Flower gardens are on the rise

Picture 1

The flower gardens are really coming into their glory right now.  I have LOTS of zinnias in several varieties and colors this year.  It is so much fun to see all the things that started as seed in my basement become leggy beauties in the flower beds.

The goal of the flowers was to have some additions to the wedding flowers to give it the personal touch.  Some of them will find their way into vases to celebrate the shower that is being given by her sister.  I have also enjoyed some fresh bouquets in the kitchen.  Zinnias have some real staying power in the fresh cut flower arena.

The cactus flowered zinnias are interesting in that they have a much more pointed petal as you can see with the bright pink flower in the lower right corner of this picture.

I have also been pleased to see the mono-colored Polar Bear and Green Envy are quite nice.  You almost can't see the green zinnia in the flower bed but there it is in center frame of the second picture.  I think they will show up more in a bouquet.

Anise hyssop

One of my pleasant surprises was some of the new herbs I added to the garden this year.  The anise hyssop has been blooming for weeks and still looks as beautiful as it did when it first opened.  The bees love it and so do I.  I love to run my hand over the flowers as I pass by (it is right next to my stairs) and enjoy the scent that comes back to me.  I have to do a little more research on this one to see how I will be able to capture that as a dried herb or seed later on.  I also have two of my stand-by plants.  Pineapple sage and lemon verbena are a must if only to crush the leaves and breathe deeply.  I also keep around several citronella scented geraniums for their scent as well as their ability to detract mosquitoes in the yard.  (Yes, they really work especially if you cut up a few leaves and let them lay in the grass around your chair.)   There are also all the regulars which are just as pleasant to touch and smell as all the others.

Now this is a plant most people stop to look at.  I bought a four pack of all eight varieties that Milegar's carried this year.  The smaller one got lost in the pot but the rest are blooming beautifully.  They open with spiraling petals and some are even double.  This is the lisanthus I consider a must buy in the spring.  It is not for the home gardener to start from seed unless you can keep them warm and free of fungus gnats.  The seeds are very small and the plants stay in an almost microscopic state for so long (which is why fungus gnats can take them out so easily).  Purchased as plants in May are a much easier option for me.  I also get a nice variety to try out.

The cosmos are just starting to bloom, so they are pretty green yet.  I also have no Mexican sunflowers (tithonia) yet and the Prairie sun coneflowers are struggling against the slugs.  Lots of rain has kept up the numbers on those.  The cerinthe has grown well and the foliage is beautiful,  The small tube like flowers are not easily seen with their turned down heads.  I am hoping that they make a good bouquet filler.

The dried flowers are doing well.  I have Celosia cristata, statice, and hare's tail grass.  The grass is blooming in the sunny spots and doing well but without flowers where the shading is heavier.  I may have to start cutting and hanging some of the full blooms to dry to keep the plants blooming through fall.  The coral gardens variety is very bright for the Celosia.  The statice is more of a pastel shades.  

I will have to fertilize the beds soon to keep the blooms going as long as possible.  If I want to have flowers in October, I will have to give them everything I can.

Early seeds

I am not ready to order all my seeds...yet...but I have been looking at some to mail in soon.  Things you need to start early if you really want to do them yourself:

Onions:  I am convinced that the best onions come from seeds. We grow long day onions in Wisconsin, for growing during our long days of summer. Short day is for warmer zones, think winter there when days are shorter. Check the time to maturity, but I put my little onion seedlings out in April after starting them in February

Lisianthus:  This beautiful flower takes a long time to bloom and January is not too early to start it.  It is a very tiny seed, a very tiny seedling and doesn't seem to grow very fast.

Herbs:  If you want some indoor herbs, start them now for an indoor crop.  They will need supplemental light.

Greens:  At least start thinking about them.  If you have a cold frame set up in your garden, you may be putting some seedlings in there the end of February or March, depending on the temperatures.  I still don't have my cold frame, but I am thinking of how to utilize that nice, sunny spot on the south side this year, possibly some straw bales and a Lexan cover. TBA

Pansies and violas:  These are cool season crops and if you want to grow your own, you have to start early.

Look at the seed packs and the days to harvest.  Count back to when you want to harvest to when you need to start.  If it is over 100 days, you are probably looking at an early start.