| Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 03:06 pm: |   
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I've been spending lots of time jotting down ideas for containers and planning/re-designing my current flowerbeds.
The weather has been so warm all winter and hardly any snow at all. I'm getting a little worried about the lack of moisture but there is rain in the forecast for Wednesday. Yes, rain this time of year! It rained about a week ago and it felt like April out there. Crazy. I am not really complaining though. So long as spring hurries up and gets here nice and early!
I've gone crazy buying seeds to start up in my little "Winter Sowing Greenhouse" as I call it. I have a tradition of starting seeds in March and had great success with that over the past 3 years so I will not start changing things this year! I sure am tempted to put some things out a little earlier this year though but something keeps telling me to just wait and stick with March as usual. |
| Posted on Monday, March 06, 2006 - 03:59 pm: |
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We've had a decent amount of snow over the last little while. It's definately welcomed because we sure need the moisture but it put a damper on my spring fever. I am back in winter mode for now and focusing more on arts & crafts again for a few weeks. That's OK though, because I know that by the middle - end of this month I will be into Winter (Spring) Sowing like there is no tomorrow.
I've already put some containers of perennials into my unheated greenhouse.
Sown on Feb 25:
Polemonium Pauciflorum (Yellow Jacob's Ladder)
Rudbeckia hirta (Black Eyed Susan)
Lychnis Arkwrightii (Maltese Cross )
Gaillardia 'Burgundy' (Blanket Flower)
Just looking outside right now and noticing how sunny it is. Now I am wondering how fast this snow will melt?! |
| Posted on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 11:04 am: |
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Oops, sorry double posting. |
| Posted on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 11:06 am: |
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It sure has been a long time since I posted here. I was very busy with "winter sowing" --- in quotation marks because I use an unheated greenhouse which works great for me but is it still officially Winter Sowing? All and all I am thrilled with how strong and healthy my plants are. Sure, they are not blooming yet like some greenhouse plants are but they sure are strong and healthy and transplanted so nicely. They will catch up in no time at all.
Winter Sowing Successes for 2006
(Sown between March 27 - April 18)
Black Eyed Susan
Sage 'Blue Queen'
Dragonhead
Snapdragons
Scarlet Flax
Painted Sage
Love-in-a-Mist 'Curiosity'
Lavatera 'Silver Cup'
Lavatera 'Mont Blanc'
Sunflower 'Moonshadow'
Sunflower -- mixed (in other words: surprise!)
Sunflower 'Velvet Queen'
Forget-Me-Nots (blue)
Aster 'Choice Mix'
Tomato 'Sub-Arctic Plenty'
Venidium 'Zulu Prince'
Shasta Daisies
Nemophilla 'Penny Black'
Stocks '10 week'
Candytuft 'Little Fairy Mix'
Red Spider Zinnia
Zinnia 'Cactus Flowering'
Cosmos 'Seashell'
Morning Glory 'Heavenly Blue'
Morning Glory 'Star of Yelta'
African Daisies
Maltese Cross
Strawflowers
Marigold 'Crackerjack'
Borage
Nasturtium 'Dwarf Double Cherry'
Nasturtium 'Tip Top Lemon'
Baby's Breath (annual)
Sweetpea 'Little Sweetheart Mix'
Calendula 'Pacific Beauty Mix'
Cleome (pink)
Sweet Williams (burgundy mix)
Nicotiana (red)
Ruellia
Zinnia 'State Fair Mix'
Stocks 'Giant Imperial Mix'
Mesclun Mix Salad Greens
California Poppy 'Mission Bells'
Impatiens (pinks and purples -- Tempo series)
Zinnia 'Cut and Come Again'
Phlox 'Drummondii Mix'
Direct Sown as of May 19
Butterfly Mix (list of 15 varieties on the package!)
Annual Cut Flower Mix
Marigolds 'Canadian Sunset'
Shirley Poppies
Pink Pompom Poppies
So far everything is looking good and even the direct-sown seeds are starting to sprout.
We've had a fair bit of rain over the past week or so and I managed to get everything in just before that. Phew! I had my fingers crossed that the "S" word would stay out of the forecast though! It got pretty cold for a night or two.... but everything went OK.
All my Tulips, Glory-of-the-Snow and Dwarf Irises are done for the year already. I am watching and waiting for my Standard Irises to bloom which will be any day now. In the mean time I am thoroughly enjoying the columbines which are blooming their heads off and watching everything else get bigger as the days go by! |
| Posted on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 11:09 am: |
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Oops, sorry I just did a double posting here by mistake. |
| Sunnyskies Posted on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 - 01:59 pm: |
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It sure has been a while since I commented here.
My gardens have survived a very long winter here and they are growing very nicely again. I have noticed that everything is later this year then in the past few years. My tulips just started blooming on Sunday which is about 2 weeks later then previous years. My columbines are doing great but no buds yet and usually they would be blooming by now -- but on the other hand I know they will come yet! I have buds on the dwarf irises, chives, iceland poppies, and solomon's seal. Almost all my perenials are up and growing well. Just waiting for some of the late ones yet but they usually show up in early June so they've got some time!
I've been doing WS'ing again this year although much less then last year. I've got zinnia 'catcus mix', phlox 'drummondii', cosmos 'seashells', gaillardia 'burgundy', dianthus 'zing salmon', smooth blue aster (aster laevis), mixed sunflowers, marigolds, nasturtiums 'tip top lemon', sweet peas, pansies, calendula 'double mix' and annual asters.
Indoors I did impatiens, amaranthus 'velvet curtains', and various coleus,
From a plant sale over the weekend I got blue (shapphire) lobelia, annual daisies 'vanilla butterfly', nemesia 'sunsatia banana', silver nettle, licorice, verbena 'burgundy', a red geranium and a rose geranium.
Now I am looking at the weekend forecast and chomping at the bit to get planting out except for a little blip in the system for Friday night **** crosses fingers that it doesn't get as cold and rainy as they predict 'cause I sure don't want it to turn to white-rain like it did a few weekends ago **** |
