Hardy Tropicals UK

Any tips on how best to grow from seed? Thanks

As long as we're talking campsis radicans, no special treatment required. Usual sandy seed compost mix, lightly cover seeds, 23-26ish degrees and they should be up in about 2-4 weeks. Getting them through their first winter is a bigger challenge, well it has been for me. Only two surviving from twenty and that's in the greenhouse

Thanks, they are indeed campsis radicans. I bought about 25 of them on eBay for 99p delivered from China (bargain), So hopefully I will have enough stock to get a few past the first year and no great financial loss if they don't. I also had 20 Safflower seeds as a gift. (Never heard of them) but will give them ago too.

Hardy to zone 4a, why would they be difficult to get through the winter?

I don't know, first time I will be trying them. Maybe they need to get well established, if grown outdoors from seed, before their first Winter?

Is it a good idea to grow these from seed? I did in the past and they rarely flowered. The modern cultivars are much easier to flower. The one I've found easiest is madam galen. It grows really well in my garden and flowers all summer - mostly on the north side of the plant suprisingly

otorongo wrote:Hardy to zone 4a, why would they be difficult to get through the winter?

An established plant is indeed quite hardy, but a foot tall seedling that loses its leaves in winter doesn't always have the food reserves to make it. I am talking about unheated greenhouses down to 5c though so maybe a bit more tlc over the cooler months wouldn't go amiss