Tag Archives: seeds

gardening

Hungarian Yellow Wax

chili

For the first time I managed to keep all my three chilies alive over the winter. Usually the long period of darkness and the cruel central heating is too much for them.

It means that I get an early harvest this year. The first chilies are already ready for picking.

And as I already learned last year the Hungarian yellow wax turns red when ripe. I guess I need to find another variety if I want other colors. Sadly do not have much space for wintering them. Need to figure out a solution for this limitation.

 

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Columbine

Columbine1

I do not know why but I have always loved columbines. I used to have only one pink variety which my grandmother had had for many years. I started to calculate that the variety must have been here more than seventy years.

As a child I used to like collecting the aquilegia seeds. That must have started my enthusiasm for columbines.

Currently I have several different colors and shapes growing. Not as many as I would like to have but I guess there is no limit to my greed.

All of them have been grown from a seed. Up here in the north it always takes at least two years to see the first blooms. Well, I guess waiting just makes it more worth while.

Columbine2

 

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Spring

Seeds1

The lake is now free. Liberated from ice and ready for the spring.

The cats are happy. The fishing season has started and they are ready for the fresh fish.

I am thrilled. Finally I can start to plant and grow flowers. My pockets are full of seed packs and I am running around wildly.

The spring came early this year. I have never ever been able to plant anything at this time of the year. It still tries to snow a bit but I do not care.

Only the early Siberian squills are blooming but they are so beautiful and the first promise that others will soon follow.

Seeds2

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Sonata Carmine

Sonata CarmineThe nights have been cold and the temperature has gone below the freezing point several times.

Nearly all the flowers are gone and nature is displaying autumn colors. The trees are starting to be bare from leaves and the lake has gotten a thin layer of ice on it in the mornings.

Usually it is gray and rainy but not this year. It has been a beautiful autumn here in the north. Clear and sunny days. Simply perfect weather for the season.

To my surprise my Sonata Carmines are still alive and blooming in the balcony. I did not expect this to happen but I must admit that I am delighted.

I am growing fonder of cosmos every year. I guess I need to start looking for new varieties.

PS. The summers up here in the north are a bit too short for the Sonata variety of cosmos.

Sonata Carmine

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White Maverick

White MaverickSome of us are just tougher than the others and do not seem to care about the coolness.

Having a balcony high up seems to have its benefits. When you look down to the ground in the morning you can see the whiteness of the frost but it does not reach up to the balcony. If the frost manages to sneak higher it does not get as cold as on the ground level.

This usually gives the geraniums an additional month to bloom.

The Mavericks are still blooming and in this weather the blooms last long. The colors remain striking and it almost seems that the pelargoniums are having the time of their life.

With some luck they will make it to December. Incredibly resistant to the cold nights and low temperatures.

PS. Grew Nanos and Mavericks this year and it made me realize the huge difference between the different varieties of geranium. Nanos remained tiny and Mavericks filled the balcony with massive leafs. Both made beautiful flowers and did well in the pots they had.

White Maverick

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Teddy Bear

Teddy BearThe first frost will come any day now. It has not yet shown itself but you can feel it in the air. It will wipe out the flowers still standing and make us wait seven long months before it will be warm enough for the first spring flowers to bloom.

Our summers are short but full of light. Long days make everything grow fast. Like each day was their last and there would not be tomorrow.

Then comes the winter an endless feeling time period for a gardener. Nothing to do but wait and hope for an early spring.

On this sunny and beautiful autumn day I walked outside saying goodbyes to the few flowers still trying to bloom. Teddy Bear was still standing proudly. This year the summer was too cool for it. Barely it was able to open its flowers on time but there was not enough time for it to produce any seeds for the forthcoming spring.

Luckily I still have some left so I can enjoy its beauty next year as well.

PS. Teddy Bear is one of my favorites. Short but always creating an outstanding show for the audience.

Teddy Bear

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Ruby F1

Ruby F1Now that I have found the sunflowers again I wanted to try a new color. The ones I have cultivate earlier have always been yellow.

I ended up choosing a red variant called Ruby. The summer was cool so I did not expect much from my experiment but in the end it turned out that the Rubies did not mind. Enjoying the constant rains we had.

They grew to be strong and tall and even started to bloom late July which is early here in the north. My reliable Teddy Bears have not even started yet and it will be September before they start their show.

I think I will see red sunflowers next year as well! I was so happy with the results.

When the bud opens the color is red but it slowly fades to orange. They are beautiful to watch in the evening light which really highlights their colors.

PS. Bought my seeds from Stockmann and each seed germinated.

Ruby F1

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Sonata Pink Blush

Sonata Pink BlushI have always admired my mom’s cosmos flowers. She plants the seeds in the spring and collects them in the autumn. The seeds are originally from her dear old friend.

Her cosmos grows quickly and blooms heavily with many different colors. The variety is quick to grow and is used to the short summers we have.

This year I wanted to try a different and a bit shorter variety of cosmos. So I picked a dwarf variety of cosmos called Sonata Pink Blush.

I have to admit that it is no match to my mom’s. For Sonata series our summer is a bit too short. The blooming starts mid-August which too late for my taste. Compared to my mom’s cosmos which starts to bloom already in July.

Though Pink Blush is beautiful. Green with glorious pink flowers. I guess it would just need a warmer summer.

PS. Bough the seeds from http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com and was happy with the quality and the delivery.

Sonata Pink Blush

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Geranium

Nano PinkMy Nano Pink pelargoniums finally stated to bloom!

I planted the seeds in November. I was so sure that blooming would start early in the summer. But was I wrong.

The summer here in the north has been coolest one during this century and this has delayed the plants. My geraniums have grown slowly like everything else this summer.

Pelargoniums tolerate cold well and that is why I moved the seedlings to the balcony in May which was too early. Cold slowed their growth.

But everything is now well and I can enjoy the bright pink blooms.

Nano is a very small geranium variety. My plants are only 6 inches tall which makes them perfect for my balcony.

PS. I bought the seeds from http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com and each one of them germinated.

Nano Pink

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Baby Blue Eyes

Baby Blue Eyes

Each year it is fun try something new. You never know how the new comers will do and how they will turn out to be.

This year I sowed some Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila Menziesii) seeds. I just saw them on a web site and decided to give them a try. Originally my idea was to grow them in a terrarium but ended up planting them outside.

I got lucky. My babies started to bloom in the beginning of July. The summer has been cool but they did not seem to mind.

The flowers themselves are small but the color is so beautiful and blooms many.

I guess I need to buy these seeds for the next summer as well.

PS. Bought the seeds from http://www.seedaholic.com. Just love the name of the site.

Baby Blue Eyes

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