Seeds to Plant

Now I'm entering uncharted territory.  I had promised that some of my posts this winter would focus on my plans for outside beginning in the spring.  Now that we're halfway into February, it's about time that I begin to work on that.  I do have some ideas in my head as far as how to use the spaces in the yard and in the garden, but I have to decide exactly what species are best to plant.

I was at the store a couple of weeks ago, and I walked across a large display of seeds.  There were flower seeds and vegetable seeds for all sorts of plants.  I decided to pick up an "Annual Cut Flower Mixture" for the planter areas in front of the house.  I want to plant mostly annuals rather than perennials this year because I figure it will take at least a couple of years of experimenting to work out plant spacing and figure out what kinds of plants look good in each space.  I don't want to be planting too many perennials in my first year only to dig them up a year or two later because they didn't work out for one reason or another.

The "Annual Cut Flower Mixture", according to the seed packet, is "a colorful blend of American's favorite old-fashioned flowering annuals. Some bloom early, some late. There are tall spike flowers, others with round blossoms, and airy sprays of filler flowers."  This sounded like a good mixture for a first season of planting.  According to the packet, I should plan to plant them between May and June, and they'll grow best in full sun.  Now, they're not going to get full sun in front of the house (or anywhere else in the yard), but I hope they get enough that they'll come up.

I know nothing about flowers, and I only recognize a couple of flowers in the mix, but if you're curious, here they are: "Strawflower, Aster-Crego Mixed, Calendula-Single Mixed, Plains Coreopsis, Bachelor Button Mixed, Clarkia, Cosmos-Sensation Mixed, Chinese Forget-Me-Not, Larkspur-Giant Inperial Mixed, Gypsophila-Elegans White, Corn Poppy, Black-Eyed Susan, Marigold-Crackerjack Mixed, Zinnia-Cactus mixed, Godetia"

Now that I have something to plant out there, I'm ready for spring!