How to Grow Pride of Barbados from Seed

I feel good when I see birds, bees, and butterflies roaming around my garden. Pride of Barbados (also known as Peacock Flower) is good at attracting those beautiful pollinators.

In this article, I will give you a complete guide on how to grow Pride of Barbados from seed (including a caring guide).

I will cover these in my guide:

1. When to start the seeds (based on your USDA Zone)
2. Expected germination time
3. Soil preparation for seed starting
4. Transplanting time
5. Caring tips

The first step is to collect the seeds. I got a few mature seedpods from my friend. You may also purchase the seeds (make sure the seller is reliable).

This is what a seedpod of "Pride of Barbados" looks like on a tree.

Note: This is not a mature seedpod. It will turn brown when it gets mature.

A mature seedpod of Pride of Barbados looks like this:

Those who don't have enough time to read this entire article may follow these lines:

In the spring, sow outdoors. Freeze the seeds over the winter and then soak in very hot water before planting – that helps get the casing on the seeds to split open. - This tip is recommened by my aunt.

When to start the seeds of Pride of Barbados

In the spring (when the temperature stays consistently warm—ideally above 70°F), take a nail clipper and clip a small portion of the tip off of the seed. Just enough to allow water to get inside!

Then soak them for one hour in warm water. Plant the seeds in well-draining soil about a quarter inch deep.

FYI - these plants are very late to appear in the spring, say June timeframe, so be patient. Once you have one plant, you will have more seeds than you’ll know what to do with! Enjoy! - And this tip is from my personal experience.

Due to different frost dates and different climates in various USDA zones, the seed starting time slightly varies.

I will recommend growing this in Zone 9 - 11. In colder zones, even if you manage to grow the plant, it will die if it touches the frost.

It will become hard for you to overwinter a Pride of Barbados tree.

Germination time for Pride of Barbados seed

Proper scarification and soaking of seeds is important for these seeds.

Seeds may take 7 to 21 days to sprout.

Transplanting time

Transplant the seedlings once they reach 4-6 inches tall.

Make sure they have several sets of true leaves, and the temperature outside is above 68°F.

Once I tried transplanting when the outside temp. was below 60°F. The seedling did not make it and died due to transplant shock.

You may check this chart for your other flowering plants: When to cover plants in Winter

Soil preparation

Those who want to start the seeds in the ground directly may use normal sandy garden-soil. I will recommend this for USDA zones 9-11.

Make the soil well-drained. (This should be your first priority)

For starting the seeds in the ground:

Clear weeds and grass. Then dig the soil to a depth of about 8 inches to loosen it.

Mix perlite and sand, and sow the seeds 1 inch deep.

Note: Pride of Barbados is a drought-tolerant tree or shrub. That does not mean you may avoid watering the seeds. Keep the soil moist.

If you want to start the seeds in a container or pot - Mix in sand, perlite (about 25% of the soil volume). You can pick normal garden soil.

Care Tips for Pride of Barbados Grown from Seed

Transplant in a place where it can get 6-8 hours of direct sunlight.

Once the plant is established, do not water on a regular basis. I love to water deeply but infrequently.

If possible, prune or trim after flowering. This will make your tree bushier, and you will get more blooms in the next blooming season.

I have grown this in Florida

Do you know that people who love Pride of Barbados also love Plumeria? Do not forget to check my guide: Grow Plumeria from Cuttings

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