skip to main content

first planting of the year

27 days ago

The tiniest glimpse of sunlight was enough to tempt me outdoors, clutching a bunch of seedlings. Mostly an attempt to clear some space on the greenhouse bench. I popped in half a dozen sandworts (arenaria montana), same number of alchemilla and a dozen aquilegia caerulea. I was also cheered by the tiny emerging leaves of patrinia (gibbosa and scabiosifolia) which had died back to invisibility in their small pots. It certainly isn't any colder outside than in the greenhouse (given the missing panes, dodgy windows and ever-open door) so the next coupla weeks will likely to be a planting frenzy of last years seedlings, I can then attempt some urgently needed pricking out of horrendously overcrowded pots of little plants, now in their second year and needing to be set free in the dangerous allotment world. Especially hoping they can manage a bit of growth before the ravening hoard of molluscs emerge to romp through tender leaflets like teenagers in a cookie jar.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
26 days ago
I have been lax in that I have not even done my winter sowing yet but there is still time. It is a winter wonderland here and we just got an additional foot of snow dumped on us. I do envy your nearly year around gardening. Still it must have felt great to have seedlings in hand ready for the ground. The "airiness" of your greenhouse just acclimates your seedlings. Happy day.
suzy jackson
Original Author
25 days ago
I haven't really done any winter sowing either, peren...(apart from some ridiculously spendy poppies and antirrhinums). Growing seedlings is the easy part for me...but planting them out, in any meaningful context, is always fraught with stress and indecision. Happens every year. I grow a bunch of stuff, even with some (vague) theme or plan in mind but in the 18months or so of growing on...all 'plans' tend to be revealed as a mix of wishful thinking (delusional), internet driven impulse or forgetfulness(what was I thinking?) Add in the smattering of fails, completely inappropriate amounts (feast or famine) and rubbish preparation over preceding season and it is not uncommon for the spring planting to be a desperate stuffing and hopeless finger-crossing that more is better (despite firmly reminding enthusiastic customers (when I still had them) that 'less is more'. Looking dubiously at the trays of wildly differing seedlings, I honestly can't see much improvement to the mish-mash this year either Spring is always promising though cos I have a generous hand with bulbs (the gardener's friends) and the general mayhem has not yet gotten fully underway.

I do have 2 trays (40 or so plants) of a particularly vigorous strain of alchemilla and a heap of space under the roses (in one of the beds) so at least one area might be decently filled with suitable plants (instead of the encroaching horrors of geum urbanum and goosegrass (gallium aparine)...although I also have 2 more mannerly galliums to plant up (g.mollugo and g.verum).

