Good for you Ellen!

A long time ago I adopted the "right to left" idieology and started at one end of the garden, grabbed a flat, planted it out with HOS, moved down the line and grabbed another flat to plant, and so on and so on.

Despite it being a garden planted robotically, if you could call it that, it grew into an enthralling beauty as leafs and flower combos I coudn't imagine began to bloom. It was eye candy.

I have one flat of daylily seedlings to transplant and five spring-sown flats of dwarf wildflower mix to fill in the borders--that's the big work for me, getting those wildlfower plugs all in place. But, I need to do it all before the weekend.

T

I'll have to admit to being planting-out impaired as well. It took me 1 1/2 hours to plant three containers. Now it was very hot 88 - and very humid. But first I look the plant up again on the internet to see if it likes sun/shade. (Now I did all this when I was WS'd and I created a spreadsheet - butttt I abbreviated sun as "s" and shade as "s". I don't know how I did this with 177 entries. WHY DIDN'T I NOTICE AT THE TIME. So I have to re-look up each entry I am unfamiliar with. Then I try to consider water needs and color combination. You can drive yourself crazy!!!! With the rest I am trying to just grab and plant.

The Sweet William I WS'd last year are blooming for the first time - lovely. My poppies also returned and have started to bloom. It is am encouragement for this year when you see last year's efforts paying off.

I am having so much fun ... honestly!

"I think it takes me more time and energy thinking about when am I gonna get all this stuff planted out, then it does to just DO IT." Oh how true!! Even after a few years of doing it and knowing it! :O)

Sometimes we just need a good kick in the derriére. I finally planted my flat of Bachelor Buttons yesterday while apologizing to them over and over again. :O)

True. And the sooner the better, before the real heat arrives here. That's what motivated me to plant the last few last week- I saw the heat for this week in the 10 day forecast and stuck the last few in the ground last week.

Karen

Yup, you just have to go for it!

I have a system that helps me. I put out 3 large trays (For front, middle and back flower beds)out on my potting bench and go grab 4-6 containers from my container area. I open them all up, tip over and take out the brownies and divide "HOS"s among the trays. This way I am saving steps, not running back and forth from the container area to the potting bench to the beds and back over and over. I plant those trays each in their beds (using Trudi's just keep filling method) and come back and do it over again. I can get A LOT of containers planted out this way.

This year I am trying to remember to plant a tiny HOS in a 3 inch pot from each brownie, so that when someone admires a plant in the bed, I've got one potted up and ready to go.

Nan,

Why are you calling them brownies? What is a brownie?

Bev

Karen,
You just gave me another reason to procrastinate. lol.
It is sup'd to reach 91 here today, but by Fri, rain and
67 degrees.

So I'll wait to plant out.

seriously I do hate to put the little ones out in the brutal sun and heat.

Yes I agree that the planning part takes more time than the planting part. :)

I've got a total of 7 containers planted, out of 70 sprouted so far. 10%. Not too far along, hehe.

I agree that it's too hot and dry. It's been a very warm Spring and things are ahead of schedule. If all the seedlings were planted out at once, I'd spend two hours each day running around with a leaking watering can trying to keep little seedlings alive. The next week is supposed to be somewhat cooler. Gotta bite the bullet and get more of these little guys in the ground.

I have tons left to sow. Hubby made me a new bed to dedicated to grasses. I am off next week and am bound and determined to finish my planting, yeah good luck with that, lol. I like the idea of keeping some aside to share with admirers.

And yesterday I brought home more plants from our plant swap!!

yeek!

today is nice and cool and not too bright, am off to plant.

bev,
we call them bronnies, because, when you cut them,you cut them into brownie sized pieces to plant out,unless, you want to plant one at a time,can't say what you would call that, oh wait, yes I do**to much work.:0)
I planted out close to 300 containes in the last 3 days, just a few more to go,and a few still waiting to sprout, and I will be done,all with a neck brace on,:0)
I just grabed and planted, it will be a big surptise when they finally bloom, but I can allways move them around if I don't like the way it looks.
My neighbor came over, and was so impressed with the idea of WSing,I did give her some sprouts,she will be WSing this coming year, yeaaaa,another one to trade seed withand who will save money on perennials.
cAROL

I planted my WS daylilies today. They were a mixed batch of seeds and i planted them out in clusters of three along the bed at the back of the house.

I have still to plant out my tomatoes and the trays of soring-sown wildflower blend. And a flat of impatiens from the nursery. I have to do some more work with the scuffle hoe in the planting beds and then make out the tags for the tomatoes, and their map, and, and, and, andandandandand.....

