Seed Starting Dragon Wing Begonia

While sitting by the fire I'll start some seeds since some need a good 12 weeks. It's frigid outside but my area was lucky and we didn't get the predicted snow and icy conditions predicted. My pink dragon wing begonia seeds from Park Seeds arrived on Friday. I'll start them first since they take a good month to germinate. Then they're so tiny it take a good eye to see the seedling.  So I bought pelleted seeds.I'm going to use peat pellets and hope I don't regret it. Will use this tray for vinca maybe tomorrow. They take a while also to grow to maturity but they're hardy seedlings. Tonight I'll get the tray ready and allow warm water to absorb from the bottom.

Isn't there supposed to be a blood moon tonight. Taken with my cell phone from the bedroom window. Bad picture.

Expanded with warm water. I like to open the cells and mix up the peat some.

One pelleted dragon wing begonia seed each. Two packages of 20 seeds although I dropped a couple so there won't be 20.

Seeds should be pressed into the soil but not covered. They require light to germinate. I spritz each seed with water to soften the clay pelleted coating. Begonia seeds are tiny if not pelleted.

Onto the heat mat. The seed medium should be kept moist and not allowed to dry out.

Will have to move these to the bottom shelf after I remove seed starting supplies I store there. Another day.

Will allow the water to absorb from the bottom and cover till tomorrow when I'll sow more seeds. Done for tonight. I had to clean my trays today first. If reused they should be disinfected. I usually pot a little bleach in the water but today I didn't. Only used dish detergent and scrubbed well. Hopefully I have no problem with diseases.

Will start much later. Blacked eyed Susan vine, petunias, wallflower. Maybe I'll do the lemon begonia tomorrow. I've never sown wallflower and I believe it's biennial and doesn't bloom the first year. Maybe I'll just winter sow them.

Tomorrow I'll start coleus, geranium, and vinca. The white packages are from Swallowtail Seeds. What else am I starting later this season? Bush/container tomatoes, peppers, and cucumber. Black seeded Simpson lettuce (I've never grown it), freckles lettuce, and mesclun since I can start it indoors and eat the baby leaves. Basil which my daughter loves. I might try thyme again but had a difficult time with it before as well as rosemary which takes a long time to reach maturity. I'll probably buy starts of each when available. Chives in my yard are doing well so I don't need to start more. Foxgloves, Echinacea, and maybe some other perennials. And the season begins.

Blame It On The Snow

I could blame it on the snow due to arrive tonight. The more wintery it gets the more the plants woo me. But that wouldn't be true although this is the first time this winter I've really brought blooms for the house except for fresh cut flowers. The sweet smell of hyacinths and yellow primrose got the best of me today. Can't leave out the cyclamen. At Home Depot for plastic bags and there was a fresh shipment of houseplants. Since I've behaved almost, today I treated myself. I know you are also. Winter does that to some gardeners.

Another calathea to add to my other variety and a pothos for the bathroom. Cat grass for kitty. Although she was more interested in the house plants. Pothos is poisonous to cats so had to be careful. Who said cats like cat grass? I grew a pot last winter and my cat wasn't excited about it then or now. She'll come around.

Primrose for the kitchen window where it's cool since they don't like heat.

She'll sit besides me on the table at least for a day so I can smell the blooms. The yellows are usually scented and smell wonderful.

Cyclamen

The star at least for me. Either people love them or hate them. Me, I love them. It's the scent of spring time in December.

Took 2 of my forced hyacinths out of the basement last week. Patiently waiting. A mess of paperwhites still blooming and probably the final amaryllis on the table starting to open. I'll show it to you tomorrow if it opens.

Coleus, lettuce, begonia, vinca, and petunia seeds. My shipment arrived on Friday from Swallowtail Garden but I'm still waiting for begonias from Park Seeds. Begonias take a while to germinate and I want to get them started now. So while we get our little snow storm I'll try to start some seeds while I watch the Eagles game. Go Eagles.

You starting seeds yet?

Indoors

Why can't I go to the supermarket and buy lemons for my tea and leave? I went to a supermarket that always has beautiful houseplants with varieties you never see in the market like this ficus and the alocasia  Polly I unfortunately left. It wasn't there when I went back and I didn't expect it to be. So I got my lemons and drove home, got into lounging pants, redressed and returned and got my plants. Where would you get them for 4.99. They're one of the best colorful additions to the house this winter. Their place on the table next to the sofa where I sit so I can glance over at them. They're not perfect but there weren't root bound, nicely watered and cared for, with little blemishes. I'll give them an insecticidal soap spray tonight. I think it's variegated ficus Benjamina but could be wrong.

First hyacinths out of the basement.

Last bloom on Red Velvet Amaryllis.

I noticed a while ago after watering this plant for a few months and the soil settled that each plant is in a basket. Two other plants in the house are in similar baskets. They may have a purpose but they also cause problems. In the spring I'll remove them. For now moved to the kitchen window so seedlings can start occupying the plant shelf.

She has a bloom so I can't be doing too bad caring for her.

In the bedroom window. Bought her in Georgia while visiting my mother 5 years ago. She has grown a lot since this but started out with points sticking up. I have to take better care for her because you can't kill it but I'd like it to fill out and continue growing. Tried rotating the pot so each side gets sun but the left side has been a slow grower.

African violet. If I care for it better it would be in bloom with a little fertilizer maybe.

Christmas amaryllis is making progress in the window.

The aloe I separated and transplanted. From my mother's in Georgia when she passed. Can't kill it. Sits on the table above my turtle.

Gardening Season 2019

Now that winter's major holidays have come and gone my mind focuses a little more on the coming  garden season. The Philadelphia Flower Show in March, Mother's day at Longwood Garden, plant nurseries and the start of plants arriving at garden centers. An exaggerated list of arboretums and gardening classes that'll I'll probably not make it to. Of course I'll attend some. I'm sure the first shrub at my Home Depot will be arborvitae. The ones with red ribbons added for Christmas. The welcome unfurling of cherry blossoms, dogwoods, and magnolias, and forsythia. Crocus, snow drops, and hellebores, and other spring ephemerals. Today I cleared one shelf of my seed starting rack. Maybe tomorrow I'll get around to disinfecting it. Out sick from work for 2 days with a hospital visit. Slowly recovering. Think I'll order some seeds especially begonia which I wanted to start early but I still have enough time.