It All Starts With the Seeds

How about a little game of seed ID? I've numbered seeds from 1 to 9. Can you identify plants that will grow from these seeds? For fun, jot down your guesses and then scroll to find the answers:

No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

No. 4

No. 5

No. 6

No. 7

No. 8

No. 9

Now, check the accuracy of your guesses:

No. 1: Cosmos bipinnatus

No. 2: Dahlia hybrids
(framed by Asters in this photo)

No. 3: Tithonia rotundifolia

No. 4: Verbena hastata

No. 5: Asclepias incarnata

No. 6: Zinnia elegans

No. 7: Lactuca sativa

No. 8: Lalab purpureus

No. 9: Alcea rosea

How'd you do?

I admit: I had to be very careful to keep these seeds and photos organized. I'll be planting all of them, and others, this spring. What seeds will you start in the weeks ahead?

February Flowers in the Sunroom

Oxalis vulcanicola 'Zinfandel'

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana buds

Spathiphyllum wallisii

Fuchsia 'Marinka' dried

(It's Wordless Wednesday.)

Time to Make a Wreath!

I recently rediscovered dried flowers and stems in my stash of crafting supplies. I thought: "Let's make a wreath!" While I'd originally planned to incorporate evergreens in the mix, instead I gathered additional dried items from the winter garden to add to the store-bought supplies:



Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) for the base.



Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) for a little extra flourish.



Staghorn Sumac berries (Rhus typhina) for a bit of color.



And dried Fiddlehead Fern fronds (Matteuccia struthiopteris) for spicy structure.



I didn't use the fake plastic apple from the store-bought supply (it's cute but...). However, I did grab some of the Statice (Limonium sinuatum), Straw Flowers (Xerochrysum bracteatum), and dried/dyed grasses. The finished product:

It's simple and a little wonky, but it's kinda growing on me.

I'm linking in with "In a Vase on Monday" over at Rambling in the Garden, even though this isn't a vase. I hope that's OK with Cathy, our wonderful host. Head on over to her blog to check out all the creative arrangements!

Searching for New Growth

We had unseasonably warm weather earlier this week, with a high of 52F/11C on Tuesday. Our forecast next Monday calls for a high of 5F/-15C. I was concerned about the emerging plants...and it turned out my concerns were justified.

Helleborus orientalis

1. I know many of you have Hellebores blooming in winter, but the growth shown here is way too early for my climate. Hellebores generally don't bloom here until March or April. I added more leaf litter and mulch to protect them. Snow will add a blanket, too.

Phedimus kamtschaticus

2. These Sedum seedlings likely will be just fine; they often form early in the season. But they'll be tested. They're in a barrel, which provides warmth, but they receive little to no snow cover.

Allium 'Ambassador'

3. The Alliums are sprouting around the garden, and some are breaking through the ground. They'll be fine with additional soil, mulch, leaf litter, and snow.

Chrysanthemum x. morifolium hybrid

4. The Mums are on their own...we'll see what happens. I enjoyed the variegated foliage, so I added them to my "six."

Hydrangea arborescens subsp. radiata

5. Before the snow, dried Hydrangea seedheads offered a rusty glow.

Hylotelephium 'Autumn Joy' and Conoclinium coelestinum

6. The remains of 'Autumn Joy' Sedum and Blue Mistflower hugged each other in the warm sun.

That's it for my "Six on Saturday" entries for this week. Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations for hosting!

~ ~ ~

I didn't include this next photo in my "six," figuring most people are tired of snow...

...but here it is. I guess it provides needed projection for plants during the cold days ahead. Stay warm!