Success With Sprouting Daylily Seeds!

Well, only one seed so far, but that is progress!

Approximately two weeks ago, I purchased several Daylily cross seeds from the Daylily Exchange Site auction page, http://www.daylily.com/cgi-bin/auction.cgi. Then I began the germination process with just a few to start with. The last batch of seeds I bought elsewhere didn't do do well and I lost all of them.

I have been trying the "On The Rocks" method of germinating, with a slight change at the beginning. Instead of placing the seeds on the rocks from the get go, I placed the seeds in a 1 part bleach, 9 parts tap water solution for 15 minutes. Then swished in plain water for 10 minutes. 

After that, I had cooled, room temperature boiled water ready for the next solution. I mixed 1 part Hydrogen Peroxide with 9 parts of the boiled water (room temperature). I labeled glass jars (any clear container will likely work), added some of the solution an inch or so deep in each container, then placed the seeds in their related jars.

The jars were covered with zippy sandwich bags, placed in a warm area of the house and then covered with a towel to block out light.

The seeds were placed in the H2O2 solution on Friday, May 9, 2014. 

The seeds I have on hand:

Northern Rose x Forestlake Ragamuffin - 6 seeds (3 in H2O2 solution 5/13/14)

Caeser's Head x Forestlake Ragamuffin - 3 seeds (3 in H2O2 solution 5/9/14)

Northern Rose x Leroy - 8 seeds - (3 in H2O2 solution 5/9/14)

Stylus Lake Sunset x Momentum - 5 seeds (none set)

Momentum x Hidden Riches - 7 seeds (none set)

The first seed has sprouted, a (Northern Rose x Leroy) on May 13, 2014. This seed is now in a 1 oz container with a layer of aquarium gravel, weak fertilizer solution reaching just to the top of the rocks.

Now that I am confident this method CAN work, I will be setting up some of the other crosses.

This is my year for working on growing from seed!

Morning Glory Grow Out Project Day 6

I joined a wonderful gardening forum, called Plant Swap, www.plantswap.net. I am hoping that being active in this forum will help this year's gardening be more productive and FUN! 

Last year's gardening was an epic fail. Medical issues, various difficulties, and no inspiration. 

So, to get things off to a happy beginning and learn some new things for inspiration, I signed up for the Morning Glory Grow Out! The hostess provided videos and tutorials for getting the seeds off to a fast start and we all shared ideas on how to grow them and keep them thriving indoors. I started about 2 months behind everyone, but am enjoying the process.

On March 28, 2014, I nicked and soaked four seeds overnight, then planted them in little peat pellets on the 29th. They sprouted and began showing their baby leaves on day 4!

Here they are at Day #6. The roots were beginning to grow out of the pellets, so I transplanted them, carefully, to larger pots and one creamer container. The cotyledon leaves are looking healthy! 

 

 

One is in a newspaper pot and the seedlings behind are Hollyhocks.

 

Here's to a more successful gardening season for all!

Spring is Coming!

I am so looking for Spring. I love the Winter. Snow makes a handy tool for dragging bags of horse feed on the sled. Much preferred over trying to use the wheel barrow in mud!
One daylily is coming up. I have been looking at them for the past week or so. Finally! I do have bigger plans for the flower and veggie gardens this year. We'll see.
Being as we have a little bit more money each month, I can do a little bit more. I plan to:
Plant 3 more daylily varieties.
Plant more echanacia (SP??)
Select a couple of Irises (haven't picked my to die for color yet) and maybe some perennial greenery. Of course I plan to add some marigolds grown from seed. And try to start some other annuals by seed as well.
Fist is to till the area for the flower bed (taking care not to disturb the daylilies that survived the winter), then work on a low chickenwire fencing.
Possibly some before and after pictures.....I'll take a pic or two this evening during chores.

Woke up to snow and chickens and ducks

Image via WikipediaWoke up to a little snow this morning. I enjoyed a cloudy day yesterday hoping for some rain. About 2am the rain changed to snow and we got about 2 inches. I brought the seedlings in from the greenhouse and put them on the pellet stove. Not quite cold enough to fire up the stove.
The hatching of chicken eggs didn't go so well this time around. While cleaning and vacuuming, I must have accidentally nudged the plug-in and didn't notice until later that the incubator wasn't kicking on. It got down to 75 degrees F. Half the embryos died. We ended up with 12 living chicks, one pushed half way out then died, one hatched with splayed legs and did not survive.
Today I am going with a friend to one of her friend's houses to pick up a Buff Orpington Rooster that decided he was not happy with his mom for going on vacation for two weeks (honeymoon actually) and turned on her. While there, we are going to discuss having me hatch some duck eggs. I don't know what to charge, especially being as I really don't know what I am doing in that department. Decided I would make a bid of $20 for a dozen living ducklings. Starting with 18 eggs. Especially because this is going to be the initial hatching experiment and I value the learning experience over a monetary gain.
Will likely kill "Red" since 3 roosters is too many. I love the Orpingtons.

