budget to Bougie)
  • How to Grow Eucalyptus for Cut Flowers (Even in a Short Growing Season!)
  • 26 Best Flowers to Grow for Dried Flower Arrangements
  • 17 Perennial Flowers That Love Shade
  • How to Design a Cut Flower Garden in Raised Beds

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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I love seeing the world through this loving boy’ I love seeing the world through this loving boy’s eyes.  Honestly, I’ve been so sick that I wasn’t really in the mood to “do Valentines Day” but there was this sweet little voice going on about how excited he was for today and how much he loves his family and I just couldn’t resist.  So whether you’re on your own, part of a couple, or in the thick of life-with-littles craziness, Happy Valentines Day!

#valentinesday2020 #mylittlevalentine #boymomlife #lifewithlittles
How do you pass a cold -28 day? By planning your How do you pass a cold -28 day?  By planning your garden, of course!  Today in my stories I’ll be going through the steps I take to start planning everything out.  I’m curious, do you start planning now or wait until the last minute?

P.S.  want your own copy of this planner?  This is the newly updated paid version and it’s on sale by itself from now until Sunday for only $5.  If you’re from Canada, use the code CANADA to make $5 USD be closer to $5 CAD.  Head over to the link in my bio to get yours.

#gardenplanning #gardenplanner #gardenersofinstagram #gardenersofig #organizedlife #organizedliving #wintergardening
Curious about growing lettuce indoors? My experim Curious about growing lettuce indoors?  My experiment is a success so far, although it’s still going to be awhile before I’m eating another salad off of them.

Okay, so maybe a little rant today.  I think sometimes in the gardening space we’re guilty of making things seem easier than they are.  Myself included.  This lettuce project is a case in point.

Was it easy?  Yes.  But will it provide me with endless salads all winter long? Nope.  Or at least not at this scale.  I’m going to estimate that I’d need at least 15 plants this size, especially since it’s winter and everything just grows slower.  And I’m the only person in my family who really eats salad.

In conclusion, this is a fun project to pass the winter, and not a truly sustainable source of lettuce.

Thoughts?

#growinglettuce #eatwhatyougrow #growwhatyoueat #wintergardening #indoorgardening #plantproject #sustainablefood #gardenersofinstagram #gardenerslife #northerngardening
Part of the mystery of seed starting is knowing ex Part of the mystery of seed starting is knowing exactly what to start when.  Every two weeks, I'll be posting these handy guides so you have enough time to order your seeds and be ready to plant when it's time for your area.  To find out when these veggies, herbs, and flowers need to be started where you live. . . ⁠
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1. Search out your area's last frost date.  There are plenty of calculators on the Internet.⁠
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2. Count backwards 8 weeks from that date.⁠
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3. Start these seeds when that date hits.⁠
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If you follow me because we're in similar zones--don't panic, it's not time yet!! I won't be starting my 10 week seeds for another two weeks, and even that is slightly on the early side. (I'm starting everything a bit early so I can hopefully plant it out before baby gets here--I won't be physically able to do it after.) I like posting the info early for followers in warmer zones and so you can save it and still have time to order/buy seeds & supplies.⁠
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Which one of these are you most excited to start?⁠
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#seedstarting #seedlings #homegardener #northerngardener #homesteading #urbandhomesteading #homesteadingskills #gardenlife #gardenlifestyle #startingseeds
Eeeek!!! My luffa seedlings are up!! I’m growing Eeeek!!! My luffa seedlings are up!! I’m growing the whole seed packet in hopes that a few of these little luffa babies will provide me with zero waste sponges that I can use for home cleaning, and as an exfoliant in home made beauty products.

The catch?

These plants are notoriously hard to grow, especially when you live somewhere cold with a really cold growing season—and if they get a hint of frost on them they turn to mush and all my hard work is ruined.

Gulp.

But gardeners are born optimists, so I’m giving it a shot—because you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

P.S. if you’re trying luffa in zone 3 like me, just basically ignore all the directions on the seed packet.  Start them immediately (two weeks ago would have been ideal) and follow along because I’ll show you exactly what to do and when.  I’ll be popping these under a grow light once the sun goes down.

#luffagourd #luffa #loofah #seedlings #seedstarting #northerngardening #northerngardener #gardenersofinstagram #gardenersofig #mygardenthismonth #gardenlife #canadiangardening
This weekend I took a big leap of faith. I came t This weekend I took a big leap of faith.  I came to New York to meet with other content creators/business owners to dig deep into what we do and create a strategy around our messaging.  I don’t even know how to properly describe what all went down, but is was incredibly life changing and I really feel connected to this tribe of women who are committed to playing to win and being the people our businesses need us to be.  I’m so excited to share what I’ve planned for my business with you in the coming months.

#playtowin #gardenblogger #businessowner #wahmlife
Is there such a thing as a no-fail houseplant? I Is there such a thing as a no-fail houseplant?  I think the Sansevera or Snake Plant or Mother-in-law’s tongue comes close.  Sure, it might be the vanilla of the plant-loving world, but it is so good for so many situations!⁠
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It can handle you forgetting to water it, low light, or bright light.  It is somewhat forgiving if you are an over-waterer. ⁠
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I’ve had this one for 2 or 3 years now and I keep getting rewarded with more spikes.⁠
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Plant lovers, is there another houseplant you think would be perfect for beginners?⁠
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#crazyplantlady #houseplantsofig #houseplantsofinstagram #snakeplant #houseplantlove
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