Landscapes, Greenhouses, and future rainbows

Waxahachie, TX
2.7.08!

I am always trying to squeeze gardening into my day. I have an orchid that I picked up on a recent vacation in California. It smells like chocolate. It is not a large showy orchid, but has a multitude of mauve to Burgundy blooms on each stem when it does bloom. Unfortunately, the bloom time is over, but I am nurturing it along. I'm not the best with indoor plants, so I put it on the back right hand side of my kitchen sink to ensure careful attention and a way to tend to my own hankering for dirt digging.

And down in the greenhouse, I have many seedlings popping up. I was worried. I planted these about 3 weeks ago and they were supposed to germinate in 7-10 days. I have been having difficulty with my heating system. It is a long dismal story with many $$$$ stacking up. Last week I sucked it up and ordered a new heating unit. I had scheduled a gardening class to come in and I have already postponed the class there was nothing green in my greenhouse, I had no choice. There is something about seeds....seeds give me hope. I never cease to be amazed that even the tiniest of seeds produce life. Some seeds, for instance the eve's necklace the seed can lay on the forrest for as long as 10 years and given the right conditions it will still germanate.

Speaking of seeds, I just returned from Fredricksburg and I only ran into Wildseed Farm for a minute. There is so much to see there but we were on a whirlwind trip and I forced myself to only go in pick up the seed I needed and scoot on down the road. Last year I planted orange king, purple and red queen zennias from there and they did great. They grew especially tall and in the cut flower business height is essential. I purchased rockett mixed larkspur, zennias, red poppies and Texas blue bonnets. It is late for larkspur, poppies, and blue bonnets, but I have planted them late before and they have done fine. Last year I put in 5 new rather large beds for the cut flower garden, I decided to throw some larkspur and poppy seed in those beds just for fun. They will come up early bloom and be gone before the late spring flowers pop up, it will be a rainbow of color early spring. Luckily, we had just a taste of spring weather last Sunday. I had my 18 month old grandaughter and couldn't do too much in the garden, but when she took her nap I left her in the house with Grandpa and dashed out. Amazingly, I was able to water the greenhouse, throw out the larkspur, bluebonnet and red poppie seed before she woke up. I also cleaned out a vegetable garden box and planted sweet 10 onions. In Texas onions can be set out much earlier than now, but I tell you I am excited to get these out, some years I am much later!! Baby Rena joined me in the garden after she woke up. She and I dug up love- in- the mist and transplanted them to 4" pots. I quickly scooped up a tray of 20 plants while Rena was wondering across the yard. Rena was finished with the gardening so I through in the trowel, but I could not bare to go inside yet the day was so gorgeous, so I scooped the little one up and took her to the porch swing together we soaked up the the remaining warm rays of the untimely and unexpected sunny day.

Tomorrow my business partner Judie and I are off to measure another landscape. Then we are headed to Fort Worth to a Green house supply company for some heating mats for our seedlings. We hope to take in an early evening meal and head of to Lucy Harrell's Ladie's In the Garden Organic night in Arlington. Tomarrow is so full of gardening events that I wil have to squeeze some housework into my day!!!