Today my talinum calycinum bloomed for the first time. What a charming flower! The whole plant is cute– very tiny. It’s amazing to see this 1.5 inch tall plant blooming. The stalk of the bloom must be 3 or 4 inches!
I wasn’t able to get a picture of this bloom, but hopefully I’ll get one soon. Unfortunately, each blossom lasts only for a few hours in mid-afternoon.
As hoped and (mostly) expected, the 2 days of snow cover didn’t appear to have any adverse effect on the winter-sown sprouts outside.
They seem to be doing well. New sprouts are appearing almost daily. Soon it will be easier to keep track of what hasn’t germinated rather than what has.
Here’s the current list of what has sprouted:
Looking at those teeny tiny sprouts it’s hard to imagine them ever making it on their own in nature. I know they do, but it’s an amazing thing. I’m going to be waiting until mine are bigger before chancing their survival out in the garden. As you can see, not all of the seeds I’ve sown are natives, but the vast majority are.
We have had such an amazingly wet June. I’ve been glad for my plants (and my air conditioning bill– the rain has kept it cooler, if not cool). Unfortunately, that same rain has been enjoyed by the weeds, weeds which grow with wild abandon while I’m trying not to step on the wet soil in the beds, thereby compacting them.
I got out for a time today. I pulled the latest round of milkweed stalks. Because the weeds (mainly in the form of grass) have gotten so far ahead of me, I reluctantly used the RoundUp. My hope is that whatever I’m not able to hand weed in the near future will at least be dying while I get to it.
I went back to my local Ace hardware store today to see what remained of the plants. Several weeks ago I bought some really nice perennials for something like $2.49 each. I went back today and was absolutely delighted to find that the plants are now 1/2 price. While some are clearly showing the wear and tear of being in that outdoor, unprotected gardening area, many are still in great shape— especially for 1/2 price! I bought 27 plants, all perennials. After I got home I realized that I never had gone back for the asters I originally passed up but later decided to get. I went back this evening and got those asters… and a few others! I brought another 19 perennials home with me. The only thing that is not delightful about this is that now I’ve got to get them all planted! The actual planting part of gardening is something I do just to get the end result of flowers. That’s one reason I’m all about perennials. Plant once; enjoy for years and years.
Each one of those plants is just that much more of each garden bed which will not be growing weeds.
admin | 
06 17th, 2010| 
