At long last I have blooms!
Showing posts with label bulbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bulbs. Show all posts
Saturday, April 30, 2011
It's Alive!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Bloom Day, May 2010
Hooray it's Bloom Day! Been a long time since my last Bloom Day post...
....but I'm back baby! :) May is a particularly great bloom month here at Millertime....
....as well as a good month for mysteries. Like this one. I've seen plenty of bulbs pierce leaves, but this daylily did it to itself!
Mrs. Robin is using this platform properly, after an Eastern Phoebe nested on the roof last year.
Yellow violet blooming nicely, despite several recent nighttime freezes...
....epimedium unaffected too...
...and white bleeding heart blooming great in only its' second year in the ground!
Lungwort looks nice too, my mom calls this one "Boys and Girls" in reference to the dual bloom colors....
...white epimedium look very spider-like....
...'Rubrum', not so much.
....but I'm back baby! :) May is a particularly great bloom month here at Millertime....
....as well as a good month for mysteries. Like this one. I've seen plenty of bulbs pierce leaves, but this daylily did it to itself!
Mrs. Robin is using this platform properly, after an Eastern Phoebe nested on the roof last year.
Yellow violet blooming nicely, despite several recent nighttime freezes...
....epimedium unaffected too...
...and white bleeding heart blooming great in only its' second year in the ground!
Lungwort looks nice too, my mom calls this one "Boys and Girls" in reference to the dual bloom colors....
...white epimedium look very spider-like....
...'Rubrum', not so much.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Spring Is The Word
That word doesn't guarantee warm weather, however. We are due for snow in the next 24 hours, so I thought I'd gather some flowers for an indoor show...
...there are so many blooming...
....quite vigorously!
Who put the bees out? Me, I sure did... :) My mason bees are ready to start filling their nest tubes and pollinating my cherry blossoms, and I really appreciate it!
Nice big spider hanging out in my "junky" spot next to the garage. I sure like all my bugs!
Indoors the seedlings are quickly getting crowded...
...reminding me of the awesome 4-tier, 4 light shelf system I was drooling over in a catalog awhile back. Ah well, someday.
Meanwhile there are pretty bulb blooms to enjoy....
...and some early blooming perennials to appreciate. After all....
....gotta get in my flower happiness while I can before the snow flies!
...there are so many blooming...
....quite vigorously!
Who put the bees out? Me, I sure did... :) My mason bees are ready to start filling their nest tubes and pollinating my cherry blossoms, and I really appreciate it!
Nice big spider hanging out in my "junky" spot next to the garage. I sure like all my bugs!
Indoors the seedlings are quickly getting crowded...
...reminding me of the awesome 4-tier, 4 light shelf system I was drooling over in a catalog awhile back. Ah well, someday.
Meanwhile there are pretty bulb blooms to enjoy....
...and some early blooming perennials to appreciate. After all....
....gotta get in my flower happiness while I can before the snow flies!
Is it June yet?
Sunday, April 18, 2010
It's Go Time
On Friday it was time to get my indoor seed starting underway. This is a couple weeks later than last year, but still 6 weeks before our frost-safe date, so what the hey. A few seeds were pre-soaked overnight...
...and I decided to try a row of sweet pea 'High Scent' with filed seeds to compare to the soaked ones.
I'd never filed the seed coat before, hopefully I did it right (at least I have the pre-soaked seeds in case this doesn't work out.)
Just like last year I'm using this heat mat under the trays to assist germination, but I don't have the same insulated metal mat to put under it. I improvised with aluminum foil, although it may not be necessary...just makes me feel better to cover the wooden boards with something to insulate and reflect the heat back.
And away we go! There's six 36-cell flats in all, with five on the mat and one for seeds that need "cooler germination" sitting nearby. One flat is all flowers, one all peppers, one all tomatoes, and three a combination of flowers, herbs and veggies.
My handy fan is ready to help strengthen the stems of emerging seedlings, as well as keeping the soil surface somewhat drier to prevent damping off. (I don't turn it on until there's germination.)
Here sets the "cooler germination" tray. I figured it can sit here about a week, then I'll move it under the lights but off the heat mat surface so it will be somewhat warmer but not too much.
