Alyssum

      I planted alyssum by accident this spring, thinking it was a different variety of flower.  I'm oh-so-glad I made that mistake, though - it's bloomed since mid-summer, and only became prettier as the days grew colder.  We had a hard frost last night which was tough on it, but I think it will last a little while longer.

Also, I called it "asylum" until three minutes ago.  Thank you, Google, for correcting me.

It's That Time of the Year

     If you plan to garden this year, don't forget to visit WinterSown for free heirloom tomato seeds.  All you have to do is browse around the site for a few minutes, take an easy quiz on what you read and saw, then send in a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) with your choice of varieties from a list.  They'll send you the seeds (plus a few extra goodies, usually).  

     Tomatoes are really easy to grow from seeds.  All they ask is water (don't let them dry out), light (a South or West window), and a little bit of fertilizer every now and then.  When it's nice outside and you haven't had frost for at least two weeks, plant them in the garden about 3-5 feet apart  If you plant them deeply, they'll grow extra roots on their buried stems.  

The sweet, fresh taste of heirloom tomatoes is totally worth it.  I recommend the Black Krim, but there are at least 20 varieties from which to choose.  You'll be glad you did.  

Picture courtesy Burpee.com.

Plants in the Dormer

     During the summer these plants are scattered throughout my room and the house - the lily sits on the back porch, and the orchid on my desk.  The airplane plant and succulents (in the plastic bags behind the orchid) are destined for the top of my bookcase, because the cat thinks they're tasty, where the terrarium will join them.  For now, though, I've crowded them into the West-facing dormer in Chrissy's and my room, so they can absorb all the low winter light possible.

Apparently it's working - the orchid is starting to re-bloom!

The Finished Terrarium

The humidifier is now home to a tiny little peperonica plant.  Even though it sits in part of my room that stays fairly dark in the morning, there's almost always a little condensation on the inside of the glass.  

Potential

Tomorrow, this jar will become a terrarium.  It is part of school, really!  We are making terrariums in botany class, in between stages of a lengthy lab.  

I found the jar at the antique mall.  Once upon a time it was used to water chickens - you can see the "water level" marks near the top. Hmm... an antique glass container, with a chippy black lid, once used on a local farm to water chickens, and would make a perfect little terrarium.  Yup, I'll take it!



EDIT:  Further research leads me to believe that the person at the antique store did not quite know the real use of this jar.  It did come from a local farm, but it's a humidifier jar, not a chicken-waterer.  Definitely less interesting, but still, a good terrarium.   And glass.  And a container with a chippy lid!

Evening Roses

I love them.  They just bloom and bloom all summer and late into the fall.

Orchids (Again)

Near Dr. Wonderful's office there's a jewelry store.  The owners are very unique people, and I like them.  They scuba dive all over the world, have a decidedly German last name, enjoy underwater photography and make beautiful jewelry based on the things they see (like anemones).  Their store's atmosphere is mainly based on fountains and orchids, and the tropical music always playing in the background.

The other day, I was picking up a package for the office that had been dropped off there, and mentioned how their orchids always look beautiful.  Mr. Jeweler casually mentioned that they propigate their own, so they can bring in the ones that are in bloom at the moment.

Yes, they propagate their. own. orchids.

I don't know about you, but when I think of orchid propagation, I think of greenhouses in the 1930's, lined with rows upon rows of benches of delicate plants that won't survive even slight changes in humidity, and can only be obtained at the highest costs.  Not a very accurate view, but it's what I think of.  Perhaps you don't think of orchid propagation often.  Ever.  You lead a normal life.  But bear with me here.

When I recovered from my initial incomprehension ("you what?") I got to step over the bamboo fencing into the much-revered garden area and smell the Oncidium Sharry Baby.  It smelled like chocolate.  And they propigate orchids.

Of course it did.  Of course they do.

Life is full of interesting, unpredictably-predictable people isn't it?

