Seed Starting Continued

The tomatoes and eggplants are going gangbusters, the sage and thyme and foxgloves and lemon balm are peeking up, and today was the basil’s turn.

Technically, today I started four varieties of basil, plus stevia, cinquefoil, and cosmos. Tomorrow (after a 24-hour soak), I’ll start the white coneflowers.

I put the new seeds under a humidity dome. I wish I’d gotten a shorter one, since I’d like to have my light closer to the seeds so they don’t get leggy, but I guess I’d have had to put the light that high to reach both trays, anyway.

So far, only the paprika peppers have failed to germinate, and I haven’t given up on them just yet. Gardening season is getting off to a great start!

Unseasonably Warm

78F indoors, 66F outdoors

It’s summery in the sunroom this afternoon, so I’m taking a break from laundry and housework to enjoy the sunshine for a bit.

Yesterday, I got outside to do some of the spring cleanup: raking out a few flowerbeds, cutting back and pulling up dead and dormant plants, that sort of thing. I like getting out there up close and personal with my plants before they fill out — gives me a better idea of what survived the winter, what didn’t, what got eaten by critters, what I should move to where, et cetera.

Several of the earliest bulbs are peeking up some greenery. I don’t see any crocuses yet, but some of the early daffodils are a few inches tall, hyacinth foliage is barely emerging, and there are tiny buds of peonies and alliums poking out of the soil.

I noticed that my beloved tree peony may be ailing; it’s losing its bark near the base of the trunk. Once it goes, I think I’ll be replacing it with another. I love seeing those huge mid-May blooms every time I come home from work.

I still don’t consider myself a gardener (not like some of the garden bloggers I follow), but I’m coming to realize that I really, REALLY enjoy puttering with plants.

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: February 2017

While my Zone 6 garden hasn’t quite awakened from its mild winter slumber quite yet, I have plenty of blooms indoors to keep me company.

I got this African violet as a birthday present from a co-worker some ten years ago — actually, probably more like twelve, now that I think about it. It’s still going strong, which pleases me.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: Feb 2017

I potted up this Ragtime amaryllis in hopes of a Christmas bloom, which it just barely missed. (Luckily, the second bloom stalk of the Christmas Star amaryllis filled in quite nicely.) This is the second bloom of Ragtime, much later than I would have expected. But I’ll take it!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: Feb 2017

This is my first year forcing hyacinths. I decided to do them in rounds, partially because I bought half a dozen bulbs and only have three forcing vases, but also so I could do some trial-and-error to see how they bloom best in my house. I managed to rot the first two bulbs, but this third one is the charm.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: Feb 2017

Finally — and this one might be the one I’m most excited about — this is the first bloom of this particular kalanchoe that I got as a cutting nearly three years ago. My friend and co-worker gave me four cuttings of three colors (I think), and so far I’ve seen shades of orange and pink. This is the first yellow bloom.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: Feb 2017

Looking forward to seeing a few outdoor blooms by this time next month — crocuses, if nothing else.

As always, thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for hosting this meme every month!