Making My Own Spring

So while we have snow on the ground from a snow storm Friday night and a major storm expected tonight and Monday night, I brought some spring to the house.

I've never liked artificial flowers but the newer silk flowers are so life like. For ten dollars or less I made myself a wreath for some eye candy until forsythia and sunflowers arrive.

What I Love About Winter Gardening

Not only is spring a wonderful time and feast for the eye of spring flowers, trees in bloom, magnolias, cherry blossoms, and dogwoods but, winter heralds the arrival of blooms indoors. It's this time during the winter when I could use some blooms inside to remind me that spring is not far off. My want for the fragrance of yellow primrose, paper whites, miniature roses, and  cyclamens was quinched today as I got loose at the produce market and nursery. I purposely avoided the green house and went inside to the store to look at what seeds were available. I behaved. The plants were so... cheap compared to Home Depot or Lowe's. Twenty dollars went a long way. 

Even bought a new house plant. I wanted a ti plant. It was beautiful but that would be dead in my house before spring came. I have more paper whites to force but that can wait so I'll have some in February and March and then, spring! Where will they go. Would love them to sit on the table next to me but that's not going to work. I found out the hard way that primrose and cyclamen like it cooler in the house so all the plants except the African violets will sit in windowsills where it's cooler.

The yellow are my favorite for fragrance.

Grass for my cat. I'd like to see when he notices it and that it's okay to eat. I have seeds for this from Botanical Interests but have never planted it. If he likes it maybe I'll try to grow some.

Cyclamen. I usually kill this but forget that this is a tuber and when it goes dormant it can be planted in the ground to come back next spring.

African violets

Miniature roses

Seedlings

Did you start your seeds? I've had some success and some failures. I hate for any of my seedlings to die. I've lost my dragon wing begonias. Maybe 1 or 2 will survive. Can't blame the seeds, about 21 of 25 germinated. Lack of care and daily attention. There may not be any for spring but there will be some in 2015 even if for indoors to look at in next winter. Ordered more seeds to start. Half of my geraniums have been acting up since they germinated and half died. Hopefully the others will continue to do well and make it to adulthood. I started another egg carton of 12 from a different seed company and they've stated to germinate. I still have others I may start. Tonight I did something I should have  done in the beginning, put the fan on the seedlings. I've had trouble with white fungus growing on the top or mold. The lights I bought were warmer than the ones previously. I think I may change them out for all cool lights because the seedlings don't seem to like the extra warmth. No fungus gnats. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Working on a list to see when I should start my vegetable seeds based on the last winter frost. I planted more vinca since all didn't make it this far but I have 4 healthy ones. Most have germinated. Euphorbia has germinated as well as licorice plant. They took a while. So far only a few licorice seeds have germinated though. Hopefully more will. I planted 10 fancy pants petunia seeds. They're acting delicate or it may just be that some seeds may be healthier and thrive more were some don't from the beginning. I have some others to start, should have ordered more of them when they were still in stock. I told you about the calibrachoa I ordered from Burpee. Supposed to be pelleted when they came but weren't. They allegedly refunded my card, I have yet to check and see. Didn't respond to 2 e-mails or via phone with a response. Not good business. Working with dust like seeds can be a nightmare at least to me and I try to avoid it. It was disappointing that they weren't shipped in a plastic tub like other pelleted seeds.

Licorice Plant

Coleus still germinating.

Coleus again.

Euphorbia

Vinca germinated. Black plastic removed. They need darkness to germinate.

Petunia are normally easy to grow but these are being picky. I'm going to start others.

New  geraniums starting to sprout.

Two of the problem geraniums holding on. A small cup of foxgloves. They were picky the last time I grew them. They grow slow for me but if the get up to some size I'll put them in the yard in the spring and leave them along until big enough to plant in the ground. One adult seedling will be a success for me.

Vinca doing nicely. No need to pinch for them to be full. Vinca is the perfect seedling to me. I said that about the begonia but each year and time starting seeds can be different. Some things you can't control.

I think I need to remove some of the seedlings to the 5" green pots because I can see all the roots filling out the cups already and they do tend to get big before spring.

Some African daisies are hanging on. Some died when I dropped them on the floor and didn't put them back in the soil soon enough. I'll start a small carton again. They germinate real fast.

Raccoons You Think?

Always looking out that window to see what's going on in the yard. While we keep warm inside sipping tea or coffee, life goes on in the yard. Bulbs covered by snow growing roots and patiently waiting for spring. The evergreens so far unharmed by the winter weather. Days already getting longer since the winter equinox. So far 30 more minutes of day light. Have you noticed?

Look at the paw prints. What did the animal think would be on the steps? Doesn't look like any pot digging went on. The raccoons in my neighborhood are huge and not afraid of humans.

That's my type of plant the carex grass. Not phased by the snow, eleven degrees this morning and 25 outside now.

You think what ever it was could have been searching for food? It seems to have followed a path. The paw pads and size look to large for a cat.

Paper whites have bloomed. They're scenting up the whole living room.

Amaryllis is too small to be thinking of blooming. The bulb was larger it seems to have shrunk in water. It was deeper in the container but I pulled it us worried about the bulb rotting.