Whew!

As of today, I'm still getting spouts in my winter sowing containers. I was a bit concerned when I picked one up this morning to find it board-stiff from cold, but one of the newbies, Slipper Flower (Calceolaria mexicana), is an annual, so I'm guessing that the rest will probably be okay, too. I just checked a few containers today; I can't do much with them anyway until this cold snap has passed.

Chelle -- out of the first batch I did - the only ones that have not germinated are:
p. Red Rocks
Lemon Mint Melissa Officinalis
Gaillardia Goblin [these were old seeds]
and Obedient plant

i've got:
Penstemon cobaea
Penst. heterophyllus
Penst. Tenuis - got that one from you
penst. smalli Violet Dusk
penst. ditiallis Mystica

Today I sown:
Hybrid marigolds
3 Agastaches
A. currassivica
and Red Butterfly Weed, again, which i got from you. [2011 seeds]

A few days before the days of rain and then snow... I direct sown some Sweet peas along the fence line.
I think those are so lovely.

That's where I'm at. I really don't have much time this year. DOing a lot of transplanting -- and I have to leave next Monday for WI -- will be gone 8 days, then back home for my son's wedding. I may have 1 day for gardening, then I have to get back to WI... wont get home until mid-June I think... gonna be a crazy year.

those Penstemons, if they germinate, will come to FLA with me, as they are zone6 or 7, so will not survive a WI winter. but was glad to see Veronica Darwin's Blue is a zone3, so those can go north with me. I'm really scrambling to find what plants are going north and which ones will go south.

I sowed some sweet peas along our playground fence, too. No sign of them yet.

Thanks for reminding me to start some Butterfly Weed...it's just about that time, isn't it? I think I originally got it from you, didn't I?

Tomorrow it should be warm enough to check all of my containers again...I think there's probably 160 to 170 yet to go! Thank goodness there's plenty of space here ...

I've never had "red" nor have I successfully sown Butterfly Weed. I purchased the "orange" seeds... but never got germination.

I mostly have the Scarlet, and I've had Silky Gold, but I find they bloom later so they rarely produce the seed pods.

I tried three times to germinate Silky Gold...I finally gave it up.

I've only grown the orange. I've had quite a few but most have died off. I should probably have replaced them, but I'm not sure there will be space.

Karen

Found sprouts of Marsh Gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe) this evening! This is my first ever gentian from seed...and I love them.

Congratulations, Chelle!

Karen

YAY Chelle

My favorite gentian is bottle gentian. Love the color and the shape of the blossoms.

Bottle Gentian grows wild out here, but for some reason I can't get a single seed to sprout for the garden! ...and so I must traipse through the tangled brush and briars if I want to see them. They're worth it, but still...

Chelle -- I have tried various times, never getting them to germinate either...