Starting to order your seeds?

[chyna]

Anybody else starting their seed/plant orders for this summer? I put one in to Gurney's for mostly veggies and herbs. Come to think of it that is all I ordered. Raspberries, strawberries, veggies and some herbs. I will be building the planter boxes this spring for the side of the house and filling them up with all this stuff except for the raspberries and strawberries. Then I can finish the walkway over there and be able to get the lawn mower upfront with out carrying it.

I'll have to order/buy some flower seeds later and still need to put in my order to Stark Bros for a couple of trees. I must like digging holes or something.

[ChapterTwo]

You must have been looking over my shoulder this afternoon, Tanya! I was going through the Bluestone Perennials online catalog to place an order, because their 15% discount expires on the 18th. Oooooh, it's so exciting to think about all the plants and flowers!

I definitely want to get a mock orange plant. The scent of that plays a big part in my childhood memory, as my mother had one right by the door to the house. I always connect the scent with Memorial Day, because that's when it was in bloom. :)

[Lisa S]

My mock orange is my very favorite plant in my garden. The blossoms smell heavenly.

[RoseMary]

I'm working on my list, too.

Have any of you ever grown ornamental okra? My SIL is sending some seeds to me. Her grandmother grows it and says it tastes very good, but I've only grown the smaller okra~which I love:).

I bought some sugar snap pea seeds at the store and our neighbor stopped by and plowed up our potato plot for us. I'll probably get them out in a couple of weeks.

Our neighbor also gave us about 30 strawberry plants. I put them out in some temporary boxes until we get our square foot box ready for them.

[Lisa S]

Another reason I wish we all lived closer!!! We could share crops and seeds. Darn.

[Nikki]

I bought some sweet pea seeds a few days ago. Those and a pack of gourmet-blend lettuce seeds are the only things I've bought so far. I sort of have a "black thumb" when it comes to seeds, but sweet peas & lettuce are pretty much invincible :p

Where do you guys shop for your seeds? A local gardening store here sells Territorial Seeds, which are the ones I normally buy. Lisa, you might be familiar with them since they are an Oregon company.

[Deb D]

I love Territorial. I sent my order in January, and got it already. I'm starting onions from seed this year, and they are already out in the propagator. It will take them awhile to get big enough to go outside.

Lat year I sent for tomato plants from them. You can try single varieties. I'm going for short season kinds. I also managed to grow an eggplant.

There's still snow on the ground here, but the corners of the raised beds are sticking out. I put a plastic tunnel over one of the beds to winter some things over. I've got some lettuce in there too, but it needs to warm up before it comes back to life.

It's time for me to be pruning my fruit trees.

Other seed sources I like are Seeds of Change and Nichol's Garden Nursery.

[Lisa S]

I'll have to check out Territorial. I haven't heard of them.

[ChapterTwo]

Lisa - How old and how big is your mock orange? Do you prune it? The one that my Mom had just grew wild, and it was lovely that way, but I'm wondering if they're supposed to be more "neat" looking. I agree - there's nothing that smells like Spring more than mock orange! :)

[rubyslippers]

Hello all ... I'm still in the "drooling" phase ... it will take me awhile to figure out what I want to order (specifically this year). I just did some googling regarding the "mock orange" - - my "real" orange tree didn't really make it last year indoors. However, I am now interested in this "mock" variety. I am also enthralled by the idea of planting some snowball shrubs or trees. I'm not really sure what to call them. Does anyone have one? Where are they happies? How do they thrive? I'm getting excited. I will certainly plant some tomatoes and some peppers; however, I still may be "containering-it" this year. My major focus will have to be reclaiming (or just flat out claiming) my yard this year. Bye all, Jenny

[rubyslippers]

I was clicking around on a gardening website and stumbled upon white clover seeds. The article indicated that prior to the widespread use of pesticides we all had white clover in our yards. (I certainly remember this familiar little plant from my childhood lawn.) Anyway, the idea is that this hardy little plant produces pretty flowers, promotes nitrogen in the soil, AND battles other pesky weeds drifting from neighbors yards as well as your own. The user comments indicate that this is not an appropriate product for a yard "perfectionist", but it does fill in bald patches quickly and provide an attractive sort of wildflower look at the edge of less "managed" and "natural" gardens.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this stuff? It certainly is pretty. I will be sowing grass this year in "hard-to-grow" grass areas. I will probably order some because I was the little kid who never understood why dandelions were weeds. Maybe my house could be named clover hollow or something (as opposed to something like "Run - - the ivy is invading - - oh my!")