The Perennial Garden

50% success rate on the perennial garden! Finally! Year in and year out, I have never been able to get a good start on a perennial garden. The plants would die every winter and never come back,
Last June I planted an Echenacia, foxglove, 3 daylilies and something else I don't remember the name of. Pretty light blue fringed flowers.
The dayliies are coming up as well as the unknown. The Echenacia and foxglove have not come up yet. Still harboring a glimmer of hope, I am watering them anyway. I would like to add some hostas and a different perennial to the garden this year. Something for hummingbirds.
Our neighbors sold their house and gave us one of the spare garden benches. I created a cinder path and sitting area near the perennial and veggie garden.
Recommended reading - The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques

How to Design a Butterfly Garden

Cultivating and maintaining a butterfly garden can be a beautiful and unique idea for environment conservation. With over 700 different butterfly species in North America, it is easy to attract them to your yard.

Butterflies are an important part of the environment. The caterpillars and adults are both food sources for birds, bats and other wildlife. The adults pollinate flowers, and also the blooms of vegetables.

The size of your butterfly garden is of no real importance. Start small and add new plants yearly. Try clumping several of the same type of plants together as butterflies are nearsighted and are attracted to large clusters of color. Place the garden strategically in a sunny area that is partially protected from winds and relatively closely to any vegetable gardens. Choose plants that are popular to butterflies and provide them with nectar.

To provide a source of water, without encouraging mosquitoes, try placing a sheet of aluminum foil in an open area and add a shallow layer of aquarium gravel, creating a small shallow depression in the center to create a small puddle. As you water the flowers, this drinking pool will retain moisture. Just enough for the butterflies but not enough for mosquitoes to lay their eggs.

I want to attract many different species of butterflies to my gardens, so I select perennials suited to each species that is commonly found in my area.

The end of Winter is coming, making plans

... a bit too soon?
I finally remembered I had some tulip bulbs in the closet over the Fall and Winter and decided I better get them in the fridge. Too late! They had already started sprouting. So into pots they went and are doing well. I may need to bury the bulbs a little deeper.
Then I was wanting to start some blackberry seeds and completely forgot to put them in the fridge/freezer.They are currently in little solo cups of soil spending two days in the freezer, then a thaw, then back in the fridge. We'll see how that goes.
Trying to keep the greenhouse warm through the winter did not work well at all. At least I tried. New ideas for next Winter. It's late enough in the season now that I can hopefully talk hubby into letting me heat it so I can start peppers and tomatoes.

Slight OT Pumpkin Carving......papier mache style

I know, I know.... this is not really gardening related.... but it is Halloween and Pumpkin carving.....saving the real pumpkins for pies! LOL!
This is just too cool not to share. I think we may have to try this. Since we don't grow pumpkins and large pumpkins are expensive and last two or three days....
http://www.stolloween.com/?page_id=67&ref=nf

  

Avocado Pits

We started the one on the far left in July. All went really well, then the “stalkling” seemed to dry up. Still hoping a sucker will develop since the roots are developing at an astounding rate. Brought home two Mexicola avocadoes and started again. Both have split and the nodules are starting to sprout.

I’m really depressed over the burned out seedling. Chalk it up to a learned experience – keep the blinds down. I am sure the sun sunburned the poor thing. 

We’re just about ready to start the peach pits. They’ve been in the fridge for about 2 months now.

  

Bubble Wrapping the Greenhouse

It's still early October, but we got our first 33 degree night already!

I started insulating the greenhouse yesterday with bubble wrap. Purchased two 150ft rolls. I am just about half way through with taping the panels. Wasn't sure how much "air space" would be ideal. So, I decided to tape it up with the bubbles on the inside.

My hopes are to be able to grow salad fixings throughout the Fall and Winter seasons in the greenhouse. Trial and error.

I still need to paint more gallon jugs black. Enough to line the walls along the floor. With the greenhouse being only 6'x8', I don't have space for the larger barrels. Then  I will utilize a small electric heater. The main goal will be to prevent freezing temps.

