The Critters, Bulbs, Seedlings

My fall pumpkins used for decoration have started to get soft on the sun porch. The critters will enjoy them in the yard. Hope the jays come looking for food before the squirrels devour it all. Suet will be put in the suet holder or the squirrels will take the whole cake away. Today was windy with temperatures in the 30's. Tonight in the teens with 7 below zero predicted. Snow storm possibly for Sunday-Tuesday. Glad to be inside by the fire.

Nice to see cardinals every day in the yard and once this fall a woodpecker. Added the nut and fruit mix today. Safflower seeds have been the seed of choice most of fall and winter to deter squirrels. It actually works but leaves lot of shells to clean up. I don't think I'll feed them during the spring and summer. They'll be plenty for them to eat with flowers blooming, insects, and trees with berries and fruit. Bird feeding can get expensive but I love looking out my window and seeing the variety of birds and their behaviors.

Fresh water. Broke the ice in the unheated feeder and added more water.

Carrot squirrel snack.

This is the problem with seeds. Most are on the ground from squirrels jumping on the feeder to check for black oil sunflower seeds. This causes the seeds to scatter. Plan for this fall, a hopper feeder that usually only opens for birds. Squirrels are to heavy and the feeder stays close. So they say.

Waiting patiently for the first hyacinth bloom to push up. Hard to wait for that wonderful fragrance.

Pansies and violas started on the window seal started to stretch so I moved them under the lights. I'm waiting for more seeds via mail and I'll sow more. Haven't started these in years. They're one of my favorites.

Gloriosa Daisies are staring to get their true leave. They're fuzzy. The blooms of these are yellow. I save some seeds from a bronze colored one from this fall. Hopefully they'll germinate. I fell in love with them this fall when ordered from Bloom Box for winter planters. Two other views of them below. Would have started them later had I known they would get so big this soon and they don't go outdoors until May. Everything except begonias germinated quickly. I sowed them 2 weeks ago. Wanted to wait but it got the best of me.

Salvia Blue Victoria

Pelargoniums getting their true leaves. Will be starting petunias, vinca (I think), coleus, peppers, tomatoes, and herbs. Two types of begonias were sow but take about a month to germinate.

Took care of the birds, now I'll warm up.

Winter Bulbs

Spent some time yesterday planting more paperwhites. Hyacinths have been in my basement for 2 months and tiny bits of growth have finally started to emerge. I brought two vases upstairs into the warmth and light. Now patiently waiting until blooms emerge and their wonderful scent filling the living room. The last of the fall bulbs are on the unheated sunporch to be planted, tulips, narcissus, 4 amaryllis that I'll plant when spring approaches, snow drops which should already be in the soil and ixia. Today 7 amaryllis were unpotted and potted up in fresh soil. Two had given birth to healthy bulbs. Two had shrunk in size probably due to my poor care. I'll have to work harder to keep them watered and fertilized so that the bulbs can grow not shrink in size. Amaryllis can be expensive at thirty five dollars a bulb and I'd hate to loose any. 

The baby amaryllis bulbs had their own roots and weren't attached to the mother bulbs. It'll be fun watching them grown into amaryllis large enough to bloom. Winter bulbs are beautiful when hours of day light are short, cloudy, cold, and snowy making me hopeful for spring. Unfortunately I won't get to enjoy spring bulbs this March at the Philadelphia Flower Show. Due to covid, the show was rescheduled for June outdoors. Now to decide if I want to go.

I've had these before and loved the mini like yellow narcissus.

Nice sized paperwhites.

Planted the oxalis.

Spring bulbs chilling and developing roots.

Two purchases yesterday from Lowes. A dwarf fiddle leaf fig. Not dwarf enough for me. It can reach 4 feet.

Also bought a maiden hair vine plant. It's lovely and delicate.

First Snow

Putting out the heated bird bad yesterday was a good idea. This morning the other bath was frozen. Philadelphia had it's first measurable snow today for the first time in almost 2 years. Birds loved the snow until sunset when they retreated to their nests. Blue jays, black eyed juncos, a robin, cardinals, sparrows and another large bird visited the yard today. The bright blue bird bath and water seemed to draw them some how. Can't leave out the squirrels who ate corn and peanuts put out this morning. 

When the jays discovered them the squirrels retreated and snuck in to grab some between the jays trip back to their nest to deposit nuts for later. The birds were fun to watch today. Eating, swooping, and playing. One also found the suet put out yesterday. Didn't get any real good pictures as the best ones are when I didn't have my camera with me and those I did take were through a screened window.

In the yard.

They found the bird bath.

After sunset in the yard.

The sun went down. I had to shovel twice.

Planting Container Bulbs

Time to start planting my container bulbs. Then clean up the porch a little.

For my daughter's patio. Two containers.

Planted all but eight out of 100.

Still have these to plant on another day. Including amaryllis, paper whites, narcissus (for window box), more tulips, iris, snow drops, and ixias. Snow drops, allium, and ixias will go outdoors.

Ten containers planted. Many will be cut to take indoors instead of taking the whole pot in. All I think of is possible fungus gnats. Used Miracle Grow potting mix but it was dry when purchased and I didn't see anything flying or crawling. Saving Coast of Main potting soil for transplanting some plants already on the porch like my Chicago fig and lilac.