Shuffling Seedlings

I am a stickler for keeping things tidy and in order.  I find it very satisfying to organize seedlings according to height and size and to cluster similar types of plants. Consequently, it's a continual shuffling of containers between the kitchen table and the shelving unit in front of the slider.

Onions, oregano and flowers on the kitchen table

Looking down the line - Sweet William, vinca, and geraniums

Lupines Flexing their Muscles

Granted, all the seeds that germinated today were early, but the lupines were particularly impressive. They were expected to germinate in 25-30 days, but appeared in only 3 days!  And I didn't even pre-soak the seeds!!  I hope these lupines flourish much like those sown by Alice Rumphius, the main character in the children's book, "Miss Rumphius." Filling her pockets daily with lupine seeds, Miss Rumphius scattered the seeds wherever she went to make the world a more beautiful place.  A big thank you to my daughter-in-law for introducing this book to our sweet grandsons. 

Postscript #1-  Today I thinned lobelia and transplanted verbena and white hibiscus. 

Postscript #2 - Seeds that germinated today include black-eyed susan (sowed February 28, 7 days), echinacaea (sowed February 28, 7 days), chamomile (sowed February 28, 7 days) and lupines (sowed March 4, 3 days).  

Postscript #3 - I have a suspicion that the dusty miller seeds sowed on February 11 are not viable. The expected germination time was 21 days and it's already been 24 days.  I'm nearly ready to re-use its seed starting mix and container. 

Can't Wait for Summer

A bit of heaven -- looking out to the yard from inside the hoophouse

It's another cold morning with many feet of snow still on the ground!  I can't wait for summer to arrive! Or at least spring to melt the snow! I anticipate the outdoor beds to not have workable soil for quite a while, perhaps significantly delaying the planting of cool weather crops. For that reason, I'm hoping to better utilize the raised beds and containers inside the hoophouse. 

Postscript #1 - Impatiens Dwarf Pink Baby seedlings have germinated (sowed February 25, 9 days) as well as Triple Curled Moss Parsley (sowed February 24, 10 days) and Black-Eyed Susan (sowed February 25, 9 days). 

Flowers - Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

"What a desolate place would be a world without a flower!  It would be a face without a smile, a feast without a welcome.  Are not flowers the stars of the earth, and are not our starts the flowers of the heaven."
-  A.J. Balfour 

I planted more annual and perennial flowers today, all requiring 10 weeks of growth before the spring plant out date of mid May.  I am hoping for a dozen seedlings from each 3" pot. This year I am trying to not overseed each container; I must be more trusting that the seeds are viable.

The seeds sown today were as follows:

Baby's Breath (Covent Garden, Gypsophilia elegans): American Seed, 2015. Planted two 3" pots. Expected germination time, N/A. Characteristics: annual, needs darkness to germinate according to packet, but internet says light is needed, dainty, small, misty white flowers, blooms in summer, 18" tall, use as filler in floral bouquets, can be invasive, pick off seed heads, cut and come again, good for successive plantings.
See: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/62/#b

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Hirta): Livingston Seeds, 2014. Planted two 3" pots. Expected germination time, 10-15 days. Characteristics: perennial, needs light to germinate, bright yellow blooms, good in mass plantings, cut flower.
See: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/germinate-blackeyed-susan-seeds-43284.html

Chamomile (German, Matricaria recutita): Burpee, 2015. Planted one 3" pot.  Expected germination time, N/A. Days to maturity, 56. Characteristics: annual, needs darkness to germinate,-like flowers, used for tea, full sun, 24" tall, aromatic daisy, self-seeds, invasive habit (container planting best), used in tea, potpourri, continually blooming until first frost, member of the Asteraceae family,
See: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/long-german-chamomile-bloom-seed-81857.html

Coreopsis (Early Sunrise, Grandiflora): Seed swap, 2009. Planted two 3" pots.  Expected germination time, N/A.  Characteristics: perennial, needs light to germinate (sprinkled more on top of soil after recognizing my mistake of planting 1/4" deep), also known as Double Butter Daisy and Tickseed, 20" tall, full sun/partial shade, golden, semi-double yellow flowers, prolific, blooms early summer to mid fall, easy to grow, All-American Selections Award winner in 1989.
See: http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/COES.html

Coreopsis (Full Moon): Seed swap, 2009. Planted two 3" pots.  Expected germination time, N/A. Characteristics: perennial, needs light to germinate (sprinkled more on top of soil after recognizing my mistake of planting 1/4" deep), 18"-24" tall, showy hybrid, large, canary yellow flowers, 3" flowers, long blooming, blooms early summer into early fall, easy to grow, cut flowers.
See: http://www.waltersgardens.com/plants/view/?plant=1627

Foxglove (Digitalis Purpurea, Variety, N/A): Seed swap, 2009. Planted two 3" pots.  Expected germination time, N/A.  Characteristics: biennial, needs light to germinate (sprinkled more on top of soil after recognizing my mistake of planting 1/4" deep), bell-shaped flowers, blooms early to mid-summer, good in mass plantings, 2'-5' tall, easily self-seeds.
See: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/plant-foxglove-seeds-72729.html

