Tag Archives: dianthus

Ye Olde Garden

I ♥ violas

1/23/2011 Penny Red Blotch Viola or some other cultivar?

Aside from the ornamental kale, dianthus and the lone felicia, the only cool weather color in my gardens are supplied by violas. The blooms come and go in waves, and today, the red and white violas shine the brightest in an otherwise dreary flower bed.

I’ve determined that the white violas may not be Penny series after all. They came labeled as Rocky Pure White; however, the closest determination I’ve made on the vivid red violas is Arkwright Ruby or Penny Red Blotch. However, none of the pictures I’ve seen compare to the bright red and gold-rimming of my garden specimens. I have to assume however, that coming from Strong’s Nursery, that it is likely a Penny series viola.

The only Sorbets displaying color are in the gardenia bed; as usual, the Orange Duets perform the best, constantly in flower. I had occasion to find a Coconut Swirl here and there, but it seems the Sorbets (Black Duets, Blue Heavens and the Swirls) are taking a brief respite.

1/23/2011 I ♥ violas (1) 1/23/2011 I ♥ violas (2) 1/23/2011 I ♥ violas (3) 1/23/2011 I ♥ violas (4) 1/23/2011 I ♥ violas (5) 1/23/2011 I ♥ violas (6) 1/23/2011 I ♥ violas (7) 1/23/2011 I ♥ violas (8) 1/23/2011 I ♥ violas (9)
Ye Olde Garden

Seed starting 2011 part 2

My Stokes Seed order arrived this week. My first sowing from the new arrivals includes the Alyssum Wonderland White and Wonderland Mulberry Mix. I’ve also started a couple of garlic chives and the hybrid impatiens (Xtreme Hot Mix) seed I ordered from last year. Like the impatiens, the alyssum seeds are tiny, and I’ve resorted to spreading them into plastic trays. I will need to ensure I mist them regularly.

 

The first rosemary cutting isn’t looking too good after being in the dirt for a week or two now. I imagine it needs better watering than what it’s been receiving so far. I’ve put another rosemary cutting next to it and hope for the best. I’ve also taken a cutting of the Tropical Breeze verbena and put it into water. I’m unsure if it will take, but it will be interesting to find out if it can be easily propagated. The lone specimen I have sitting in the planter has stopped flowering and has instead begun to expand, setting out trailers and new foliage.

The dianthus cutting that’s taken root has put out a bud, which I found while sowing. I don’t have the heart to pinch it back, even though I should. I should take some white dianthus cuttings to propagate.

Nearly everything sown from the beginning of the month has sprouted. One or two ornamental peppers have yet to break out of the ground and all of the pansies have failed to germinate so far. I’m about out of room to sow any more seed in plastic dinner trays and will have to consider using up the rest of the Burpee tray to grow anything new. Now I’m wishing I had more grow lights and counter space for indoor gardening.

Meanwhile, I’ve found some good reading and tips on winter sowing at WinterSown.org.

Ye Olde Garden

Seed starts and purchases

It’s been a week since sowing, and the first plants out of the gate are the basils. Nearly all the basil plants have sprouted their first set of baby leaves. I have to remind myself to look closer at the Red Rubin basils because their dark purple color blends into the soil background. It only took 3 days for the basil to put out their first roots. I regret not having collected some of the lime basil seeds while I had them available. I hope to find some volunteers in the garden this spring.

Monday holidays are for shopping. So I put in a large order of seeds at various outlets:

Artemisia vulgaris Oriental Limelight 2x Accents from Home & Garden
Felicia amelloides variegata Variegated Felicia 2x Accents from Home & Garden
Petunia x hybrida Easy Wave Series Flag Mix 1×10 Swallowtail Gardens Seeds
Aquilegia caerulea Origami Blue & White 1×15 Swallowtail Gardens Seeds
Aquilegia caerulea Origami Red & White 1×15 Swallowtail Gardens Seeds
Delosperma floribunda Starburst 1×50 Swallowtail Gardens Seeds
Heteropappus meyendorfii Blue Knoll Chrysanthemum 1×15 Park Seeds
Phlox drummondii 21st Century Blue Star 1×15 Park Seeds
Cosmos sulfureus Cosmic Red 1×50 Park Seeds
Cosmos sulfureus Cosmic Yellow 1×50 Park Seeds
Catharanthus roseus Vinca Titan Mix 1×25 Stokes Seed
Lobularia maritima Wonderland White 1×250 Stokes Seed
Lobularia maritima Wonderland Copper 1×250 Stokes Seed
Lobularia maritima Wonderland Mulberry Mix 2×250 Stokes Seed
Thymophylla tenuiloba Dahlberg Daisy 1×50 Stokes Seed
Salvia coccinea Lady in Red 1×25 Burpee
Dianthus chinensis Valentine 1×75 Burpee

Out of the order above, only the Artemisia and Felicia are live plant orders. I suspect I may not get these plants until Delaware comes out of their freeze. I should remember to pay attention to such things…and January is just too early to be ordering plants.

Ye Olde Garden

Seed starting 2011 part 1 and blues speculation

12/31/10 Iona Clear Blue Pansy on display at Arboretum Trial gardenIt snowed today, first snow of 2011. Good thing I broke out the grow lights from the shed earlier this week. I am reusing the Burpee grow system, minus their grow pellets. The man bought me two bags of seed starting soil, which I packed in half of the plastic cells. This morning I got to sow some seeds:  6x Red Rubin Basil, 6x Thai Basil, 6x Jupiter Bell Pepper, 6x Calico Ornamental Pepper, 6x Purple Flash Ornamental Pepper, 2x unnamed Thai Chili, and 4x Pansy seeds which I “borrowed” from the Arboretum trial gardens…I believe the cultivar was Iona Heavenly Blue.

I also planted a rosemary cutting which had a single root after about a week sitting in water. I have another sprig of rosemary and a red dianthus chinensis sitting it water, waiting to see them root. I need to remember to take some cuttings of the verbena and the felicia daisy.

While my attention is on the blue flowers, I must express my affection for the felicia daisy which has bloomed sporadically up to this month. This Cape Town Blue daisy has displayed amazing tolerance for the heat and cold, enduring the summer in a planter, and now mulched int the blue bed. I have tried to capture seeds from it to no avail; so perhaps taking some cuttings may work.

I also have hopes to see the Diana Blueberry dianthus blooms, though I know it won’t come even close to a true blue. Even so, a pale lavender will be a rare sight to see on a dianthus. Speaking of dianthus, these are the only seedlings that I’m aware of that have made it to the garden. The Red Peppermint dianthus seedlings unfortunately perished–to the best of my knowledge–due to heat well before they made it into the ground. I believe the dianthuses in the purple garden were all store-bought this year, and there are some purple, picotees and parfaits that have endured.

As I am browsing my camera pics, I am reminded of the beauty of the annual phlox, however fleeting it was. It seems that growing them from seeds may be too challenging for the home gardener, since I have yet to find any outlets offering them. I believe the 4 specimens that I picked up at Covington’s this last year were of the Phoenix Sky variety, a lovely pale purple star surrounded by white-cream. I’ll keep hunting, though reading suggest that these phloxes are cool-weather annuals.

The angelonia have succumbed finally to the winter cold; the purple variety which seemed a bit sturdier has browned like the whites. It’s amazing how these angelonia have grown so tall and wide from modest specimens. They definitely need more room if we plan on using them again next year.