Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
This is what I’m planning to start now in 7A:
Indoors:
Artichoke
Basil
Broccoli (my plants from the fall still seem to be alive!!?)
Cucumber
Eggplant
Onion
Peppers
Transplant:
Leeks (I wonder if the ones from last fall are still alive?)
Direct Sow:
Arugula
Carrots
I spent a good part of my day today at the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Production Facility. It’s a once-a-year opportunity that I am so glad to have found out about. Thanks to the suggestion from a new member of our garden club.
There were lots of beautiful things to look at, and many nice staff and volunteers to chat with. I was definitely among my people today.
I’ve started to put together a list of gardening books for children. Here is my list so far. Some of these may be harder to find, but as of this posting date, they are available through Amazon.
If you have suggestions for or comments about this collection, please leave them in the comments.
It snowed like mad on Saturday, but I’d been waiting all year for the seed exchange, and I was determined to go. I was rewarded well for my determination - great talks by local experts, and LOTS of seeds.
Here’s my list of booty:
Wildflowers +
Artichoke ‘Imperial Star’
Carrot ‘Short n’ Sweet’ packet says “Grows in heavy soils”!
Lettuce ‘Salad Bowl’
Garlic ‘Inchelium Red’
Convulvulus ‘Star of Yalta’
Russian Tarragon*
Container lettuce ‘Garden Babies Butterhead’+
Cosmos (orange)
Lobelia cardinalis
Papever somniferum ‘Laurens Grape’ +
Parsley
Nierembergia ‘White Robe’
Sorghum vulgare
Saponaria officinalis (Soapwort)
Linarea pupurea (purple toadflax)
Lilium ‘Star Gazer’
Consolida ajacis
Salvia ‘Hotline Blue’ *
Malva ‘Mystic Merlin’
Pennyroyal
Rudbeckia ‘Cherry Brandy’ *
Seeds from WinterSown Educational. (You can go to the website to get your own!)
Tomato ‘Hong Yuen’*
Tomato ‘Huang Se Chieh’*
Tomato ‘Green Zebra’*
Tomato ‘Early Kus Ali’*
Tomato ‘Roma’*
Tomato ‘Gilbertie’*
Rudbeckia ‘Irish Eyes’+
Convulvulus ‘Star of Yalta’+
Zucchini ‘Little Tree of Sarzana’+
Tomato ‘Large Red Cherry’+
Tomato ‘Tondina Maremmano’+
Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)+
+ I received this in my event goody bag
* I received this from the “free” table
I also won a Neomarica gracillis (Walking Iris) as a door prize, and for filling out a survey form, a fern. All in all a fun and plant-filled day!
It doesn’t look like it, but this is some serious green thumb-ing going on here! E is making me a cold frame for my birthday! I’m helping by holding lumber while it is being cut, and then priming and painting the cut wood before E puts the frame together.
This is going to be an awesome cold frame for all of my new flowers and vegetable seeds from the Washington Gardener Seed Swap!
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
Under two feet of snow
Flower bed on the right, lawn on the left. Right now, just snow. 
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
On my way to work this morning, I watched a small group of men planting tulip bulbs in the courtyard near the Metro. It wouldn’t have been odd at all, except that this group of men was the least stereotypical group of gardeners (big hulking guys) using a power drill with a giant auger bit to create holes for the bulbs. I know this is not an uncommon way to plant bulbs, but it seemed like such a violent way to prepare for something so life-giving and beautiful.
Such beautiful, sunny Chrysanthemums on a rainy day in DC.
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
