Growing cleome from seed indoors

 

Cleome which is also called spider flower is native to South America below the equator, from Brazil to Argentina. The spider flower plant is actually a wonderful plant you can grow in your ornamental garden. This plant ranks among the easiest plants to grow. The plant actually begins blooming when others start to fade and they keep kicking until the first fall frost.

The spider flower plants reseed easily, dress up xeriscapes, and they make great cut flowers. The spider flower plants are also a valuable forage plant—thanks to their seeds and nectar—for a variety of avian and insect garden visitors.

The plant are very easy to grow once established, and may work best from direct-sown seeds. Any ordinary garden soil will work, including dry areas once plants are established. The spider flower plant self-sows with gusto, so if you want to avoid this you can remove flower heads before seeds ripen. This annual native of South America is quite drought tolerant so it's good for xeriscaping. Just keep reading to learn how to grow Cleome from seed.

 

Latin name: Cleome hassleriana, C. serrulata, and many others

Family: Belong to Cleomaceae family

Difficulty: Easy to grow

Exposure: The plant prefers full sun or very light shade

Cleome hardiness Zone: zones 10 and 11

 

When To Plant

Start indoors from six to eight weeks prior to the last frost date for transplanting (or simply direct sow) three to four weeks after last frost. If direct sowing, consider repeating every 2 weeks into early summer for a longer bloom period. The cleome seeds will sprout in ten to fourteen days.

 

How To Plant

Sow the cleome seeds on the surface of the soil. If starting indoors, the cleome seeds benefit from vernalization: Place the cleome seeds on the surface of moistened, sterilized seed starting mix in pots, and place the pots in zip-top plastic bags inside the refrigerator for two weeks. Then move the pots to bottom heat and maintain soil temperature at seventy to seventy-five degree Fahrenheit until germination. Make sure you provide bright light.

Cleome plant is quite an undemanding annual plant. The stems of the plant are usually very strong and upright, but might benefit from support in very windy, exposed gardens.