Also, I want some feedback ... should I do single color iris plantings, or just go all out and get a blast of color? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Thanks,

Mrs. Ruby-Clover-Ivy-Iris-Wants-It-To-Be-Sunny-Slippers

[RoseMary]

Jenny, thanks for reminding me of white clover:)~I haven't seen any in years. That really could be a solution to some areas in my yard.

My opinion on the iris? I love lots of color, sort of a 'wild' look, like English cottage gardens, so I'd mix them:D. But, my mom has all of hers planted in little plots of the same color and they look pretty, too. I think it is just your own preference:).

[Lisa S]

I have a large snowball "tree" in our yard. It blooms around the same time as our lilac. It's thriving and beautiful, but I've noticed that it blooms more on the neighbor's side of the bush instead of ours, (the east side). The blooms look pretty in an arrangement on their own or with the lilacs.

[rubyslippers]

I am not much for straight rows and neat pots, so I imagine the irises will be kind of wild and zany if they cooperate. As for the white clover, I am rather enthralled. Evidently there is a nice little ratio you can mix in with your grass seed to get some overall clover coverage. With that said, I think I just might like to dust it around the edges of some beds. I don't weed-eat every little corner of things, so a little "on-purpose" dusting of clover could really go a long way.

It is hard to believe I haven't seen it in years. Maybe I should just plant the clover in a pot ... that would just be funny. Clover, dandelions, and those little teeny-tiny periwinkle flower weeds ... what are those things called? I bet that would be the coolest thing to have a little container garden of "weeds" - - okay, I am embarrassed now that I am laughing out loud.

Bye all - - Jenny

P.S. Thanks for the advice about the snowball tree Lisa. Did you plant yours? Is it in a sunny location? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Lisa S]

I inherited mine. It's about 20 feet tall and in a very sunny spot.

[Deb D]

The snowball bush is a kind of viburnum.www.sustainable-gardening.com/Shrubs/Snowballviburnum- SustainableGardeningwithSusanHarris.php

Many of the old homesteads in the Northwest have these growing. For as long as I can remember, my family has taken bouquets of snowballs and deep red peonies to the cemetery on Memorial Day. It's a lovely combination.

I threw some white clover seed in a difficult patch of dirt on my back yard. I've given up on grass. It just doesn't do well and is high maintenance. The clover is colonizing slowly. I also threw out english daisy and yarrow seeds. The yarrow is also coming along, but if you want daisies, I suggest starting them and transplanting where you want them. There are violets and thyme growing in my non-grass lawn too. All of these plants stay green better during the heat of summer with less water than grass. They are low-growers, so only need the occasional tidying up with the rotary mower. You don't see so many mixed plant lawns any more because people use so many chemicals.

I inherited my irises. When they bloomed, I tagged them so I could remember which colors were which, and moved them around. I planted them in groups that harmonize--they're not all the same. I personally like them in clumps. I like the sword-shaped leaves when they are not in bloom, so have tried to give them companions that harmonize the those shapes and bloom at different times.

[rubyslippers]

Hey Deb, I just read about four of your posts and have had a fragmented conversation across four different threads. Sorry everyone. I love the idea of labeling the colors of the irises. I do however probably need to move mine. I have been cleaning up the "old" bladed leaves all day today making room for the gazillion that seem to have popped up this week. Deb, they don't "flow". I believe I want some structure along the edges of the yard. I really want some knock-out hardy roses along the edge to create a natural boundary. Also, SOMETHING is blooming. I had to cut back all the old growth to let the new little pink blooms flow ... I have no idea what this stuff is, but it is creeping through the hardscape rocks. Anyway, I feel like after today I will be digging and "cleaning" and "cleaning" and digging for a long time. I spent two hours on like three square feet (not kidding). Anyway, did anyone else get to work outside today? Just curious. Bye all ...

[shabbychick]

I love clover. It grew in the lawn of the house I used to live in, and the owner didn't mind me leaving it. We also had those sweet little yellow flowers growing in the front lawn...buttercups? I hated to mow the grass and behead them.