I would certainly love to hear of others' methods of winter greenhouse gardening. The more "GREEN" solar type info I can get, the better. Not needing the heater would be the ultimate goal..... zone 5b

Adding a Bird Bath to garden area

During the hot dry early Summer I had noticed that there very few hummingbirds visiting the feeders. I put plain water in one feeder hoping that might attract a few more.
They finally re-appeared after a two-week long deluge of rain.
Yesterday morning, while watching the sprinkler water the garden, I saw two little hummers playing in the sprinkles! Sitting on the fence having a shower. So I decided they needed a little bird bath..... making do for this season as the hummingbird migration will soon be underway. I am planning ahead for next Spring!
I found 100's of Bird Baths at Garden.com that are offered at fantastic prices. The selection is great and I am planning my garden around the one I choose! I might just get two, one to keep shallow for the hummers and one for the big guys.

Image via Wikipedia

     We’ve been having some nice rain showers this past week. Gentle rain which is unusual for around here. It is usually a hard punishing rain. The tomato plants are doing much better. Two tiny tomatoes so far. I planted these three plants that were given to me by a friend last weekend. She forgot the names of them so we’re in for a surprise! Transplanted 3 pepper plants just before the rains started.

Scheduling for an MRI

Had too much fun with all the gardening and tree trimming! I thought my shoulder was acting up and scheduled an appt to see the PA who assisted with my shoulder surgery in August.

The results from the exam today are that there may be a bad disc in my neck causing the pain that is running from my shoulder all the way down to my elbow and sometimes wrist. I have complained of a neck ache. We'll see what the MRI shows. The good news is that possible therapy and injections will take care of the problem.

Gardening duties were light. Planted out a tomato plant that was gifted to me and a young cucumber plant. Also potted up some red petunias that my son bought for me. A bit of weeding and watering. The foxgloves are beautiful.

The avacado pit is beginning to separate. I've successfully "started" an avacado (some 25 years ago). Decided to experiment with a few pits and seeds. "C" had such fun growing a potato in a container in the LR. We did it completely incorrectly and produced one small potato about the size of a pencil eraser. The vine grew 6 ft long. In the plan are: apple seeds, peach pits (in the hull and hulled), and will let "C" look through the organic stuff and see what catches his eye.

Stop and enjoy the wildlife

Took yesterday off from yard work and tree trimming. Went on a day trip and picnicked in the forest of eastern AZ and western NM. I spotted a young bull elk and a little later on, R spotted a small herd of deer does. After lunch and headed back, C spotted a cow elk and two turkeys.

Today, we will work on trimming 3 or 4 more trees. I want to circle them with the over abundance of lava rock all over the place. Then I would like to plant some annuals and perennials inside the little “islands”. I am making a shopping list of flower bulbs to purchase.

Veggies are doing ok. Corn is off to a slow start. The broccoli is doing great, peas and greenvbeans are coming up. In the greenhouse, gardening is doing great. We have radishes, carrots, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes and the marigolds are finally sprouting.

Yesterday one of the new daylilies bloomed! Absolutely gorgeous red color. I thought I had plenty of time to take a picture, but I guess the greenhouse is just too warm and it has already expired. The same plant has another but ready to bloom. I won't miss getting some shots of this one!!!
BloomingBulb has a great sale going on a wide variety of flower bulbs. I plan to puchase the New Toy daylily and unfortunately the Pandora's Box is sold out, so that one is on my wish list!

For quality flower bulbs and perennial plants at rock bottom prices, go to BloomingBulb.com

Monthly Showers

How often do you shower your houseplants? As part of my indoor gardening, I have several beneficial houseplants throughout the house.
I set aside one day a month to give those houseplants (not the African Violets!) a good shower! Pop two or three in the tub and use the shower extention to spray them with tepid temperature water. Free of dust, the soil gets a good saturation.
A kitchen sink with a spray extention also works well.

Tough Start with a more traditional style garden

Sharing in the struggles, triumphs and failures of gardening at 7,000 ft elevation. Added to the challenges, we are located on the fringes of an extinct volcano field and experience short growing seasons.

I've successfully grown veggies in a small raised bed via the “Square Foot Gardening” method the past few years. Other gardening friends have pushed and nudged me into tackling a larger more traditional style garden this year.

With the short growing seasons, we really needed a greenhouse. We chose a small 6'x8' from Harbor Freight. It lasted a total of 21 hours! The common high winds reached 70mph and that darling greenhouse was flattened like a pancake! We salvaged the panels; reconstructed the framework with 2”x4”'s and salvaged the entire roof structure.

I would like to start a perennial flower garden this year as well....