Good for you!!! Its a bit early for us up here to be potting up our plumies for the trip back outside. But soon....
Over the next 2 weeks or so I'll be out doing some bed clean up and cutting back those plants that need it. Then I think I'll plant some peas.

We're about 6-7 weeks out from the ETA of our first Hummer visits. Plenty of time left for winter to do its thing if its going to.

I've been winter sowing some perennials, and thinking a lot about what to put where and wishing I had a few 14 year olds to help with the work.

Gosh there's so much to think about and plan, that's where I always get stuck. :(

Cool, my Daffodils think its alerady spring. They are blooming right now.
Melvalena: I winter sowed about 10 milk jugs over the weekend. Both my kids (10 & 4) helped. It was so much fun. I have to do some more before the weekend. I am doing all of them, not differentiating between perennials and annuals. What kind of tape and markers are you using? I got a bunch of plastic plant markers from Home Depot. The pack came with a pencil (not sure if its #1 or #2 pencil, it did not say). So I am sticking one each in the jug, also using a Sharpie on the duck tape to identify. lets see how my first yr WS project will come up.

Ibheri,

Good for you getting started!
My goal is to try and do a few at least every other day. I soak the soil and fill/drain the containers on one day.. and sow the next and try to set up for the next batch.

With a baby to look after its so hard to get anything done!

I'm using duct tape. At first on the milk jugs I was sealing all the way around the cuts.. but now I'm only doing one thin strip on each side for more air circulation and so a little more rain can get inside when it does happen to rain.

In the past I used a wax china marker I got at a hobby shop, this year I went and bought a paint pen to use on cut up mini blinds and sometimes on the containers themselves.

I also have a label maker. I plan to use that later as I plant out or pot up the seedlings.
This year maybe people can actually read my labels at plant swaps!

I am using mostly very old seeds.
If things sprout that's great!
if not... I've culled my seed stash.
I'm beginning to have my doubts about the lettuce and spinach from 2002 and 2003 They should have sprouted by now.
If they don't come up in the next week I'll plant something else in those containers!

Barbra, are you preparing the bed for your in town house or your Rockport place? I'm guessing Rockport.

Between rain showers I've been working on the drip irrigation system. It goes pretty fast once I figured out what I needed.

Not complaining about the rain. I'll bet all these showers will make for some wonderful spring wildflowers.

Roselee, the new bed will be in Rockport. I am really getting into plumeria, they do so well at the coast. When you and I went to the Corpus Botantial Gardens, I was not able to walk because of my broken hip, and just sat there on that deck under those plumeria trees and fell in love with them. I got money for Christmas so I could buy 8 new plants this year. I will put the new bed in next month, when Gary is not down. He will be upset at first, but will learn to love it just like the others. I have also put a plumeria flowerbed all across the back of the property. I will also put 7 in the front of the garage. So far I will have 40 plumeria. I also have trades set up for this April, so I will be able to add to my collection. Barbra

Barbra, you may just have a plummie addiction :-) Sounds like it will be gorgeous though!

Pam, I use to have hugh plumeria plants, that grew from 6 inch cuttings, that I bought in 1997 from Drivers in Hawaii for $1.99 each. I lost them all in the freeze of Dec 2009. They were all noid plumeria. I realized how much I missed their fragrance, and beauty, when I was at the botantical gardens. I traded plants for 12 seedlings, and ordered the rest from Florida Colors. They are all still very small plants. They are all currently in my garage in pots. I only have 3 cuttings to trade this year, next year I should have alot more. Barbra

I find that after I do cuttings the plant the cuttings come from always put out offshoots that like to break off but the new shoot do just fine. Is there anyway to improve on the old stock so they have better new shoots? So far I have better plants from the new shoots than the parent plant. Last year I had a few break off from the parent plant which made great new plants which flowered better than the parent plant. Does anyone know how long a cutting can be dormant before it needs to be potted up? I found my friends do not mind that they break off as now they have starts also. I have been giving the ones that bread off as I do not have that much room anyway. My first plant lived through the winter cold we had a couple years ago I just brought in at night and it did fine after it lost all of its leaves. The same can be done with cuttings if the main plant is too large plus it provides a lot more new plant at the same time making the parent plant once it is pruned back easier to protect from the cold snaps we have.

Wally, you really know alot about the plants. I bought cuttings, and they all rooted, and they kinda raised themselves. If friends came by, I would just tell them to take a cutting, I never did any cuttings myself. In fact I just read on the plumeria forum, how to take cuttings. I was advised not to do it until end of March or First of April. I was talking to Frank at the Corpus Christi Plumeria society yesterday, he said he puts manure around his plants in the spring when he replants them outside. This may be what your plants need, thought I would just share it with you. Barbra

I successfully rooted a 12 inch branch that broke off when I dug mine up for winter. Wally, I read that it needs to be left out of soil for at least a week to form a callous. I store my trees bare root in the house over winter. That reminds me, time to take them out and spritz the roots. They have had no water in two months but I am seeing the cat's-claw-looking new leaves forming on the ends. Getting closer to spring!

Pam, how big are your plants i was told they had to be tree size to store bare root, is this correct? What do you store them in, when they are inside? I am trying to get ideas for next year. I tried to store my desert roses bare root last year, and lost half of them. Barbra

I have two that are taller than hubby so probably 6-8 feet. They were around 4-5 feet tall when I got them a couple years ago. Her's a pic last summer, they are in the back of this garden. Noids but really pretty pink blooms on one (smells like lemonade) and pale pink with a dark pink edge and yellow center on the other (smells nice, lightly floral).

I have a friend in Goodrich who grows these and she says at least two weeks to form the callous. I have done only one, but was successful with it. I had a lot of hail damage to my large one last June, but it calloused over and is doing fine..........mine are also sending out new leaves........must be the weather.

Pam, those are beautiful. Most of mine are around 12 to14 inches tall. I have 3 that are 3 ft tall, from 2010. Barbra

They love the heat Barbra! Of course that picture was before the really scorching sun burned some of the leaves. Yours will grow tall in no time!

When I dig the plummies up in the fall, I wash all of the soil from the roots, let it dry and stand them on cardboard in my spare bedroom (or office when we have company). I kept the desert rose in it's pot but gave it the sunniest window in the house. I water the desert rose about once every week or two depending on how the soil feels.

Pam, just to share information I found on the plumeria forum. When watering your desert roses or plumeria in the winter, only water the edge of the soil. Do not water near the plant, and only give 1 cup of warm water. You can tell when they need water because the soil is pulling away from the pot. This has been the best information I have ever found. This is the first year I have not lost any plants to rot. Barbra