Zinnias and Marigolds

As I wrote this post, two goldfinches sat outside the window and picked at Mama's Gerber Daisies!  Joy!

I like yellow birds, by the way.  'Specially goldfinches.  And warblers.

Pink Orchids

A gorgeous graduation gift from Rachel's family.  Both of which I love.

Why I plant Marigolds

Do we plant them because they keep away garden pests?  Or because they attract the beneficial bugs?

Frankly, I plant them because they have such a happy, pungent smell.  Bug bating benefits are beside the point.

Roses on the Table

In The Garden

 Lettuce is growing.

Tomatoes are planted.  There are extras - anybody want some?

Strawberries are ripening. 

They've Grown

The little heirloom tomato plants are about five inches tall.  Slower growing than the hybrids, it seems, but they're pretty hardy.  I've been moving them outdoors more and more, and none are dead yet.  The plant on the right with the skinny foliage is called Silvery Fir Tree.  How fun is that?

They are always bent towards the light, no matter how many times I turn them. 

Ephesians 5:8b-10  "...Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord."

Bleeding Heart

I found a 1940's book on perennials at the thrift store the other day, and it went into detail about how to propagate plants. I opened to a page on Bleeding Hearts. Convenient, seeing how we have one and all. There are now three little bleeding heart stems sitting in sand in my room. I hope they grow roots!

P.S. This picture by Ida Bohatta can be found here.

:EDIT:  The demented cat, after leaving the little darlings alone for almost two weeks, pulled one up and left it next to the pot.  Then he curled up on my bed and took a nap.  There are now two little bleeding heart stems sitting in the sand in my room. 

Little Plants

Plans for the Garden

I'm hoping the garden will be lush this year. The first year's garden went very well, but the two subsequent years have been discouraging. Bugs, poor growth, you name it. I'm pretty sure the problem lies with the soil, and everyone I talk to about it says to add more organic matter, like leaves, compost, and manure, so I'm following their advice. Hopefully the plants will grow better now.

I'm planning to grow tomatoes (five heirloom varieties), cucumbers, bush beans, lettuce and spinach, yellow squash, along with some herbs and zinnias. Maybe some peas, too, if they'll cooperate.

Until it's summer and they're all in the ground and happy, I'll have to remember this quote:

"The fair-weather gardener, who will do nothing except when the wind and weather and everything else are favorable, is never master of his craft."-- Henry Ellacombe

Hmm, I tend to be a fair-weather gardener. I guess I'll get out and plant the lettuce, even though it's still cloudy and cold!

Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes sound so sophisticated and prestigious. Their price tags certainly are high enough - usually almost double that of their hybrid counterparts. This year, however, I'm getting the seeds for free. Yesterday I came across Winter Sown, a seed saving group that sends out free hybrid and heirloom tomato seeds. All you have to do is send in a self-addressed, double-stamped envelope (SASE), and a list of the tomatoes you would like. They'll send you at least six seeds from each kind of tomatoes, which is just right for my smallish garden. The names were so intriguing, too - "Mountain Princess," "Silvery Fir Tree," and "Old German" for starters. Mmm.

The Urge to Garden

This morning I heard a cardinal sing, just once, and instantly I wanted to plan the garden, buy seeds, till up that dirt, and plant. I went straight to the Burpee Seed Co. website and looked at their heirloom varieties. It was a relief.

I now sympathize with Pavlov's dog.

A Trip to Viginia

After Christmas, we visited our grandparents in the Virginia. One of the nights, we went to a botanical garden which had a Christmas lights display. It was so pretty!

A beautiful Christmas tree in the conservatory. The conservatory was my favorite part of the whole garden (it was also the warmest).



One of the cute squirrels in the the children's wing of the conservatory.




There was a Christmas tree in the garden's library that was decorated entirely with ornaments made from materials which grew in the garden. There were dried roses and puffy seed heads - that tree was Mama's favorite.

It was a cold night, but absolutely gorgeous!

Photos provided by Chrissy. :)