Some Like It Hothouse

It was rainy yesterday, so I puttered in the greenhouse. I planted up some Pentas that rooted in water. There are more than a dozen potted up about 3 weeks ago, already looking green and putting on new growth. Curiously, the cuttings that root in water will bloom in water but put on no growth.

According to Tom and his Almanac, yesterday was an ideal day to plant veggies that grow above the ground. I seeded six cells each of Super Bush tomato, Little Prince eggplant and Jewel Toned bell peppers. I'm planning that these will successfully grow in containers and can come into the greenhouse for at least part of next winter.

The bell pepper seeds are color coded: yellow seed = Admiral Golden Bell, greenseed = Vidi Crimson Bell and Pink seed = Valencia Orange bell. Renee's Seeds provided all these.

I seeded 6 cells each of flat parsley and chives. Seed by a famous vendor, bought by me.

More plans for next winter are to have Pelargoniums. I am seeing hothouse-grown geraniums (pelargoniums) on the Swedish blogs. Speaking of geraniums, I saw a wild geranium bloom on a plant outside today. I pulled it up.

Begonia, new shoot on Shell Ginger and Staghorn Fern

Begonias have bloomed the whole winter inside.  Alyssum blooms well inside planted in the edges of pots of non-blooming flowers like asparagus fern. Kalanchoe came into bloom after Christmas and is long lasting. I potted up two Stachytarpeta cuttings that bloomed in water as they rooted and cut off the bloom spikes.

Duranta blooms on a rooted cutting

Duranta cuttings rooted in soil have bloomed all winter. They'll go outside when the weather warms and I'll start new cuttings in late summer. Butterflies can't seem to get enough Duranta so I keep planting more.

Potted Pentas cuttings

Ruby Red, the butterflies' fav Pentas

Flowers and text are from the garden of Nell Jean blogged on Dotty Plants Journal in hot, humid Southwest Georgia.

Fragrant and Colorful: You Can't Beat Hyacinths

Blooming today:

China Pink and Pink Pearl

 Blue Jacket

City of Haarlem

Carnegie

This bulb has divided 3 times in a few years.

Join the fun at Tootsie's blog for Fertilizer Friday.

Flowers and text are from the garden of Nell Jean blogged on Dotty Plants Journal in hot, humid Southwest Georgia.

Lettuces and other Early Garden Delights

Back in the winter I planted up a long container with Mesclun from Renee's Garden Seeds. I sowed them about 5 times too thick. Transplants did better when I moved some into another container.

For several weeks we had 'cut and come again' lettuces for salad and arugula to top pizza hot from the oven, a real treat.

Everything began to bolt and toughen so I pulled up the roots, freshened with new soil and planted two kinds of Romaine, not nearly so thick as before.

I put the containers inside the greenhouse, not for warmth but because of storms predicted and heavy rain tonight and tomorrow.

It's time to get busy with sowing in containers.

I have a dozen or more packets here waiting, herbs, veggies and

a packet of Nigella seeds for flower fun.

What have you planted?

I changed to a new Theme on my Seedscatterer Wordpress blog.

http://seedscatterer.wordpress.com/

Please take a look and tell me what you think about the color scheme and about the 'Post Slider' at the top below the header photo? It took me two days to figure out how to make the thumbnails appear.


Flowers and text are from the garden of Nell Jean blogged on Dotty Plants Journal in hot, humid Southwest Georgia.

Bloom Day in the Greenhouse

I stuck an extra hyacintha bulb in the corner of my broken pot

planting. It is finally blooming.

Duranta with a begonia cutting stuck in the pot.

Extras in the pots add to the fun.

 Lantana cuttings that I potted up in the fall with 

 intent of an early spring start in a different bed.

Begonias have bloomed non-stop since they came in last fall.

Alyssum seedlings

 White kalanchoe, pink Begonia and pink Pentas.

Rooted cuttings of Epiphyllum are putting on new growth.

Purple Heart cuttings are blooming.

If you look closely at the pentas there is

an American Painted Lady butterfly just above the aqua pot

on the Pentas blossom.

I only had one chance at a pic before it escaped.

One last look.

Flowers and text are from the garden of Nell Jean blogged on Dotty Plants Journal in hot, humid Southwest Georgia.

Two tulips in Time for Valentine's Day

I can't wait to show you the first tulips. I'm just so excited to get them to this point. There are other buds but these two are the first to open.

 I set them in the doorway on the cart so they get cool air and sunshine if the sun decides to peek out.

These are in a plastic pot. The tulips in a clay pot are all just now starting to form buds. That was another little experiment on my part, to see if it made a difference. These were potted and chilled in the soil. Next year I might try chilling them before planting. I'm already dreaming of the colors for next year. I'm leaving off forcing paperwhites next year.

 These paperwhites were forced in a previous year and have recovered well. Directly planted, they'll bloom the first year early enough to hardly warrant forcing. I'd rather force Amaryllis for Christmas, hyacinths for January and tulips for Valentine's Day.


Flowers and text are from the garden of Nell Jean blogged on Dotty Plants Journal in cool, windy Southwest Georgia.

Tiptoe to the Tulips

I can hardly wait for tulips to bloom, first in three years I've tried.

I moved them outside because it gets so warm in the greenhouse.

At night I move the tulips inside again because of the squirrels.

Baby Buffy ate the last tulips I planted. She's better behaved now.

Kalanchoe in almost full bloom. I rooted 2 pieces that broke off.

The blue hyacinths are done. I planted them in the garden, along with all

some were planted in stones and water or pinch-waist glasses of water.

These did equally well in water and stones as those in soil.

Next year I plan to plant all in soil so they are in better shape to

go in the garden once blooms fade.

Lantana montevidensis cuttings for planting out early.

Three little pieces broke off my Epiphyllum. They rooted easily

and have new growth already. The piece in the center was very

yellow. I almost threw it away. Once it rooted, it greened up.

Pink Hyacinths are blooming in the garden as well, along with

some Blue Delft. Some are barely out of the ground. Hyacinths

have a long season if you use several cultivars.

Flaunting my Flowers this Friday. Check with Tootsie to see what else is blooming around the world this Fertilizer Friday.

Flowers and text are from the garden of Nell Jean blogged on Dotty Plants Journal in cool, humid Southwest Georgia.