First out of the gate are the Red Rubin basil seeds, germinating in 3 days. Two more days showed rise of the Thai basil. Now that it is 19th, first signs of the bell pepper and both Thai Chilis have appeared.
Meanwhile around the weekend, the first 2 sprouts of catmint appeared in the uncovered 3″ pot. I have rooted a rosemary spring and a leg of dianthus in a nearby pot. I’m looking forward to planting more rosemary in the new year and I am getting a head start on it.
It’s been a week since sowing, and the first plants out of the gate are the basils. Nearly all the basil plants have sprouted their first set of baby leaves. I have to remind myself to look closer at the Red Rubin basils because their dark purple color blends into the soil background. It only took 3 days for the basil to put out their first roots. I regret not having collected some of the lime basil seeds while I had them available. I hope to find some volunteers in the garden this spring.
Monday holidays are for shopping. So I put in a large order of seeds at various outlets:
Artemisia vulgaris Oriental Limelight 2x Accents from Home & Garden
Felicia amelloides variegata Variegated Felicia 2x Accents from Home & Garden
Petunia x hybrida Easy Wave Series Flag Mix 1×10 Swallowtail Gardens Seeds
Aquilegia caerulea Origami Blue & White 1×15 Swallowtail Gardens Seeds
Aquilegia caerulea Origami Red & White 1×15 Swallowtail Gardens Seeds
Delosperma floribunda Starburst 1×50 Swallowtail Gardens Seeds
Heteropappus meyendorfii Blue Knoll Chrysanthemum 1×15 Park Seeds
Phlox drummondii 21st Century Blue Star 1×15 Park Seeds
Cosmos sulfureus Cosmic Red 1×50 Park Seeds
Cosmos sulfureus Cosmic Yellow 1×50 Park Seeds
Catharanthus roseus Vinca Titan Mix 1×25 Stokes Seed
Lobularia maritima Wonderland White 1×250 Stokes Seed
Lobularia maritima Wonderland Copper 1×250 Stokes Seed
Lobularia maritima Wonderland Mulberry Mix 2×250 Stokes Seed
Thymophylla tenuiloba Dahlberg Daisy 1×50 Stokes Seed
Salvia coccinea Lady in Red 1×25 Burpee
Dianthus chinensis Valentine 1×75 Burpee
Out of the order above, only the Artemisia and Felicia are live plant orders. I suspect I may not get these plants until Delaware comes out of their freeze. I should remember to pay attention to such things…and January is just too early to be ordering plants.
I assessed the courtyard flower bed today to inspect the azaleas and determine future plantings. Most of the azaleas in the bed have not demonstrated significant growth in 2010. They flowered once in late spring then settled in for the grueling heat of summer. All but the Macrantha Orange reminded me of molting birds, dropping some of their foliage, appearing spindly and half naked.
The Macrantha azalea’s winter display is the best of the bunch, remaining fully dressed to date. My memory of its blooms is dim; I have it recorded as having crimson-orange blooms, but I don’t recall it being as floriferous as Hot Shot. Bloom season coincided with the Gumpos, around mid to late spring. Not a cultivar I would pick up again, despite its foliage.
Two Gumpo pink azaleas appear to have perished, having lost all of their leaves with the onset of winter. One of the Gumpo die-offs I can attribute to more sun exposure than the rest, but I don’t have a clue as to why the other one dropped all its leaves. I enjoyed the dwarf mounding habit of these azaleas, perfect as a groundcover, though I would prefer a more full-bodied appearance. Perhaps with a little more maintenance this spring, I can encourage them to look better. The snail-slow growth rate of these shrubs reminds me I should be patient with them. At $2 a piece, I can’t complain with their evergreen performance so far.
The Hot Shot azalea showed off the most dramatic color change, turning a dark, reddish-purple with the cold temperatures. This specimen had the brightest red flowers; a keeper if I can get it to prosper. It is also listed to be a moderate grower, topping off at 4′ in height and 5′ wide. It’s a good bloomer as well. My specimen will have more growing to do to reach its maximum size, but I may have to consider moving it if it experiences a growth spurt this spring. I suspect its winter foliage might be a result of receiving more sun the other azaleas in this bed; having another specimen in deeper shade might test this theory.
Delaware Valley White azalea: floriferous but single-flowered. I prefer a double-flowered form, but DVW’s saving grace is that it puts out flowers early. Currently its winter display is similar to the Crimson azalea, leggy and spindly.
The Crimson azalea was the most disappointing of the $2 azaleas, more pink than red–not a bloom color that I found attractive. Sitting in the shade of a crape myrtle, I expected it to fill out, but instead it is the most anemic of the small shrubs in this bed. It has an upright habit, but because of its bare ankles, it currently looks unattractive. I am contemplating yanking it out and replacing it with a Hot Shot.
On my wishlist: I wanted them last year, and I still want them in 2011. Kaleidoscope abelias. I’ve found some info that suggests that abelias can endure in full shade and even remain evergreen. If this is the case, then I look forward to planting them in the front yard shade garden. I am unsure if their size will allow them to work into the courtyard flower bed though.
Another wishlist shrub is nandina. The winter show these nandinas are currently putting on is stunning. I especially love the texture of the smaller nandina and similar cultivars. I realize that putting them in shade however might negate the fiery display of these plants in winter, but having something evergreen in the shade garden will alleviate the emptiness. The lone nandina positioned in the gardenia bed, Moon Bay, has tolerated part to full shade conditions. It has demonstrated slow growth in this spot and has darkened in foliage color throughout summer into fall and winter. I will need to observe it for spring growth to see if will show off lime green coloration again.
More wishlist items to come!
I bought a couple of hard-luck cases at Home Depot in early December: two Mexican heathers, Cuphea hyssopifolia, for a buck apiece. I noticed them primarily for their yellow green foliage at the time, which was striking, though I was unsure if this was a seasonal change or typical coloring. The quart sized bushes were dressed in tiny purple flowers and showed no signs of stopping well into winter. However, as the temperatures plummeted, I saw that they struggled to stay green, and when we finally experienced some snow, I brought them in under the grow lights to defrost. My man is of the opinion that they might survive since he saw evidence of new growth. I’m more inclined to believe that they have reseeded since most of the top growth has all but died off. I am hoping that a good shearing and being indoors will resuscitate these specimens after their heroic efforts to stay bright and cheery in early winter weeks.