Tag Archives: flower

gardening

Pelargonium

Pelargonium

I was not able to resist the temptation. I saw a package of pelargonium seeds in the store. It was December and the darkest time of the year. But still the best time to try to grow pelargoniums for the next summer.

I knew that my apartment with its merciless central heating was way too hot and dry for my experiment. Pelargoniums like a bit cooler and moist growing environment. Anyway I decided to give it a try.

Pelargoniums are survivors. The can take the most relentless hot summer days and tolerate the bite of first frosts. They just keep on blooming where only few flowers make it.

To my big surprise everything went well. All the seeds germinated and each little seedling made it through the winter with the help of my grow light. In the spring I was able place them in to my balcony and enjoy watching them to flourish. Now it is early September and with a bit of luck I can still enjoy their blooms for two more months.

PS. This winter I think I will saw the seeds already in November to ensure that they start blooming a bit earlier. And I guess I will try few more colors since there are so many available.

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Pink Aquilegia

Pink Aquilegia

My addiction! If there would only be one flower I could grow, it would be aquilegia. I am simply compelled by them.

When I was a child there were always pink aquilegias in my grandmother’s garden. Now the garden belongs to my mom and the aquilegias are still there. I loved collecting their seeds and sprinkling them around. The aquilegias were there and you never knew where they were going to grow next. That is what they do. Aquilegias wonder around your garden. They spent few years in one place and then they pop up somewhere else.

Few years ago I decided that I want to see more variations. Pink was not enough for me. I wanted more. Aquilegias do not bloom during the first year up here in the north. So patience is needed. You see the results early in the second year. Luckily aquilegias are not that sensitive to our harsh winters. My rewards for this summer were Yellow Queen and Red Star.

Aquilegias like to mingle. In other words if you place different varieties close to each other they crossbreed. So you never know what kind of flowers you going to get from the seeds. To make sure that I still have my grandmothers beautiful pink aquilegias I have placed some of them far away from the others.

I just keep on buying more seeds – different colors, different shapes and sizes. Next year I am hoping to see White Star and Nora Barlow blooming. This is an addiction I want to nurture.

PS. I have acquired my seeds from several stores. The one I like is seedaholic.com. They have quick delivery and good instructions for planting. I like planting the seeds early in the spring and directly to the place I want them to grow on. Aquilegias do not want to be moved around. 

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