I'm jealous! I am too far away from everyone.
Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #36
Meredith,
I often feel the same way. Too far away from you all!
kl, I really like those plants, and I wasn't a total failure at my first bout of wintersowing. Gonna save the seed too!
Remember I was going to direct sow some of the lupine and poppy seed I was sent? Well check this out.
(By the way, I was going nuts trying to figure out what the heck I planted that had what looked like lettuce leaves,
now I know.) Can't wait to see them all in bloom.
These are planted in my raised planter which gets supplemental water. Still dry as a bone here, sigh! I know half of you are soggy, and getting green around the gills. Well send it my direction, would ya!
WIB!
SW
Beautiful SW! Got my first poppy bloom yesterday, but it's not that pretty! Know what you mean about the foliage... If I hadn't know what I put there, I'd have been pulling them for weeds!
Happy Happy Birthday to Meredith
Hope it's fun and that you are caught up enough with your planting to take it easy today.
Oh, it's Meredith's birthday?! Happy B-day, M. Hope you have a fun day!
Happy B-day Meredith!
Ahhhhh. Flowers.... what a site... and a warm feeling when I see each one open. My Siberian Iris finally revealed themselves this year. I've been waiting 2 years for this. They are breathtaking in person and while beautiful on camera. It is so much beautiful in person.
Happiest of Birthday's Meredith.... may the weather treat you well so you can spend part of the day in your garden.
Terese
Happy Birthday Meredith!!!
Here's another pretty iris :-)
just gorgeous....
Here is one of by Bearded. These are my just some of my prettiest :-) I'm so thrilled this year with what has come up. If I posted everything (and I won't) It would take up half of the thread! Though I'm in the same boat as some of you... I didn't get my seeds planted like I wanted to... I'm so late starting others... The usual when I have such high expectations and a 2 year old ;-)
Lebug... I had my outside faucets freeze this year also. I just replaced one of them last week and am going to do the other one this weekend. It isn't as difficult as one might think. I did solder them myself. But... my FIL just told me that HD or Lowes has these connectors in the plumbing department that he uses that you can connect copper or pvc pipe to so you don't even have to solder. He said all he has to do is put each pipe in and it seals and works great. He built his house himself... contracted it out. So I trust what he says. Anyways, the faucets will run you about $22.00. You have to find out what length you need. You can look to see if yours was soldered on or if it was screwed on. If it was screwed on... that will be easy.... Just turn off the Main water supply in your house or to the faucet and take 2 plumbers wrenches and unscrew it. If it is soldered on.... Turn off Main..... Take pipe cutter and cut the pipe off (assuming you have the parts of course) Take a Threaded 1/2 inch reducer and screw it onto your faucet with some Teflon tape. And then you can connect your faucet to your pipe now. You might have to buy a small amount of pipe and 2 of those connectors if you need some more length. At first it looked pretty daunting when I saw mine. But, when I researched it a bit and tried it on this one faucet... I feel more confident that I can do more plumbing work around the house now if needed. Try talking to someone that is informative at one of these stores.. Maybe they can show you the parts. Hope you get your water soon!!
Happiest of Birthdays, Meredith!
MyGypsyRose, gorgeous Iris!
I'm having the best luck I've ever had with Rudbeckia this year! These are mixed R.hirta from the swap (I don't recall from whom), and I wintersowed them. I'm amazed how fast they've grown, and they've got buds already!
My first blooms from wintersown seed, Calendula, seed saved from 'Citrus Cocktail'
Chaos in the front yard Cottage Garden:
California Poppies from the swap are starting to bloom! I direct sowed those in early March.
kl, I thought you sent me those poppies! Thanks, they are a real treat, I hope the cats leave them alone so that you can enjoy them for years to come. I was expecting the CA poppies, but I love the color on these, so it was a very nice surprise for me. I weeded the raised planter before I sowed the seed last Jan. Promised myself I wouldn't weed again unless I knew for sure it was a weed. Boy am I glad I waited. Thank you all.
Meredith, didn't want to leave without wishing you a Very Happy Birthday. I hope that you have a year full of beauty, peace, the companionship of good friends, and the love of good people. May this just be the beginning of a wonderful year for you.
WIB,
SW
Wow! I just LOVE that Chaos! That's beautiful....
I love Chaos too... i think my back field is like chaos... and i just love it.
Gorgeous Neal!
I didn't have any poppies until the fall swaps. Thank you all for them, (and everything else)! They're all getting ready to bloom. Hope they hurry up before we go on vacation!
Happy Birthday Meredith!
Thank you for the birthday wishes everyone! I had a nice and busy day in the garden. I got a small dent in the seedlings I need to plant. Got the last rose I needed to plant planted and got a spot ready for one that I should get in an order on Mon. Dh didn't complain once that I was out there for too long. Plus he did some stuff he knew I had wanted him to do out side, and he brought home Mickey Dees so I didn't have to cook. Overall it was a great day. :)
Those Irises are beautiful by the way! : )
mygypsyrose, I love the pictures of the siberian iris. Do you have yours planted anywhere special?
I just got my first Siberian Iris this spring and planted it next to my Japanese Iris in an area that likes to stay slightly wet for days after a rain. I've been told to move my Japanese Iris every couple years, but so far I just dump a lot of compost on top of it every spring and it is fine.
