I spent the day raking up all the leaves that have fallen since our autumn pick-up and made a compost pile in our back corner! I plotted out my veggie garden on paper, as well as my container herbs and flowers. Also saw a dandelion in bloom, but just barely.

It is too muddy at our place to do anything, so I cleaned house and ran errands.

It was 71 degrees and gorgeous though mostly cloudy all day, and I did notice that the chamomile plants are up.

The Eastern Red Cedars are pollinating here, so my main activity today seemed to be sneezing.

Dawn, I saw on the news that the Cedar pollen is sky high right now! No wonder I am sniffling and snorting!

You have GOT to tell me how to grow Chamomile! I kill it everytime. Should it be Roman or German, or does it matter? I understand that the German is 2' tall and the Roman is a groundcover.

Does it need full sun?

Sorry, don't want to hijack this thread.

I didn't get out in the garden today cuz allergies were so bad, plus had to take DD to ER, spent couple hours there, to bank, to grocery store, to pharmacy twice, to Braum's and to pick Kenna up from school. So I was out and about.
It was so good to be out and about in the warm weather even if it was cloudy!

Susan

Susan,

My nose told me the cedar was pollinating before I checked the news and saw the high pollen counts. I've been expecting it and just hope it ends sooner rather than later.

I grow the German chamomile, although the truth is that it grows itself with no help from me. I sow it using a highly technical and complicated method. Well, no I don't. The seeds are very small, so mix them with a little sand if you have some around to make them spread out a bit so they don't all sprout in a clump. Toss handfuls of the sand/seed mixture into the air so it will drift down to the ground where you want it to grow. Mist lightly if you want, or just expect winter dew/frost/light rain will moisten it. Forget about it. Before you know it you'll have sprouts.

To keep the chamomile going forever, look at it often while it is blooming and say to yourself, often and with great sincerity, "I need to deadhead that stuff before it goes to seed". Forget to deadhead it. It will self-sow all over creation every year to the point of being weedy. It sprouts in my beds, paths, gravel driveway and bermuda lawn. It sprouts in my compost pile. It sprouts in tiny cracks in concrete.

When the tiny seedlings sprout, you can transplant them wherever you want.

You'll get blooms longer if you deadhead on a regular basis in spring and early summer, but it will come back every year if you let at least some of the plants self-seed. I planted it 8 or 10 years ago and have had it ever since.

You probably could wintersow it on the surface of soil in a container, but you also can direct sow it right now and it will sprout in no time at all.

If you wanted to start it indoors, I'd surface sow it on the soil surface of the flat, not covering it up at all. I'd water with a mister so the seeds don't wash out before they sprout.

Dawn

I worked..but DH started moving the newly cut sod on the new garden space!!! I(we)'ve got much work to do before you all come see me(us) for the Spring Fling!

Paula

Pollen. Aha. So that's why my head's been exploding.

I didn't do much of anything. Bleh.

Diane

I used to have problems with allergies. For years didn't mow because the dust and grass and weeds made my eyes and throat swell. Then I learned about a product called Xlear, a nasal spray available at health food stores and have been using it routinely every night before bed for years. And starting when cedars shed pollen here, I sometimes use it in the middle of the day if I feel sneezy, stuffy or swollen. This one has xylitol in it, a natural sugar that is said to work by coating the nasal passages so the pollen can't get through. For what it's worth.

I got home about an hour ago. Drove to Tulsa, went on a bike ride. Spend the afternoon with a friend, and the evening at a bike meeting.

Am back home now.

Was a GREAT day for a ride. :)

Moni

I was able to get out in my gardening area and straighten things up a little, organize shelves, dust things off. Then we had a visitation to go to, a dear friend passed away yesterday morning. Tomorow will be more of the same, Little Bryan will enjoy being under the carport and out of the house!

Beth

Thanks, Dawn, I will get some seed. Have you ever tried the Roman, which is more like a groundcover? I think that's what I tried 2 or 3 times, but it sure didn't like our spring warm-up; I'm not even talking the beginning and middle of summer! It must really like cooler clims.

So sorry to hear about your friend, Beth. It is hard to lose close friends and family. Maybe you can plant a tree or shrub in their honor.

Susan

Paula, Glad your DH was able to get something done outside. I bet you were really wanting to play hookey on such a pretty day!

Dorothy, Thanks for the tip. I'll have to look for some of that the next time I'm at the health food store. I am allergic to pretty much every pollen in the world.

Moni, Sounds like you had fun.

Beth, So sorry to hear about your friend. Hope little Bryan gets to enjoy the pretty weather while it lasts. Days like this are a treat in January.

Susan, I scattered seed for both and only got the one, but the original sowing was in clay soil and I just assumed it might not like that soil. I never tried it again because my rule for plants is that they are not fussy, can tolerate our poor soil and wacky weather, and either have to provide food or something for us or for wildlife or I don't bother with them. So, in other words, anything I plant usually gets only 1 chance to perform well here. If it does well, it stays, and if it doesn't do well, I move on to something else that will perform here. I wasted too much time and effort and money the first 3 or 4 or 5 years trying to plant stuff here that is not well adapted, and I just don't do that anymore. It has to really "want" to grow here.

Dawn