This is what I've sown so far..32 containers.. #1 - (pop bottle) : Callistephus - ÂBlue RibbonÂ, A, August-Frost, 8", Dark Purple #2 - (pop bottle) : Crested Celosia - ÂCockscombÂ, P, early summer, 40-48" Pink/Red #3 - (margarine tub) : Cerinthe - ÂPurple BellsÂ, A, Late Spring-Early Summer, 30", Purple/Blue #4 - (milk jug) : Passion Flower - ÂPassiflora caeruleaÂ, A, July-Frost, 13 1/3', Pale green/Purple #5 - (pop bottle) : Mesembryanthemum - ÂGelato RedÂ, A, Summer, 4", Pinks/Reds #6 - (margarine tub) : Aztec Nicotiana (Jasmine) - ÂNicotiana alataÂ,A,Summer-Fall, 36-48",Light pink-White #7 - (margarine tub) : Sweet William - ÂMixÂ,B, April-September, 18-24",Pinks/Reds/White #8 - (margarine tub) : Gaillardia (Blanket Flower) - ÂBurgundyÂ,P, mid June-Frost, 24-36", Deep wine #9 - (pop bottle) : DameÂs Rocket, P, May-August, 2-3', Purple #10 - (pop bottle) : Foxglove, P, June-September, 2-4', Purple #11 - (pop bottle) : Potentilla - ÂMiss WilmottÂ, P, early summer, 12", Color #12 - (pop bottle) : Monarda - ÂRed Bee BalmÂ, P, June-August, 36", Red #13 - (lg water bottle) : Butterfly Weed, P, June_September, 1-2', Orange #14 - (Chinese take out dish) : Impatiens - ÂMixed F2 HybridÂ, A, June-Frost,9",Pinks #15 - Giganteum Poppy, A, summer, 3-4', Lavender Pink #16/#17 - Bread seed Poppy, A, late spring-early fall, 24-36", Red #18 - Astilbe, P, summer, 18-24", Dark Pink #19 - Basil genovese o commune, A, summer, 18-24", Green foliage #20 - Salvia - ÂPurple RainÂ, P, June-October, 18", Deep Purple #21 - Rose Campion, P, mid-summer, 2-3', Magenta Pink #22 - Bells of Ireland, A, mid-late summer, 24-36", Lime Green #23 - Turtlehead, P, late summer-early fall, 24-36", Purple #24 & #25 - Papavier Somniferum - ÂPeony PoppyÂ, A, summer, HT, Black #26 & #27 - Papavier Somniferum - ÂThailand PoppyÂ, A, summer, HT, Pink & White #28 - Poppy - ÂOriental MixÂ, A, summer, HT, scarlets and oranges #29- Papavier Somniferum - ÂBombast RedÂ, summer, HT, Red #30- Foxgloves - ÂMixedÂ, BT, HT, Pinks, purples #31 - Summer Pointsettia, BT, HT, ??? #32 - Dianthus - ÂKing of the BlacksÂ, BT, HT, Black I still have some info to input in the last group of seeds I planted, I'll get to that, eventually.

Kim, There was a big package of seeds waiting for me when I got back into town today!!! I was out of town for a few days so I'm not sure what day it came, but WOW! I can hardly believe all of the wonderful seeds that I received. I've been looking through them and there are lot of things that I wanted and some that I didn't know that I wanted (but I want them now that I see them.) For example, I received Mexican Sage 'Limelight' for my blue and green garden. It has blue flowers with lime green calyxes. How cool is that!! So thank you everyone for sending in so many great seeds. I'm thrilled with what I got back! And a special thank you to our hostess. When I was putting together seeds to send in for this swap, I kept thinking how much work this swap would be to host. Honestly, Kim, I don't know how you did it. My brain would have turned to mush trying to keep all of those themes straight. You did an amazing job! Penny

