Six on Saturday: Nearly There!

Zinnias are easy to grow. They are half-hardy annuals, so need to be sown in the protection of a greenhouse or a propagator on a bright house windowsill in mid to late spring. Once they’re large enough to handle, prick them out individually and grow on before transplanting outdoors when all risk of frost has passed.

Venturing out despite the rain to take photos for Jim’s Saturday meme on his Garden Ruminations blog, I changed my focus partway through as I was increasingly bowled over by the glorious clumps of perennials around the garden. I have mentioned a massive hellebore previously, now not the only one, and even the dandelions seem to be on steroids! It is not just the size that impresses, but the wonderfully rounded shapes of them too – look at Centaurea ‘Jordy’ above, and the echinops, probably E ‘Blue Globe’, below:

Those wisteria flower buds that avoided destruction by woodpigeons are beginning to open and show colour

Having successfully got five streptocarpus through the winter and into bloom I am a little more hopeful of my prowess with them, but will feel more confident once I have got them through a second winter too – and may even be tempted to add one or two more! The fern behind them is a couple of plantlets lifted from the saucer under a pot of sarracenia,  kept topped up with water and seemingly an ideal breeding ground for ferns – the asplenium is understandable as there is a lot of it in the garden but I don’t know what this fern is or where the spores have come from.

Apart from the quick Wordless Wednesday post, I don’t think I have looked at my blog at all since Monday, having instead been taking advantage of available time and clement weather to pursue the endless list of tasks necessary in a spring garden. No sooner is one crossed off the list there is another to replace it, but at least progress is noticeably being made.

In a December 20, 2010 release, new observations by the university’s astronomers were said to “add weight to the theory that the most massive stars in the universe could form essentially anywhere, including in near isolation; they don’t need a large stellar cluster nursery.”It’s a charming little (vast?) story, and written so that we laypersons can understand it—including a big-fish-small-pond analogy, and more. Have a read.AuthorKatrina Kenison says this on solitude:So the next time someone tells me I should get out more and mingle, I’m using this tongue-in-cheek retort:No, thanks; I’m busy burning bright in isolation. :)You?(1904 drawing of the Aurora Bor

ANOTHER POST IS NEAR THE CENTURY MARK, our second in 7 months here on A Way to Garden. The first was Garden No-No’s; now here comes ‘Why Do You Garden?’ to challenge its lead.

Theresa describes herself as “a lifelong canner.” Both her mother and grandmother canned, she says, and Theresa eventually studied culinary arts at UCLA, then took the Master Food Preserver curriculum through her county cooperative extension.“I try to get people thinking outside the canning jars,” says Theresa, who grows much of her family’s food on a mere one-tenth acre in the Los Angeles area (including a coop for a small flock of chickens). “The new video series focuses on creative ways to can, and to use what you can.”  Each of the fun, approachable recipe videos is about 2 minutes long, offering the “aha” of the essential technique involved (with full recipe and details on the “Growing a Greener World” TV website).where to begin in canning?WHEN LEARNING to can, stick first with the high-acid foods, such as tomatoes that have

Zinnias are easy to grow. They are half-hardy annuals, so need to be sown in the protection of a greenhouse or a propagator on a bright house windowsill in mid to late spring. Once they’re large enough to handle, prick them out individually and grow on before transplanting outdoors when all risk of frost has passed.

Looking through my ‘garden diary’ I was surprised to be reminded that two years ago we had a group visit to the garden on 20th July – Good Grief! That meant at least three more weeks of keeping on top of deadheading and tying in, not to mention working around rearranged furniture in the house! Admittedly, I have been fairly diligent with the former, but was very relieved this year to have the kitchen and back sitting room back to ‘normal’ and get all the boxes and signs up to the loft this year – with no requests for group visits, we were able to ‘shut up shop’ after our second opening. Up to now, we have had one or two each year, even three one year, and they can be a mixed blessing although the bigger groups tend to generate a good guaranteed income from their visit.

With a fairly high chance of thunder and rain this afternoon, I took the opportunity of making a quick decision on what to focus on for today’s Six on Saturday, the meme generously hosted by Jim of Garden Ruminations. However we pronounce their name, clematis are such versatile and good value plants , with varieties flowering throughout the year, and their climbing ability enabling us to stretch the boundaries of our gardens upwards.

Is There a Pink Spider Plant? Do they really exist? If you are confused about their existence, then don’t worry. We are here to take the wrap of the truth!