Dark Purple Columbine Seeds
The first year we moved in here at Chiot’s Run, I planted seeds for this dark purple columbine, it’s bloomed beautifully each year since. It seeds itself freely about the gardens, but not to the level of being invasive. I have little purple columbines that grow up all over the place, some where I want them, some where I don’t, like in the driveway. Mostly I don’t bother pulling them up, since columbine blooms so early in the spring I enjoy every plant I have.
Columbines set seed in these interesting little pods. They sound like little maracas when you touch the plant. They’re quite interesting, even when they’re no longer blooming.
On Sunday afternoon I spent some time cutting all the seed heads off of my dark purple columbine. I ended up with thousands upon thousands of seeds, way more than I need. I sprinkled some along the edges of the woods where I want to get them started and I saved a few for my mom. Since I have so many extra seeds, I figured I’d give some away. I have 5 packets of seeds available, so comment below and I’ll pick 5 winners.
Do you save seeds from your flowers from year to year?
Filed under Article, Flowers | Comments (52)Beauty in the Garden
It seems like every week something new catches my eye in the garden, a new combination of plants, or perhaps the way a few plants are working together as they mature. Often it’s the free-seeding plants that tend to plant themselves in the most wonderful places. Nature does a wonderful job of coming up with some beautiful combos. This week I’m really loving the way my liatris and nicotiana look together.
Both of these plants are volunteers, meaning they seeded themselves down in this location, I did not plant them here. Neither were planted here originally or together on purpose. You’d never know it though the way they work together. The funny thing is that the nicotiana seeded itself around my gardens and everywhere it comes up in different shades that perfectly coordinate with the plants around it.
I noticed that the pollinators are loving this combo of plants as much as I am. The bees and butterflies love the liatris and the hummingbirds really like the nicotiana. They’re always abuzz with activity.
I love volunteer plants, especially ones like this that aren’t really invasive and are easy to remove when they crop up in unwanted locations.
What are you loving in your garden at the moment?
Filed under Flowers | Comments (10)‘The Watchman’ Hollyhock
Last year I purchase some seeds from Botanical Interests for ‘The Watchman’ Hollyhock. I mean how can you not want to grow a flower in your garden described as “towers of black satin”. Thomas Jefferson grew these in his gardens at Monticello, and now that I have one blooming I can clearly see why.
Last year I attempted to start the seeds, but didn’t get any germination or so I thought. I emptied the containers that contained the seeds into the front flowerbed and I noticed a week or two that one of the hollyhocks was black. I guess one of them germinated sometime last summer. You may remember that I used the floating method, which worked wonderfully. I was able to get 4 of the seeds to germinate. That means I’ll have more of these in my garden next summer (hollyhocks rarely bloom the same year they’re started unless they’re started very early).
This is how ‘The Watchman’ is described: From a distance, the dark color of The Watchman is as black as the moonless night sky, but on closer inspection you can see its rich purplish burgundy cast. In 1629, John Parkinson described black hollyhocks as being of a dark red like black blood. Thomas Jefferson grew them at his Monticello estate and loved them nearly as much as he did his roses. Seductive towers of flowers for bees and butterflies, they make an excellent backdrop for pink, red, yellow, or white flowers, and fences. (Botanical Interests)
These dark blooms will be a wonderful addition to my front foundation border. I think they’ll look particularity wonderful with my greenish white ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea and all the other pink and purple flowers that dominate this space.
Do you have any dark flowers in your garden?
Filed under Flowers | Comments (15)Dressing up a Garage Window
I’ve always loved window boxes and have wanted a few for the longest time. We’ve never installed any, we’ve just lacked time to make them. This spring I decided that I’d at least like to dress up the garage window with some annuals in pots. Since we didn’t have time to make a proper window box, I had Mr Chiots move a shelf that used to house birdhouses from the back of the garage to the front window. Then I potted up a few annuals in a variety of pots from my collection. With a few minutes of work the garage window looks 10 times better. I may use this idea on others windows on the house after seeing how well this works throughout the summer. I’ll see how much watering needs done and how the shelf holds up to the weather.
At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it as much as a proper window box, but now that it’s finished I think I like it more. I love the little details with all the different shapes, sizes and colors of pots. It’s a great way to use all those pots I’ve been collecting throughout the years and was storing in the garage.
I filled the pots with a few different kinds of begonias. They’re perfect for this shady spot and they’ll bloom all season long. I may try to keep starts of these in the basement so I can save some money next spring.
For less than $10 in plants, I think this really dresses up the window on the garage! It makes me smile every time I pass by heading to the back garden.
Do you use potted plants or window boxes for added color in the garden?
Garden Chores: Deadheading
Now that the first flush of spring blooms are fading it’s time to start deadheading. I don’t deadhead everything in the garden, some things I let go to seed for the birds. There are a few plants that I deadhead to prolong blooming or because their spent blossoms are distracting in the garden. Peonies are one of those things that need deadheaded, their spent blossoms leave a mess in the garden. When you cut back the spent blossoms they look like nice tidy shrubs. One exception to this is my single peony that puts off lovely seed pods that look like tiny jester’s caps.
I like to deadhead plants like salvia, lilies and catmint because they’ll produce another flush of blooms. I wait until most of the blooms are gone and then cut or snap off individual flowers off for certain plants (salvia and day lilies) and for others you can simply shear the plant back by about one third (catmint and ‘stella de oro’ lilies).
Do you deadhead flowers in your garden? All of them or just specific ones?
Filed under Flowers | Comments (12)
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