Good Morning, Y'all. We only dropped to 28 degrees so, surprisingly, many flowering plants survived and look half-decent. When I looked at the garden around 7:45 a.m., I still could see flowers that looked fine on the Cape honeysuckle, begonias, lantanas, marigolds, some of the Texas hummingbird sage plants, mealy cup sage, autumn sage and the globe amaranth plants. The remaining herbs (rosemary, sage, chives, parsley and basil) also looked fine. Even some of the remaining zinnias looked good. Everything else probably is gone though. If the butterflies that were flitting around the garden yesterday survived the cold night, and it is likely they did, then at least they still have some flowers for nectar. Jennifer, I need to give our dogs a bath. Maybe on Monday. I have one grandchild here for the weekend, so just don't want to mess with bathing dogs while she is here. Larry, Mud has us at a standstill here as well. I'd say that I'm hoping we'll dry up in this cold, dry air, but more rain (and snow) are in the Monday forecast so I guess we'll just have more mud. You're quite a bit colder than us this morning, but then you're quite a bit further north. Our Mesonet station went to 26 but at our house the Min-Max only shows 26, and it still was at 30 when I got up at 4:40 a.m., so we really weren't at 28 degrees for more than a very few hours. A mole has tunneled across our driveway, from the neighbor's pasture to our yard. I hope he or she isn't planning on sticking around. When moles show up here, the cats usually take care of them so they normally aren't a problem for us. I kinda felt sorry for the mole having to tunnel through all the mud. Some people that I know dig up their regular potatoes with some sort of attachment they pull behind their tractors. I don't know if it is some sort of mechanical digger or what, but it merely turns over the soil and then they can easily find the potatoes. I wonder if such a thing would work with sweet potatoes? George, I bet y'all were cozy and warm with that fire going. Jen, That's a lot of dogs. Are you dog sitting? Jennifer, If you know what caused the injuries to the dog, I'd just explain it to the vet. I suppose if the vet questions why you didn't bring in the dog you could just explain you used your own holistic methods to heal the wounds? Lots of folks here that have lots of animals do a lot of the routine day-to-day doctoring of their animals (not just cows, horses and such, but farm dogs and cow dogs as well) and don't take their pets in for every injury--not if they can heal it themselves. Wherever the hair is not regrowing there probably is scar tissue. We've had that with snakebitten cats---the hair did not grow back in the snakebite area. Our cat, Shady, is 18 or 19 years old and still has a circular scar that is white flesh with no hair growing there in the same spot where he broke out in a copper-colored rash after a copperhead bit him in the abdominal/groin area when he was only a couple of years old. I just think of it as his copperhead bite scar. In the early years I did think that hair eventually would grow back there, but then it never did. Today is sunny and bright and it looks so nice outdoors, but it still is very chilly. Looks can be deceiving, I guess. The leaves on the red oaks look a brighter red this morning, so at least there's that. Everything that had yellow or golden leaves left on the trees has lost them over the last couple of days. I expect the red oaks will lose the rest of their leaves soon, although some of the red oaks have foliage that still is 95% green. It is odd how some trees are so slow to change color and lose leaves this year. There's not much consistency. The post oaks are still green too, but usually are about the last trees to lose their leaves here and some of them will hang onto their leaves all winter long before dropping them in early Spring so new leaves can emerge. We had a lot of hungry deer waiting for deer corn this morning. They remind me of cows standing near a fence waiting for the rancher to show up with cattle feed. I don't go back there and put out food for them until they've all moved far enough away from the feeding area that I feel safe. Generally, I feel safe if they've jumped the fence into the adjacent pasture and moved at least 30 to 50' away from where I feed them. Deer that are too friendly can turn dangerous in the blink of an eye, especially bucks during the rutting season, so I'm always extremely careful. I hope everyone has a good day. Dawn

Sorry Kitty, after rereading my post I am afraid I have mislead you. Ballerina is a rose which has hydrangea type flowers. I hope you are well and covid free. Frankly my garden is the only thing that's keeping me sane at the moment. I am trialling alfalfa pellets as a season long feed for my roses this year. They are not as well known as a soil improver over here as the appear to be in America. I always wear gloves when gardening. This was after a friend contracted weils disease which he caught after cutting his finger while in contact with the soil. As the symptoms initially are similar to that of a cold the illness wasn't diagnosed until the poor man collapsed and then spent the next six years in and of hospital whilst waiting for a heart transplant. I enjoy reading the New York Times its in depth analysis keeps me informed and is way ahead of the scandal sheets available here And the best part is the cost..I have just checked my account to be sure,its £2 every two weeks. Here's hoping for some normality, Kitty,bye