We enjoyed fabulous spring time weather this weekend. It so put me in the mood for planning the flower gardens. But before any of that can happen I need to thoroughly clean up the planting beds and get everything ready for our mid-April planting dates. Yesterday I picked up at least 100 or more pinecones from the backyard. They are the big fat ones that prick you with their sharp little pointy ends. I am wise to their ways by now and there were no life threatening injuries. I guess I could have worn gloves but that would have been too easy. A good tip with pinecone pick-up is to save them for your large container plantings. I fill a large planter almost half way up with pinecones before I place the potting soil in. This makes the planter weigh a lot less when you are moving it around to find the best spot for it in your landscape and you save money on potting soil by not needing as much. It's a green tip that I love.
This season I am going to try my hand at starting some perennials by seed. I have wanted to do this for a while but never got ready in time. Most plants need a 6 week timeframe indoors when started from seed before they are big enough to be transplanted outside. This year I am in the right timeframe and purchased the trays and seeds and tomorrow I will scatter the seeds and pray for lots of growth. Since this is my first go at this, I am starting small. I have Foxglove, Purple Coneflower, Lavender and a smaller variety of sunflower that Ellie selected. The new trays make it seem fool-proof so I am expecting big things!
This season I am going to try my hand at starting some perennials by seed. I have wanted to do this for a while but never got ready in time. Most plants need a 6 week timeframe indoors when started from seed before they are big enough to be transplanted outside. This year I am in the right timeframe and purchased the trays and seeds and tomorrow I will scatter the seeds and pray for lots of growth. Since this is my first go at this, I am starting small. I have Foxglove, Purple Coneflower, Lavender and a smaller variety of sunflower that Ellie selected. The new trays make it seem fool-proof so I am expecting big things!
This tray has 72 soil cups for seeds and I have some bigger containers for the sunflower seeds because I know how quickly these will grow and how big they will get.
I hope my results match the photos....wouldn't that be great!
(look it says GUARANTEED to GROW on the bottom of the packet ~ just like sea monkeys and we all know what happened there!)
In addition to the seed and soil trays I bought my first garden/patio magazine of the season. Like a dangerous street drug - I am addicted! I love outdoor rooms and seating areas and there is such inspiration within these pages. Nothing like stone pathways, terraces full of beautiful patio furniture and container after container of colorful plants to make me happy. These magazines aren't cheap either so I have to really be in love with the photos and articles. This one was a good investment!
