Storm aftermath and seed sowing

North Texas was battered by a series of tornadic storms and hail yesterday that disrupted work, power and traffic in many urban areas. I came home to a debris-littered yard, but thankfully no visible or structural damage to the house. Lots of leaves and branches on the ground which I attribute to a fierce hailstorm. Plenty of videos circulating on the net this morning of twisters tearing through railyards and truck depots, tossing trailers into the air like toys. DFW airport canceled hundreds of flights while it assessed hail damage on all airplanes. At one point the sky was as black as night during the fiercest weather conditions. Hardest hit: Arlington, Forney, and Mansfield were known touch-down spots for tornadoes…hope my fellow garden bloggers are safe.

Pictures below of the beaten and flattened plants in my garden. I barely got to see the new marigold blooms that appeared in the front yard tree ring before the petals got stripped by the fierce weather.

4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (1) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (2) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (3) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (4) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (5) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (6) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (7) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (8) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (9) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (10)

I planted 2 packets of Alaska Variegated Nasturtiums (tropaeolum maius) and Blue Boy Bachelor Buttons (centaurea cyanus) today. Crossing my fingers that we won’t get any more severe weather and wash away the seeds.