T

PS...Becky, 300 containers in three days, with a neck brace. OMG, you're a trooper! Or obsessed ;-)

Yesterday I planted out a really full container of celosia, which had been waiting patiently for a long time.

I had to first clear away some of the re-seeded Cal poppies which have taken over my garden.

These celosia are from seeds of plants that are pink and yellow - when I saw them it was the first time I saw celosia in that color, and I like it much better than the red ones.

I planted out the remaining zinnia seeds - red, purple and green. By the time I finished, I had forgotten what color was where, but who cares. lol. They're planted!

I directed sowed more variegated 4 0'clocks.

I planted a couple of cyprus vine outside the garden fence, see if the groundhog misses them. (I doubt it. :) )

And a cardinal climber.

whew.
I found myself in a celebratory mood, having only the marigolds left for another day -

until I remembered - containers of pink sage at home!
ah well...I am reaching an end to planting out, slowly,
next I will attack weeds. grrr

I also dug up a lot of irises which were taking over.
A lot of work, but satisfying.
I got a lot done yesterday.

Carol, do you have a picture you can post of your brownies? If I'm understanding you correctly, you planted them in a square type container, like in a row, so you can cut them like brownies to plant them or did you plant in cell packs "under the lights?" Could you use one of those lasagna pans with a clear plastic lid from the dollar stores for these?

Trudi..do you have anything on your website about planting seeds in the Fall so will bloom the first Spring? Or am I dreaming again? What type of containers do you use then, or do you just direct sow them. I bought a cellpack of polka dot plants to take to the plant swap..and kept that cell pack container..can I plant in that, then into the ground when they get their leaves? Do I slip that into a plastic tub to keep them from drying out but watch them carefully to make sure they don't dry out. I have a lot of 4 in. nursery pots that I can use too.

pippi,
I sowed most of my seeds in soda bottles, and the cardboard milk cartons,oh yes, and the big underbed sweater containers(plastic)any container you can use, you can cut up into the size you want to plant out.
Example, I used the small containers cream comes in,pint size I guess they are, I sowed my seed in the the long way,when I planted out, I cut the "brownie" into 6 pieces, and planted it out,maybe there were 6 plants to a piece,maybe more, I just planted.All are doing well.I have a hard time posting pictures, Iam computer illiterate,(is that spelled right)
Maybe some one else can post a picture.I hope I made a little sence.:0)
cAROL

Carol, you've got company! I am also computer illiterate..One of these days, I'm going to learn how to post pictures, but first I better learn to use my digital camera!

woo-hoo
Yesterday planted out marigolds, I can see the end of the tunnel.

Have left: 2 containers of pink sage, a couple of white 4 o'clocks and still some zinnias.
My zinnias are from Crosman's seeds, and they germinated so well and are continuing to grow and look very healthy.

I found a piece of ground that I can convert into a bed, and there I will put the 4's and the zinnias. It will be a little crowded, but I am really out of room.

oh-no next week my friend and I will make our annual nursery trip. I must not buy. I must not buy. I must not buy....
Just look.
Yeah...right.

It's June 8...do you know where your WSn containers are?

Yes, sadly, there are about 50 presently situated next to the foundation so they'd survive the heavy wind/rain we had over the weekend. What is WRONG with me this year??!!!

Tina,

Maybe you and I have the same disease this year. I just didn't have my usual drive.

Karen

reporting in - to offer others support and to spur myself :)

Day before yesterday planted 3 'red giant' zinnia seedlings in a big pot.
They are already growing - I think I hear a big sigh of relief!

I have decided where to put my 3 containers of pink sage. (You must be getting tired of hearing about my '3 containers of pink sage'! LOL ugh - they are implanting themselves in my consciousness.)

I'm going to dig up a portion that has catmint - not a very attractive plant.
I'm also going to experiment with these teeny seedlings - put some in a transition pot and let them get a little bigger before planting them out.
Curious about what if any difference this will make, altho I will not do this as a matter of course - too much work.

Just gotta tell ya -
got my pink sage planted!
Hooray - the last 3 containers.
And I even tossed out a (very) few. lol

I had to clean a corner of cat mint. which I'm glad to see gone. It doesn't smell very good and it spreads. I like it early in the season cuz it is one of the first to turn green and bloom, and give the bees some food.

I kept a little bit in a pot.

I can't wait to see my sage grow.
I have great expectations for them! :)

Just gotta tell ya -
got my pink sage planted!
Hooray - the last 3 containers.
And I even tossed out a (very) few. lol

I had to clean a corner of cat mint. which I'm glad to see gone. It doesn't smell very good and it spreads. I like it early in the season cuz it is one of the first to turn green and bloom, and give the bees some food.

I kept a little bit in a pot.

I can't wait to see my sage grow.
I have great expectations for them! :)