Grecian Rose (Red Dragon, Geum chiloense): Livingston Seeds, 2014. Planted two 3" pots.  Expected germination time, 10-14 days. Characteristics: perennial, needs darkness to germinate, frilly scarlet-red to orange blooms, flashy, blooms first year, deadhead regularly, 16-20" tall, sun/dappled sun, summer blooms.
See: http://myfolia.com/plants/3427-grecian-rose-geum-geum-chiloense/varieties/103328-red-dragon

Purple Coneflower (Echinacaea purpurea): Harvested, 2014. Planted three 3" pots.  Expected germination time, N/A. Seeds originally purchased from Burpee, 2013. Characteristics: perennial, needs darkness to germinate, member of Asteraceae family, butterfly magnet, easy to grow, flowers are large orange, gold spiky centers with strong rose pink petals, blooms in July and August, drought tolerant, good in mass plantings, full sun/partial shade, 2'-4' tall.
See: http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/plantName/Echinacea-purpurea-

Snapdragons (Tetra Ruffled Supreme Mix, Antirrhinum majus): Livingston Seeds, 2014. Planted two 3" pots with pelletized seeds. Expected germination time, 3-8 days. Characteristics: perennial, needs light to germinate, (sprinkled more on top of soil after recognizing my mistake of planting 1/4" deep), full sun, 24"-30" tall, blooms spring through fall, full spectrum of color, good for cutting gardens, containers or borders.
See: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/germinate-giant-tetra-snapdragon-seeds-44684.html

Postscript #1 - One seedling has germinated in the Salvia Blue Bedder container (sown on February 25, 2 days)
Postscript #2 - A few of the vinca seeds in the twenty-five pot seed tray have germinated (sowed on February 17, 11 days).

Planting More Flower Seeds

Coreopsis in the garden

Today I planted the following seeds: 

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta): Seed swap, 2009.  Planted ~60 seeds in one 4"x8" container, 1/8" deep.  Expected germination time: N/A. Characteristics: perennial, full sun, plant in masses, up to 3' tall, yellow blossoms, blooms in first year, freely self-seeds. Some sources recommend pre-chilling seeds and needs light to germinate, both of which I did not do.  These factors in combination with the fact that I was using old seeds may not result in a good germination rate.  

See: http://www.almanac.com/plant/black-eyed-susans

Impatiens (Dwarf Pink Baby, Enana rosa palido): Ferry Morse, 2015.  Planted twenty-five 2" pots, 1 or 2 seeds per pots, 1/8" deep. Expected germination time: 15-18 days.  Days to maturity, 50-60.  Characteristics: annual, shade/partial shade, 12" height, pink blossoms, plant 12"-18" apart.
See: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ferry-Morse-Impatiens-Dwarf-Pink-Baby-Seed-1059/100208725

Salvia (Blue Bedder, Salvia farinacea): Ferry-Morse, 2015.  Planted ~40 seeds in one 4"x8" container, pressed down seeds (need light to germinate). Expected germination time, 7-14 days: heirloom, annual (tender perennial in zones 8 and above), self-seeds, easy to grow, full sun/part sun, vibrant deep blue flowers, color may intensify in the fall, grey/green foliage, upright habit, suitable as cut flower, 30" tall, plant mid-garden, twice the size of ordinary blue salvia (Victoria), also known as mealycup sage, native to Texas and Mexico, fast growing, f12 week bloom duration, 9"-12" spacing, prune out spent flowers. Good in containers, in cut flower bed, plant in masses, use as filler in garden bed, attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
See: http://www.burpee.com/flowers/salvia-flowers/salvia-blue-bedder-prod000356.html

Salvia (Scarlet, Salvia coccinea): Seed swap, 2009.  Planted ~100 seeds in one 4"x8" container, pressed down seeds to barely cover (need light to germinate). Characteristics: annual, mint family, red spires 2'-3' tall.
See: http://home.howstuffworks.com/define-salvia-scarlet-sage.htm

Snapdragons (Tall Deluxe Mixed Colors, Antirrhinum majus?): Harvested, 2014; originally, the seeds were sent to me through an online seed swap, 2009.  Planted ~100 seeds in one 4"x8" container, barely covering seeds (need light to germinate). Characteristics: annual, large blossoms in shades of white, yellow, red and pink, space 10 inches apart, bloom between late spring and early summer. 

See: http://myfolia.com/plants/737-snapdragon-antirrhinum-majus

Trumpet Vine (Yellow, Datura??): Seed swap, 2009.  Planted 16 seeds in one 4"x8" container, 1/4"-1/2" deep. Characteristics: annual in Zone 6a, self-seeding, 3-4' tall, poisonous (be aware for children/pets).
See: http://parkseed.com/ballerina-yellow-angels-trumpet-seeds/p/00379-PK-P1/

Postscript #1 - One white hibiscus and two verbena have germinated.