Salpiglossis - Seeds

Height:  18 to 30 inches (45 to 75 cm)
Flower Color: Mixed
Plant Type: half hardy annuals
Growing Region: Zones 1 to 10
Flowers: Summer until first frost
Flower Details:    Pink, violet, red orange, blue, yellow. Stripes. Five lobed. Funnel. Coloured throats.
Foliage: Ovate to Lanceolate. Toothed margin.
Sow Outside: Surface. When the last frost is expected. Apply a straw covering. Spacing 12 to 16 inches (30 to 50 cm)
Sow Inside: Use peat pots. Germination time: one week to one month in the dark. Temperature 70°F (21°C). Two to two and a half months in advance. Transplant a couple of weeks before the last frost.

How to grow
Requirements: 
Full sunlight or light shade. Average soil. Provide support. Water during prolonged dry periods. Spring mulch. Occasional feed. Pinch tips. Deadhead.
Grow:
The seeds of painted tongue and other Salpiglossis should be sown on the soil surface immediately before the last frost of spring is expected. The seeds should then be covered very lightly with straw. Painted tongue should be spaced about 40cm apart and grown in either a sunny or partially shaded part of the garden in an average soil. If starting off indoors then sow the seeds into a peat pot about 12 weeks before the last frost is expected. The Painted Tongue seeds should be germinated in the dark at about 21 to 24 degrees centigrade. Once established sow them outdoors in spring a couple of weeks before the last frost.