So, what's on your list then? I have got off to a slightly shaky start so am keen to get a few simple annuals on the go.
0
Related Discussions
A plant only I could love!
Q
Comments (12)
They grow so fast; I find that mine look spindly quickly if I don't stay on top of trimming (and I never do). I hate cutting off all those long strands and throwing them away (how many does one need and I've given away cuttings to everyone I know and some I don't know). I have learned to throw them away down the trash shoot so I won't try to rescue them, lol. But, in a month or so when the new growth starts, a few strands are spilling over, and they look so full and perky? It's totally worth it!
...See More
American Smoketree, Chittamwood
Q
Comments (1)
I would wait longer. My SIL's 2 fig trees - probably 5 yrs old, 8' tall, producing for 2 years, 3 mi. north of me in NC - were totally de-leafed by the Easter freeze. They are only NOW, in the past week, showing leaves from the higher branches, and more seem to be popping out daily. The re-growth from the ground and leaves on the lower down branches happened a few weeks ago. Luckily, she has been busy with other things, as she HAD planned to cut them both back drasticly! That your Cotinus still has green cambium is a good sign, so I would just keep waiting. Water it if the soil is dry. Maybe give it a very light feed of a balanced, slow-release fertilizer, if you feel you NEED to do something.
...See More
My salvias are leaving me cold...
Q
Comments (5)
I would try dividing and replanting the salvias next spring. It sounds as if the plants have grown into clumps of many stems. Take each plant, dig it up, divide it into perhaps four or five smaller pieces, each having a handful of stems, and replant after you have tilled the bed. You'll end up with lots of extra plants or a much larger bed of salvias, but either way you be starting fresh and might get the good results you saw the first year. I don't grow any of the salvias you listed, but when I divide and replant my Salvia guaranitica, I often get better results the first couple of years than I see in later years. I think they grow better in tilled, fertilized soil. I am in zone 5 or 6 in PA.
...See More
Tomatoe planting questions for 2nd year grower
Q
Comments (5)
I've grown both varieties in containers. 4th of July will be a little bit earlier when grown in containers because the container will keep the roots a little warmer early in the growing season. Actually, this works for any variety. Any kind of good mix will be great for the transplant from the germination beds. I use Miracle Grow Potting Mix for most of mine. There are a lot of formulas for what people put into the holes for growing tomatoes and peppers. Earl's Hole is one of those mixtures that has become popular. I'm sure someone here can link to it on this forum. Here's my basic approach. Always think about reducing "stress" for the plants. Try to transplant by moving the entire root system and the growing medium around those roots as a unit. Eliminate any kind of "extreme" environmental conditions - too much or too little water, heat, fertilizer, physical damage, etc. Avoid changing anything too quickly. Fast or extreme changes cause stress. After that, it's up to the plant. It's really just plain logic. You have a living entity (the plant) and you need to provide all its needs that will allow it to keep itself alive. It may sound a bit corny, but try to empathize with your plants. What would you want if you were being set out in the back yard? Ted
...See More
Related Professionals
Derry Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Reading Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Edmond Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Cottonwood Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Mitchellville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Oconomowoc Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Otsego Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Roosevelt Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · South Orange Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Frisco Landscape Contractors · Brookline Landscape Contractors · Chelmsford Landscape Contractors · Estelle Landscape Contractors · Fort Myers Landscape Contractors · Sugar Hill Landscape Contractors
porkchop_mxk3 z5b_MI
23 days ago
Nowhere close to doing anything outside, let alone planting -- it's been frigid here, with a good blanket of snow. I'd like to get the maple trees trimmed in the next two weeks or so before the sap starts flowing, we'll see.

Indoors, I've got cuttings going, and I'll start starting the seeds relatively soon. I've got a couple things to start next week then the bulk of the indoor sowing starts toward end of March, with a plant-out date of mid-May. It's much different here than where you are. But, I don't mind the winter rest -- gives us cold-climate gardeners time to plan and dream of things to come. :0)

Related Stories

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Great Design Plant: Blanket Flower Brings Year-Round Cheer

By Steve Asbell

It's irresistible to wildlife, but this wildflower's drought tolerance, copious blooms and versatility draw human fans too

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Autumn Fern Adds Color All Year

Use this evergreen, easy-care fern for soft texture and coppery tints in container gardens and the landscape at large

GARDENING GUIDES Get Year-Round Good Looks With Matrix Planting in Your Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Any garden — from 100 square feet to 10,000 square feet — can apply this low-maintenance, sustainable design method

GARDENING GUIDES What to Know About Starting Your First Native Plant Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Fall is an ideal time to plant a sustainable garden that supports wildlife and looks good too

GARDENING GUIDES Plant Native Annual Flowers for a Garden Surprise Every Year

By Curtis Adams

These 15 well-adapted native annuals can add spontaneity to gardens around the country

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Snowberry Pleases Year-Round

Bright spring foliage, pretty summer flowers, white berries in winter ... Symphoricarpos albus is a sight to behold in every season

NATIVE PLANTS 5 Ways to Keep Your Native Plant Garden Looking Good All Year

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

It’s all about planning ahead, using sustainable practices and accepting plants as living organisms

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Evergreen Huckleberry Appeals All Year

Spring flowers and summer berries are only half the story with Vaccinium ovatum, a versatile Pacific Northwest native plant

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Try California Wild Grape for Interest All Year

By Debbie Ballentine

Sure, it’s stunning in fall. But the spring buds, summer grapes and gnarled winter vines are gorgeous too

CLOSETS Trending Now: Takeaways From the Year's First Dream Closets

By Becky Harris

Here are the closet photos getting the most saves to ideabooks so far this year. Which splurge would you choose?

Sponsored

The Art of Landscape

9 Reviews

Award winning Landscape Designer in Loudoun County | 2X Best of Houzz

More Discussions

Does potting mix irritate/burn anyone else's sinuses?

12

One of my favorite roses

6

Heucheras are out--tiarellas or heucherellas?

8

Can I divide clumps of Penstemon and Salvia Amistad?

3

native ground covers

2