Let the Sprouting Begin!

I was so excited this morning when I went downstairs and disvcovered that some o f the seeds I planted on Monday had sprouted. I knew they would but I'm still always in awe of the miracle of it all. The Cosmos are the first. I still have lenty of seeds to plant this weekend.

I read about a method of sprouting seeds using a moistened paper towel and a plastic zip loc bag today. It sounded like a good way to test sprout the gazillion seeds I have in my seed box that are old. I'll have to spend some more time searching the web about it.

In the meantime, let the sprouting begin!

Garden Shoes

I do believe my quest for the perfect garden shoe has ended. I will know for sure when I actually get an opportunity to try these out in the garden. I ordered these Sloggers from Amazon.com.

Only $19.95!

I was considering the new BOGs Burnside shoes but the Sloggers were considerably less expensive. Figured I had nothing to lose. The quality appears really good and they fit well with lightweight socks or without socks. I'm thinking they are a winner!

Seeds

I dusted off the old plant stand today. Kurt made it several years ago using directions I found in a garden magazine. I haven't used it in quite a while so I was happy to find that the lights still worked. The seed trays were prefilled with soil...a little pricey but well worth it as it saved me a ton of time. I still have some seed starting mix and more empty trays so I will plant some more this weekend. Today I planted the Kallio tomatoes as well as two other tomoato varieties, Cosmos, Delphinium, Larkspur, Cosmos and Basil. The seeds will be under the lights 24/7 as they grow.

Daffodils Have Sprouted!

Just a few quick pics of the first sprouts of daffodils. Looks like I have lots of cleanup to do. The temps have been in the high 50s/low 60s the past few days. The ground is still frozen and there are still a few snow mounds on the front lawn. Nevertheless, Spring is definately on it's way!

Chicago Flower and Garden Show

These are some pics I took at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. I was able to rope Danielle and Krista into going with me.

What a fabulous day!

First we went to Danielle's brother's deli on Michigan Ave. Panozzo's. We bought all sorts of yummy Italian stuff...sausage, meatballs, cheese. We also each got a sandwich figuring it would be tastier than the concession food at the show.

The displays at the show were truly amazing. Here are a few of my favorite pics of the day. (all taken with my iPhone because my camera battery died)

Hellebores were definately the plant of the day...they were in virtually all the displays. Hen and chicks were also popular...particularly in the window box displays.

The gazebo was my favorite. Couldn't wait to get home to show Kurt...I think we definately have a new pond project on the agenda!

Spring is Springing

...it hasn't yet fully "sprung" but it is definately on the way. Saw a chipmunk this morning. Haven't seen those little fellas in a long time. Also seeing lots of robins now and geese flying north.

Yippee!

I hope to plant some seeds later today. Ordered some tomato (Kallio) and Basil from Terroir. The Kallio seeds are supposed to do well in cooler climates so they should be good for up north.

Danielle, Krista and I went to the Chicago Garden and Flower show a couple of weeks ago. It was great for motivation and inspiration. There were many Hellebores in almost all of the displays...absolutely beautiful. They are definately a "must have" for this year.

I also was "on-line shopping happy" with gardening toys this week. I ordered a telescoping lopper from Fiskars, Slogger garden shoes $19.95 and some garden gloves. I also bought a new transplanting spade and a Fiskars pole pruner at Steins. The new pruner and lopper should help with all the back breaking bending and kneeling.

Bring on the Spring Cleanup!

Gnome Sweet Home

Can't you just see a little gnome popping his head out of this hole? This tree belongs to my friend T. I can see it when I kayak around the lake and linger in the cove. I've often sat there waiting...dreaming...

Thrillers, Fillers & Spillers

P5280729 a photo by gardenlife on Flickr.

I'm not sure who first coined this design principle for container gardening...I may have read about it in Fine Gardening. A quick Google search resulted in many hits for "thrillers, spillers and fillers". Here's the link to the Fine Gardening Article.

http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/thrillers-fillers-spillers.aspx

The basic concept is simple. You select 3 levels or focal points for your container. First, the thriller...it can be something tall to draw your eye up or it can be especially showy...basically, your leading role or main event. The filler is the middle layer, supporting roles, if you will. It may be something that contrasts with your thriller, perhaps a medium height flower or something will smaller features. Plants with complimenting foliage that enhance your thriller are ideal. Lastly, the spiller adds some extra dimension and texture to your container.

This photo is actually of a container I threw together when I was thinning out some of the beds. The "thriller" is an Evening Primrose, the "fillers" are two varieties of Lamium and the "spiller" is some Moneywort (Creeping Jenny). It is just beginning to "spill" on the left. I think I have a picture of it from later in the season...I'll have to see if I can find it.

Lovely Lupine

Lupine
Originally uploaded by gardenlife

By far, Lupine are among my favorite flowers. Krista first gave me a few seedlings years ago. They have been blooming at will in my garden ever since.

Last year T and I each sowed some wild Lupine seeds. Her's grew so well but mine struggled along all summer. Not sure if it was lack or sun, poor soil or my dog tromping over them. I'm anxious to see if any come back this year. In the meantime, I have many more seeds to sow this year. Since I failed to do it last fall, I will try to plant them this spring. I read (somewhere!) that you can spread the seed over the snow in late winter/early spring. I may tryI this with some of the seeds. I will also try to plant some in pots. It will be an experiment as so much of my gardening is.