Spring Wouldn't be the Same without Daffodils

      Spring wouldn't be the same without daffodils, or as folks around here would call them "Easter Flowers". Daffodils are often seen growing wild in the country side, sometimes they are all that remains of old homesteads. When I see a patch of these daffodils I often wonder who planted them. I imagine a farmers wife 150 years ago planted them, I bet she never imagined they would still be blooming year after year long after she was gone and after her farm had been reclaimed by mother nature. I have several different varieties of daffodils growing in my garden, they come in a vast array of flower types and colors in shades of white, salmon, pink, peach, yellows, and oranges. I love daffodils, their blooms remind me of cheery smiling faces on a bring sunny spring day. I enjoy watching them bloom year after year heralding in Spring.

Cactus Garden Update

       I uncovered my Cacti garden yesterday and I had some casualties from the polar vortex. I lost both my Agave parryi var parryi, Several Optunias including Optunia Canapa 'Ellisiana', My Cane Cholla Cylindropuntia imbricata also bit the dust, and I lost my Horse Crippler Echinocactus texensis and a few others. The Ghost Plant Graptopetalum paraguayense also fried though I did notice a few leaves and stems made it and were starting to grow back. My Agave Harvardia looks kind of rough but it survived another winter. 

Vintage Seed Catalogue Covers

      I really love the look of old vintage seed catalogue covers. The artwork is beautiful, most seed catalogues today feature photographs but I admire the old floral artwork of past generations. I think I might get a few vintage covers to frame and hang on my wall. 

Marla Spivak: Why bees are disappearing

Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi 'Variegata'

        Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi 'Variegata' is blooming indoors while there is snow on the ground outside. I was not expecting this plant to bloom. I got it over the summer and it didn't start blooming until I moved it inside. The flowers are small but are a nice orange color. What a nice surprise!

Tomato Talk: Determinate vs. Indeterminate

       Since soon it will be time to start your seeds indoors. I thought I would talk about tomatoes, which are my favorite vegetable to grow, well botanically speaking they are a fruit but you get the idea.

       Now you may ask what is the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomato cultivars? They are all tomatoes right? The difference between determinate and indeterminate tomato cultivars lies in their growth and fruiting habits.

       Determinate tomatoes grow to a certain size and will not get any bigger. Determinate cultivars also usually set fruit sooner and most of the fruit is produced all at one time. Also another perk to growing determinate tomatoes is that they are smaller and require less soil; this trait makes them more suited for container gardening.

       Indeterminate cultivars on the other hand keep growing all season, set fruit later, and keep producing till frost. The photo attached to this post is of a Cherokee Purple Tomato I grew last season, which happens to be an indeterminate cultivar.

Look What Arrived in the Mail Today!

      The other day I commented on a post that was on the Botanical Interests Seeds Facebook page. The post was about growing poppies. I tried growing some Lauren's Grape Poppies and California poppies last year with not much luck. I planted them too late apparently. I should have planted them in the very early spring before the last frost. The Lauren's Grape poppies never came up and my California poppies never bloomed, very sad I know.

      Anyway I commented on the post about my past misfortunes with poppies and the owner of Botanical Interests commented below and told me to e-mail him and he would send replacements. So I was expecting just a pack of seeds in the mail and to my surprise I received a box that contained several different types of poppy seed, as well as a mouse pad, a calendar, and a note pad. Anyway it really made my day and I appreciated it very much, gotta love free goodies, lol.

      Botanical Interests is a great seed company. I have ordered from them for many years and have never been disappointed. Check out their site it's in my links of my favorite companies if your interested in them, they specialize in heirloom and organic seeds and they have signed the no GMO pledge.

Deer in the Snow

      I took these photos of two deer that took a stroll through my yard after we had a nice snowfall about two weeks ago.