I usually buy seeds in the local Fred Meyer or Home Depot. I'm going to go to Skye Nursery to get tomato plants this year. I also need to invest in some nice pots since all my container gardening will be done in full view of the neighbors in the condo complex who probably weren't impressed by my lettuce growing in an old litter box last year.

Thanks for all the advice about growing berries in pots. I'm going to try them this year and see how it goes.

[Lisa S]

My husband has worked in our yard for two days straight. Two of our trees (20 feet tall and bigger) fell over in our last storm. One of which, was our California Lilac that was shown in a recent picture that I posted.

At the moment, our yard is full of chunks of tree. I could honestly cry.

[Evelyn]

Lisa I know how you feel. We had over a foot of snow and it was very hard on many of my favorite plants.........

Sorry about your trees!!

Evelyn

[annielinz]

Ohhhh Lisa, not the lilac! I'm so sorry. Be thankful they didn't fall on your house and no one was hurt.

We lost our orange tree several years back. It was so full of fruit and the rain had just saturated the soil.It was just top heavy with fruit and it didn't stand a chance with the wind and rain. I was so shocked when I looked in the back and saw it all over the deck. Lucky for us there was no damage, but it saddened me, so I feel your pain.

[Lisa S]

Thanks for the sympathy. I should take a picture of the mess.

[Deb D]

It's been a hard winter in the NW. We have snow on the ground here for several months, and I think about that when I plant shrubs. I stake everything, but things still get broken.

I wonder if the lilac will come back? They are strong sprouters. There was a great article on the Fine Gardening website about "renewal pruning" old lilacs. I'm doing it to mine over several years.

[Lisa S]

Ours was a Ceanothus Dark Star, Small Leaf Mountain Lilac. It has tiny leaves and round flower clusters. Dark star grows 6 ft tall and eight ft wide. Ours was over 20 feet tall and very top heavy. This is the second time it's fallen. I was amazed it survived the first fall, three years ago. We put it in a sling and it bloomed and thrived. No such luck this time around. I just went outside and said good bye to the stump this morning.

Deb ~ what do you know about reviving an evergreen shrub that's misshapen from heavy snow?

[rubyslippers]

Bye bye Lilac Tree ... I just admired that picture the other day.

I'm sorry Lisa. Again, I must echo I'm glad your house, loved ones, kitty, etc. are fine, but still ... so sad.

[Zuzu's Garden]

I'm sorry, Lisa. If there is still a stump, are you sure it won't come back? My grandfather used to prune lilacs back with vigor, and they came back fuller and healthier because of it.

I feel the same loss when I walk through the forest each spring and find huge trees toppled. Part of the cycle of life.

Zu

[Deb D]

Classic lilacs are Syringas, a different plant than Ceanothus. Our native Ceanothus' sprout like crazy--they are a winter browse for deer and elk. Keep an eye on the stump because I bet it's not dead.

What kind of evergreen shrub? Did anything break, or just get bent? If it's a tall skinny shape, it might be hard to fix. The February issue of Fine Gardening has an article about winter damage.

I plan on most of my plants getting squished by snow, like the roses and lavender. Shrubs like the currants and mock orange and ocean spray are flexible enough to spring back up when the snow melts. Other shrubs I am training to grow upright, so I stake those. When they get bigger, they will take the snow in stride.

[Lisa S]

I'll leave it just in case, but the interior of the stump looks a little mushy.

I'm not sure of the variety of this evergreen shrub. It's tall, but not skinny. The former owner had shaped it like an angel. Kinda cool, but not something I could maintain with 3 kids and a house renovation! It's tall and about 6 feet wide. It has needles, but they are very soft to the touch.

I'll do some reading...

[Gigi]

Lisa~ I missed this~ your trees down---I would have been crushed. Thank goodness you took that picture.

Hope you can get it cleaned up to how you like it. It sounded terrible.

[RoseMary]

So sorry about you lilac bush, Lisa:(. The picture is so pretty. Tree damage is so hard to adjust to~everything looks so different for about 3 years.

Wind and rain, as well as snow does so much damage. I lost my tall butterfly bush in a thunderstorm last year. I'll plant another this year, but it will take time before it gets very big.