Bloom Day February 2011

Just barely remembered to take these pics on my way out the door this morning:

 the first Sweet Cherry Red pepper blossoms of the year!

 still don't know what these are, but they're nice

 my desert bluebells blossomed just in time!

they're waiting for their poppy friends to open up there

 a white Nudicaule Icland poppy

these were supposed to be either Bewtiched Blend pansies,

either there was mix up during packaging or they need to work on the breeding a bit more.

Alaska nasturtiums,

I think they need a dose of fertilizer...

they're not supposed to be bleaching at the edges!

lucky concentration of blooms here, left to right:

lobelia, Tall Single nasturtium, and more failed Bewtiched Blend pansies

 on the outsides are Amber Jewel violas

I'm not impressed so far... out of 7 plants 5 came out muddy colors and only two are jewel tones :/

center stage is my best Betwitched Blend pansy that's actually a very deep black!

there is just barely the thinnest edge of along the petals, and two spots of color at the center

 oh snap pea blossom, grow me a snack!

 strawberry Quattro Stagioni, been munching them all winter so far ;)

my favorite Alaska nasturtium that has decided it does not wish to be a 12"-18" mound,

 it has become a 4' vine

I think I like that :)

 ranunculus

one of only two proper looking Amber Jewel viola plants

(the other is out of bloom at the moment *womp*womp*womp*)

Oriental Nights alyssum

(and my Felis catus "Camouflage", can you see her?)

strawflower still going strong

dad's Shasta daisies are happily blooming

my first California poppy of the year, HOORAH!

the flower bud has been teasing me for days...

and finally my statice - last year's statice!

the package said annual, but damnit they wanted to be perennials!

this happen to anyone else?

Still Not Dead

...yet :9

Just a quick entry so I don't forget I have a blog ;) It's just been to crazy to keep up with entriess, I would really like to do a fall or even full year summary later this month after my night class ends and work projects are finished before the new building code takes effect.

Anyway, my container garden is doing good, I've got alot of new seed varieties to try out this spring via trades, and the front yard is about to get prepped for spring...

My one guilty pleasure during this crazy autumn has been keeping up with everyone's gardening blogs. I'm suffering a bit of zone envy. It's kind of exciting seeing so many gardeners scrambling to winterize everything and stash plants away from the frost. In LA instead  of full on winter most of nature just goes into this weird limbo state. It seems like a cheat down here to get the naked deciduous trees and see all the death and dormancy of many plants - but no snow! No snow angels, snowmen, or snow days off work.

But you know what?

I got fresh strawberries in December so HA!!!!

Ok, maybe that was a little uncalled for. But if we're having the coldest winter in my entire life at least nature could throw us a little snow to make it worth it :/ Anyone else feel like that?

I can be a pollinator too y'know

this had better be mightier than it looks!

The other day I decided to act on the good advice of Mr Brown Thumb and help my strawberry plants out a bit. So far the strawberries I've been getting from my two plants were... less than thrilling. Downright tiny! Could it be from incomplete pollination? I'd had many bees and wasps when my radish and broccolli had flowered but since removing them not as many. Time to take matters into my own hand?

tiny. and also nibbled by caterpillars /:|

So a paintbrush and few swooshes later the existing flowers were pollinated...

And only 7-10 days later I'm thrilled with the results! Strawberries at least double the size I had been getting :) I also used the same method again last night for more new blooms on the plants. Oh I can't wait to eats zem!