Happy Birthday Meredith! Great that you were able to spend part of your day in the garden.
Thanks so much toofew! :) I was out trying to get more done and a thunderstorm rolled in. I stayed out until the rain started to soak my hair then I figured it was time to go in! : ) I think it is going to be a quick one, so hopefully I can go back out. I'm sure like everyone... there's so much to do and such little time! :)
I just remembered something I wanted to share... I was super duper happy that while planting some seedlings in my front walkway bed, that I noticed some fuchsia colored buds on the tips of some blades of foliage. I think they are my Gladiolus byzantinus that I had written off as not hardy last year! (Dancing and jumping around) Yipee Yipee. : )
Benn gone the past coupel of days and just catchign up. A little late, btu wishign you a Hapyp Birthday Meridith!!!!!!!!!!!
Chaos cool. Not sure who said , btu even in chasos there is order.
Lol. Meridith. it is so excitign when ya one pops up ya think is gone. I love glads. have since I wsa a tiny tot. Glad your s are comign abck and hope ya get to see soem really beautiful blooms!
Thanks Star!! : ) I double checked them and I am positive they are the glads. There are only two with buds on them but it is better than none.. right! : )
I just love cali poppies I will be putting in my seeds next weekend I just put in a few in spots I think will be a little empty and they just do so well to fill in without over taking the other plants love they way they just keep blooming all summer
Sounds great!
I still have 8 flats of annuals to get into the ground the weather was so awfull this past week had rain every day for the past six days didnt get much done in the beds
I hope this week is better since the work is just pilling up
Don't ya hate it when the weather doesn't cooperate! We have had very decent planting weather so far this spring. I am still waiting for a week long of rain. Last couple year it was early June that we had so much they even closed schools due to flooding of roads. I remember having a ton of stuff to plant, so I am trying to get as much done as possible this year. That way when the rain comes my newly planted stuff can get it's roots in.
well my week was last week I hope because I sure do need to sun right now and it says more rain this afternoon so I will go out in a bit and do some planting at least it will save me from having to water what I plant maybe I will do some more morning glories and some asters that will make me happy hahahhahaah love to dig in the dirt the dirtier I get the better I feel then the hot shower and a nap when it starts to rain will make my day
Argh! Twice I have typed out a long post and twice I lost it because the power went out. So I'm making this brief and hitting 'send' - hopefully before it happens the third time.
Other than the chatty stuff I said Happy Belated to Meredith, complimented all the pictures, and ask a couple of dead-heading questions. Does anybody know if I'm supposed to dead-head mask flower and if so where do I pinch? Then I asked about petunias. Some one told me that all they do is pull the spent bloom off the plant, but I was under the impression that if you didn't actually pinch it behind the bloom (sorry I don't know the technical term for the 'connector' part of the plant) it would still go to seed. Do I really need to pinch or can I take the easy approach and just pull the dead flower off?
OK, I'm hitting send now.......
pinch it at the bottom of the little stem make sure not to damage the area at the first set of leaves since that is where your next blooms are going to grow out of so I use little chinese snippers or my nail is the stem is small enough certainly do it for your petunias since if all you do is take the spent bloom it will get really stragly and will stop blooming
I'm starting to get some swap blooms!
This is an heirloom marigold. It was a nice surprise to see how tall these got. Speaking of tall...the Yvonne's salvia is blooming but didn't get tall.
1st bloom ~ Snapdragon Snapshot white
Snapdragon Snapshot burgundy
Thanks Star!
and LeBug...TA DA!!!
Finally got one -- I forget the name though, without looking it up.
wind, is that Orlaya? It looks like to me. I haven't heard much about it on DG, but I love it!
nice bloom wow
Hello everyone!! Somehow I lost everyone a couple of months back - and Jill helped me "relocate" ya'll. Beautiful blooms everyone.
This was my first year WS and I seemed to have fairly good luck - but unfortunately some of the things I am planting I have NO IDEA what they are because the names faded so badly. Guess I will find out if they bloom! Most everything I have planted out has been VERY small and doesn't seem to be doing much in the way of growing.... and I also lost several seedlings before planting..... does that mean I waited to long to transplant? Or maybe they got too hot on a day?? Oh well...... my dahlias are TINY and I have no idea whether they will ever bloom or not. I had envisioned these beds of flowers that I could use for cutting to bring indoors to enjoy - so far....I am a LONG way from that.
Glad to catch up with everyone again..... maybe I can stay up this time!!
Genna
Sounds very normal for a first attempt to me. I still have all those things happening and I am going into my 6th year of growing things from seed. My problem is keeping up with watering. Once the seedlings get a lot of roots they dry up very fast. Sometimes I have to water twice a day or I find a bunch of wilted seedlings the next day. The thing with seedlings being tiny is pretty normal for me too. Mine don't usually look like much until mid summer and that's only when I get them all planted by this time. Which I haven't .. I did just get all my tomato seedlings planted this morning - they were looking very pitiful all root bound in their starter packs with multi colored yellowish leaves. Just remember perennials will stay small their first year and sometimes even don't look like they are growing at all. But the second year most of them will be huge with flowers. There are a few that take at least three years to get a flower and others that I have that still look like seedlings that are in their third year. So it all depends on what you are growing. Just don't forget to give them more water than plants that are established for their whole first year and they should do well for you. : )