This morning all of the containers in the SpringHouse are frozen blocks, so it's a darn good thing that the seedlings that are already up are cold hardy varieties.
I sure am glad that I decided to wait to transfer any (more) indoor germinated seedlings outdoors! I'm anticipating having to re-sow the Illinois Bundleflower; the one set of leaves that were out are black now, and I'd imagine will soon be gone.
I leave a large fan running on low speed overnight to keep the air moving so frost won't settle as easily on the plants, but it doesn't aid in the prevention of a hard freeze.
I'll start a hot compost pile in there today. The heat generated during decomposition usually supplies enough overnight/cloudy-day heat for most of the half-hardy annuals that will be moved outdoors-under cover later this month.
I finally received my big packet of Promise Phlox, so I'll be pre-sprouting some of those (indoors) today. They require darkness to germinate, so I also plan to start some more pansy varieties as well.
Next on the *needs light* pre-sprouting agenda are coleus 'Black Dragon', several varieties of snapdragon, and (mostly culinary) herb seeds, including the peppergrass that I meant to start a month ago;-)
Well, it's snowing today; typical March weather, but it's supposed to be back up in the 60's in a few days.
These are the newest arrivals; what's been done with them, and what will be done with them.
This group was started in containers in the SpringHouse, and will grow slowly according to weather conditions.
Poppy - Drama Queen
Eschscholzia CA. Poppy - White
Shirley Poppies
CA. poppy - Thai Silk Milkmaid
Papaver somniferum - Pepperbox
*More assorted greens - this group is planted together, not marked separately.
Indoor presprouted seeds. I've since planted these in trays and plan to move them out to the SpringHouse as soon as they appear.
Viola Tricolor, Johnny-Jump-Up
Lathyrus odoratus - Sw.Pea, Sugar N Spice
Schizanthus Wiset. - Angel Wings
Viola Witt. - Pansy - Chianti Mix
Viola Witt. - Pansy - Tango Mix
Dianthus - Carnation, King of Blacks
Cuphea hyssopifolia-Mexican F. Heather
Cineraria - Mix
Prunella - Mix
Indoor presprouted seeds. I've planted these in trays and they'll stay indoors at least until it's time to up-pot them.
Bellis perennis - English daisy, Habanera
Mimulus - Twinkle Yellow
Indoor presprouted seeds. I've planted these in trays and they'll stay indoors as long as possible.
Salvia azurea - Pitcher Sage
Impatiens - Dbl. Camellia Balsam Mix
These aren't showing appreciable signs of germination under heat and light conditions, so I moved them to cooler and dark.
Lacy Phacelia
Nemophilla menziessi - Baby Blue Eyes
Layia - Tidy Tips
March is the last month of winter for our midwestern, zone 5b area. It's typically cold to cool, cloudy and windy, with the rare sunny day or blizzard thrown into the mix. Off again-on again snow showers mixed with ice pellets and rain, combined with our slow-draining clay soil can make outdoor gardening tasks a real challenge. A February-into-March frenzy of seed sowing keeps me busy and engages my interest while I'm waiting for the weather to settle down.
I was fortunate enough to be gifted a simple 10' by 12' plastic covered green house structure by a friend who no longer had a use for it, and that's where I make my seed mess, out of the wind and wet.
I don't use supplemental heat in it, so I call it a SpringHouse, rather than a GreenHouse. I use the top of the water heater in my house, in conjuction with a light, instead of heat mats (to germinate seeds that need heat); and I bucket-in rain water collected from a nearby roof for moistening planting mix. I do have electricity however, because I've found that a large fan for air circulation is a must.
There's a lot of space yet to be filled on our property, so if it interests me, I'll generally try to grow it;-) - any overflow can usually be added to the wildflower meadow, or to the woodland gardens.
Winter sown in containers so far, for this season-
Veronica gentianoides
Alaria petiolata
Papaver paeoniflorum "Candy Floss"
Veronica austriaca teucrium
Anemone baldensis
Papaver paeoniflorum "Black Peony"
Anemone patens wolfgangiana
Geranium phaeum samobor
Hydrophyllum virginianum - Virginia Waterleaf
Gentiana crinita - Fringed Gentian
Camassia scilloides - Wild Hyacinth
Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra - Yellow Ox-eye
Geranium Jester's Jacket
Hypericum androsaemum - Albury Purple
Primula Japonica
Penstemon barbatus - Cambridge Mix
Illinois Bundleflower
Camassia leichtlinii - Greater Camas
Gentiana Quinquefolia - Stiff Gentian
Guara coccinea - Scarlet Guara
Geum Triflorum - Prairie Smoke
Iris Missouriensis (transferred outdoors from 3 weeks of heat treatment)
Geranium renardii
Pandorea jasminoides - Variegated Bower Vine
Hellebore - Metallic Blue Lady
Poppy - Drama Queen
Salvia nemerosa - Caradonna
Eschscholzia CA. Poppy - White