How can they fail with this crowd cheering them on? :)
On a side note, check out my new orchid pot! I've priced these online at over $20, but found this one on sale locally for $4.45!! Self discipline and patience pay off after all!
Breaking wintersowing news: a tomato has germinated!! This is cherry tomato 'Stupice' from Czechoslovakia, listed at 52 days. All I can say is wow!
Some other wintersown seedlings needed to be thinned....
....like cabbage 'Caraflex'. That's better. It always bugs me not to "save' the culled sprouts, but it's just part of the process.
...and I decided to try a row of sweet pea 'High Scent' with filed seeds to compare to the soaked ones.
I'd never filed the seed coat before, hopefully I did it right (at least I have the pre-soaked seeds in case this doesn't work out.)
Just like last year I'm using this heat mat under the trays to assist germination, but I don't have the same insulated metal mat to put under it. I improvised with aluminum foil, although it may not be necessary...just makes me feel better to cover the wooden boards with something to insulate and reflect the heat back.
And away we go! There's six 36-cell flats in all, with five on the mat and one for seeds that need "cooler germination" sitting nearby. One flat is all flowers, one all peppers, one all tomatoes, and three a combination of flowers, herbs and veggies.
My handy fan is ready to help strengthen the stems of emerging seedlings, as well as keeping the soil surface somewhat drier to prevent damping off. (I don't turn it on until there's germination.)
Here sets the "cooler germination" tray. I figured it can sit here about a week, then I'll move it under the lights but off the heat mat surface so it will be somewhat warmer but not too much.
How can they fail with this crowd cheering them on? :)
On a side note, check out my new orchid pot! I've priced these online at over $20, but found this one on sale locally for $4.45!! Self discipline and patience pay off after all!
Breaking wintersowing news: a tomato has germinated!! This is cherry tomato 'Stupice' from Czechoslovakia, listed at 52 days. All I can say is wow!
Some other wintersown seedlings needed to be thinned....
....like cabbage 'Caraflex'. That's better. It always bugs me not to "save' the culled sprouts, but it's just part of the process.
I have no qualms about "sacrificing" flowers though...
...to enjoy in the house of course! Got my spring on now for sure! :)
...to enjoy in the house of course! Got my spring on now for sure! :)Monday, April 12, 2010
That's More Like It
The snow melted and spring has returned to normal...
....as if that was a regular rain shower....
....the flowers almost seem to have enjoyed it!
Beautifully blooming their hearts out...
...right through the grass and lawn debris.
Some spring bushes have begun to bloom as well, this is white forsythia Abeliophyllum distichum...
...hooray spring!!
....as if that was a regular rain shower....
....the flowers almost seem to have enjoyed it!
Beautifully blooming their hearts out...
...right through the grass and lawn debris.
Some spring bushes have begun to bloom as well, this is white forsythia Abeliophyllum distichum...
...hooray spring!!Thursday, April 08, 2010
What a Difference a Day Makes!
Yesterday spring was coming along just fine....
....unusually warmly for this northern location...
....with flowers blooming like a dream....
...and then I woke up! This morning I had over 3 inches of snow and no power...
....froggy here doesn't seem to mind, but the bulbs nearby might have something to say about it (if they could talk :)
It was quite the reality check for my emerging plants....
....and the damage has yet to be measured....
...since the brisk wind kept bringing more snow all day.
My wintersown plants will hopefully live up to their method and prevail regardless...
...only time will tell. Tomorrow the forecast is back to spring with temps into the 50's, so another day will make such a difference that this will seem like a strange dream. Or hallucination. In fact, if I click my heels together....perhaps I can exit this snowy "Oz" and get back to my warm spring....
....unusually warmly for this northern location...
....with flowers blooming like a dream....
...and then I woke up! This morning I had over 3 inches of snow and no power...
....froggy here doesn't seem to mind, but the bulbs nearby might have something to say about it (if they could talk :)
It was quite the reality check for my emerging plants....
....and the damage has yet to be measured....
...since the brisk wind kept bringing more snow all day.
My wintersown plants will hopefully live up to their method and prevail regardless...
...only time will tell. Tomorrow the forecast is back to spring with temps into the 50's, so another day will make such a difference that this will seem like a strange dream. Or hallucination. In fact, if I click my heels together....perhaps I can exit this snowy "Oz" and get back to my warm spring....
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