Garden Stories
Garden.True.North is about gardening in Zone 3,
sharing thoughts, ideas and tips for all northern gardeners.
sharing thoughts, ideas and tips for all northern gardeners.
This arrangement includes: Nigella, Dahlia, Zinnia, and Borage. Every year I try to grow something new. This year's experiment included Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist) and Borage. Both have proven to be winners for putting in flower arrangements. I've also added a few new varieties of dahlias (“Park Princess”, Bush ‘Cancun’, and “Melody Dora”) that have been producing blooms since mid-July. All are represented in this bouquet.
Both of these flowers attract pollinators so they are good additions to a garden insectary. See this blog post from the North Country Master Gardener Volunteers on what is an insectary. For more information on Love-in-a-Mist; the University of Wisconsin has a Garden Fact Sheet.
I have left some of both of these plants to go to seed and am looking forward to seeing how readily they both self-seed. However, I'm not going to take a chance; both will be on next year's seed order.
0 Comments
![]() Spring started this week which gets gardeners excited like kids anticipating Christmas. Except it is still way too early to start gardening. Even starting seeds is at most about 6 weeks before planting and we usually can not plant until late May. I’ve always thought the astrological seasons were off kilter; even meteorological seasons are too early for those in Zone 3. Yesterday we received about an inch of snow which is now melting on top of the foot of snowpack left from our winter that started before Thanksgiving (i.e. “fall”). What can a gardener rely on to determine the proper planting time? Late winter and early spring are the time to check out catalogs, place seed orders and start seeds. Learn more about several seed starting techniques from Sue Reinardy, UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in an upcoming webinar. Sue has volunteered her time to create and deliver this webinar that will feature: deciphering catalog and seed package jargon, proper planting conditions and several techniques including the winter sown planted method that you can start now.
This webinar can be attended from any home computer or device with an internet connection, microphone and camera. Instructions to access the course will be provided a few days before the start of the class. Registration is required through WITC at courses.witc.edu Enter "Early Seed Starting" in the search box. The registration fee is $13.50, and for those 62+ it is $9.00 .
Read more to discover the Winter Sown method of seed starting. The pictures are of a milk jug seed container cut in half, then taped shut until the weather was warm enough to expose the seedlings to the elements.
“I want some pretty flowers”, I overheard the tall slim man with a small round container of succulents in his hand declare to the garden center clerk. Here’s a place where there is a smorgasbord of flowers in abundance. I wondered how she would guide this customer. I didn’t hear her answer but the man replied with “something like pansies”. Good choice I thought as pansies are usually my very first purchase of the year to start the garden season.
|
Subscribe to this blog and receive new posts by email!
Use the link below and follow the instructions. You will be asked to verify your subscription. If you do not receive the verification email, look for it in your social or spam folders. 2021 ProgramsWITC Classes Archives
January 2021
Categories
All
|