Gentiana asclepiadea - Upright Blue
Geranium macrorrhizum spessart
Penstemon - Electric Blue
Aruncus dioicus
Shirley Poppies
Teucrium hircanicum
Salvia coccinea - Coral Nymph with white
Berlandiara lyrata - Chocolate Daisy
Maximillian Sunflower
Achillea ptarmica nana compacta
Dactylhoriza fuchsii
Prunella vulgaris - Heal All
Meconopsis Lingholm - Blue Poppy
Tanacetum parthenium
Achillea ptarmica - The Pearl
Salvia nemerosa
Salvia uliginosa - Bog Sage
Orlaya grandiflora - White Lace Flower
Geum coccineum - reddish/orange
Delphinium consolida - Parisian Pink Larkspur
Verbena bonariensis
Muscari azureum
Clematis alpina - Blue
Echinacea tennessensis
Verbena hastata - Alba
Papaver somniferum - Danish Flag
CA. poppy - Thai Silk Milkmaid
CA. poppy - Thai Silk Appleblossom Bush ......Up on 2-29
Corydalis Nobilis
Micromeria Thymifolia
Dephinium ajacis - Kingsize Scarlet
Monarda punctata
Stachys recta
Gentiana andrewsii - Closed Gentian
Papaver somniferum - Single Scarlet
CA. poppy - Thai Silk Pink Champagne
Papaver paeoniflorum - Flemish Antique
Papaver somniferum - Pepperbox
Penstemon mexicale - Sunburst Colors
Salvia - Red, Noid
Phlomis russeliana
Aquilegia clematifolia
Scutelaria incana
Trollius ledebourii
Blackberry Lily
Onobrychis viciifolia
Lupinus agustifolius
Ribes rubrum alba
Callirhoe involucrata - Winecups
Asclepias incarnata - Milkmaid White
Mache macholong - Cornsalad
Inula helenium - Elcampane
Lavendula - Sancho Panza
Echinacea purpurea - White Swan
Hollyhock - Burgundy
Anemone sylvestris - Madonna Snowdrop
Clarkia Amonea - Aurora
Verbena hastata rosea - Pink Vervain
verbena hastata - Blue Vervain
Pak Choi...................................................Up 2-29
Tatsoi Greens............................................Up 2-29
Orach Rose Herb
Lettuce - Cimmaron
Kohlrabi - Early White Vienna......................Up 2-29
Misticanza Mesclun....................................Up 2-29
Mustard Greens - Southern Giant Curled
Cabbage - Mammoth Red Rock.................Up 2-29
Candytuft - Dwarf Fairy Mix
Love-in-a-mist, Persian Jewels
CA Poppy - Rose Chiffon Thai Silk
Arugula - Eruca sativa....................................Up 2-29
Actinomeris alternifolia - Wingstem
Heliopsis helianthoids - Early Sunflower
Geum triflorum - Priarie Smoke - 2nd sowing
Gentiana quinquefolia - Stiff Gent. - 2nd sowing
Helianthus grosseserratus - Saw-tooth Sunflower
Helianthus laetiflorus - Showy Sunflower
Ribes rubrum alba - 2nd sowing - longer soak
Onobrychis viciifolia - 2nd sowing - presprouted
Callirhoe involucrata - 2nd sowing - longer soak
Lupinus Angustifolius - 2nd sowing - presprouted
The following group is a double-trial. I'm not sure if they'll germinate, or rot beforehand. I'll presprout some indoors, just in case;-)
Teucrium chamaedris - Germander
Basil - Dark Opal
Aster - Perfection
Aster - Princess Mixed
Fringed Pinks - Double Gaiety - Mixed
Phlox - Tall Grandiflora Mixed
Phlox - Cecily Mixed
Phlox - Twinkle Dwarf Star Mixed
Clarkia elegans
Hypericum perforatum - St. John's Wort
Bottom heat and light.
Salvia azurea - Pitcher Sage
Impatiens - Dbl. Camellia Balsam Mix
Poppy - Persian Blue
Prunella - Mix
Lacy Phacelia
Bellis perennis - English daisy, Habanera
Nemophilla menziessi - Baby Blue Eyes
Lisianthus eustoma - My Blue
Layia - Tidy Tips
Cineraria - Mix
Mimulus - Twinkle Yellow
Cuphea hyssopifolia-Mexican F. Heather
Salvia lyrata
Bottom heat and dark (no light).
Viola Tricolor, Johnny-Jump-Up
Lathyrus odoratus - Sw.Pea, Sugar N Spice
Viola - Brush Strokes
Schizanthus Wiset. - Angel Wings
Viola Witt. - Frz. Siz Yellow/blue Swirl
Viola Witt. - Pansy - Chianti Mix
Viola Witt. - Pansy - Tango Mix
Dianthus - Carnation, King of Blacks
I know that this seems like I'd end up with a vast amount of plants, but it generally doesn't get too out of hand. Basically, I'm trying to get one or two plants of each early started perennial and non-edible annual, which can then reproduce itself, or a mature plant from which I can collect my own seed. The rest of them, including the hybrids, are just because I find them interesting or pretty enough to experiment with:-)
At least 70% of the seeds/plants listed above are entirely new to me, so we'll see what happens; at the very least I have the makings for a tasty mixed salad growing so far...
Whew!
Just taking a quick break here from stumbling along at, well, ahem, not quite the speed of light. Ha!
I'm burning up the air-waves at present; with my smokin' hot wireless connection! Laughing uproariously!!
Working on adding my day's worth of a complete and entire handful of photos and proposals to the ATP plant database.
Whoohoooo!!!
Oh, yeah. I'm standing at the kitcken stove to do so, as well; it seems that I get a marginally better signal there than from anywhere else.....ha, ha, ha....tee, hee, hee....
[Oh, where are those emoticons in here???? I need them...... desperately.]
[Hang-dog and begging here.......]
