Planting Time

I planted my peas the two Saturdays ago, and this past Saturday night we were socked not with one inch, but 7 inches of snow! My poor peas. I imagine I won't be hearing from them, and will have to replant them again soon.

On a cheerier note, today is the day that I will be starting the first of my indoor seeds. First off will be a large tray of purple basil. Personally I don't think a person can ever have too much basil, but most of these basil seedlings are not for me - they will be sold at a rummage sale I will be hosting on behalf of my church to raise funds for Operation Christmas Child. I have sold purple basil for the past few years (except the year we had that freak hail storm) and have developed a small following of customers who come back yearly looking for my purple basil.

Other plants that I always seem to have an abundance of in my gardens that sell well at our rummage sale include ostrich ferns (shoots are always coming up where I don't want them), tarragon and oregano divisions, mint, sedums (so easy to root in soil) and cilantro seedlings that seems to come up everywhere in my garden.

Terra Garden has also recommended selling Christmas Cactus cuttings which is a great idea I hadn't thought of. I usually trim my Christmas Cactus right about now, so I'm hoping that the cuttings will have rooted by the time of our rummage sale in mid May.

A quick note:
For those of you who have been patiently waiting, the Microfleur Max microwave flower presses that have been on back order have finally been shipped from Australia. Because of the flooding they experienced earlier this year, they had to order all new boxes for the presses, but thankfully they are finally on their way.

Early morning impulse buy

My two sons missed the bus this morning. Again.

I don't enjoy having to drop everything and take them to school - it's not on my agenda, and I've been known to get a little crabby when this happens. I know I shouldn't - they try to get ready on time, but they get sidetracked.

At any rate, I too, got sidetracked on my way back home from taking them school - I spied real live flowers for sale at the Twin Lakes hardware store! I was stunned - I wasn't expecting to see plants for sale up here in Wisconsin for another week or so. I bought Delta Blue Pansies, Plum Velvet and Lemon Sorbet Violas as I usually do every spring, but I was really amazed to see Calendulas and English Daisies for sale already! Amazing!

If it warms up later, (it's only 36 degrees out now!) I'll plant them in containers, so that I can easily move them back into the garage at night. I have two old rustic-looking metal pails from my brother's farm that they would look great in.

Thanks for missing the bus boys, you made my day!

Container Gardening Tips

One of the seminars I went to at the Chicagoland Flower and Garden Show was about a huge interest of mine - container gardening! Here's a few of the highlights:

1. Pots are hot!
Classy ceramic containers are in this year, especially in cobalt blue, red, and chartreuse.

2. Bigger is better!
If your income is limited (and whose isn't these days!) invest in a large pot as opposed to several smaller pots. Larger pots make a more dramatic statement, allow for greater creativity, and are easier to care for.

3. Cram and jam!
Those of us that live in the north know that our container gardening season is all too short - so plant your containers generously from the beginning. You can always edit your container during the season if need be.

4. Have a lotta terra cotta!
Sorry, I think the bad humor of my pastor is rubbing off on me. While colorful ceramic pots are the latest trend this year, terra cotta is an enduring classic. Terra cotta goes with anything, and it's now available in many new shapes.

5. Thrillers, fillers, and spillers!
Your containers should include a plant with drama or height(thriller), plants of interest that are the main focus of your container(filler), and a plant that hangs down and softens the hard edges of your container (spiller).

6. Plant your veggies!
Ornamental vegetables are the new hot container plant trend this year. Try colorful veggies such as Lollo Rossa red lettuce, Bright Lights swiss chard, red cabbage, and Lavender Touch Eggplant. Edible nasturtium would add a nice dash of color as well, and of course herbs are a container gardening classic.

7. Pressed flowers are in!
I confess I made this one up. However, flowers that press well and look great in containers include pansies, osteospermum, lobelia, calendula, just to name a few. Add some colorful foliage plants to your pressed flower containers so that no one notices that you've snipped away a few of the flowers! Here's a comprehensive list of flowers that press well in case you're interested.

8. Have fun!