With baited breath I closely watched my hibiscus plants for any signs of life. They spent the winter outdoors under a tent. I was fairly certain that the variegated tropical hibiscus I grew from starter plants bought on Etsy in 2021, Snow Queen and Rose Queen, met an untimely demise due to the cold.
Excited to see the Summer Carnival making a comeback.
I’ve been fretting about the ferns in the shade bed. Since nearly everything but the ferns and hostas have emerged, I’m getting a little anxious to see if they made it through the freeze.
The ferns in question are of three varieties: two specimens of Japanese painted fern, Anisocampium niponicum, and two specimens of Silver Brake ferns, Pteris argyraea (?), and a clover fern, Marsilea macropoda,
The marsilea overwintered in the garage, but perished when I moved it inside in March. But I had already anticipated getting another specimen from Painted Flower Farm.
The Silver Brake ferns were marked for zone 9 hardiness according to the Lowes plant tag, so they could have been misidentified/mislabeled. Instead of Pteris quadriaurita argyraea, these may actually be Pteris cretica, at least based on the image lookups I’ve performed. Regardless, I didn’t expect them to resurrect. But I potted up the rootballs anyway to make room for an assortment of new plants.
The Japanese painted ferns were giving me the itch to go buy new ones. But I waited them out.
I’m always hesitant to broadcast seeds directly into the garden because of the risk of poor germination rates. Granted, previous experience had me neglect seeds sown directly into the beds, which need the right temperature and moisture to thrive. Daytime highs are in the upper 60s while nighttime lows in the high 40s and low 50s. It’s still too cold for some delicate summer plants to tolerate, as some of the starts are beginning to show.
I hedge my bets wherever I can, sowing indoors those seeds that I trust will germinate successfully and can handle transplant.
Seeds I’ve sown and re-sown both inside and out:
| Agastache rugosa, Korean Hyssop |
| Salvia coccinea, Scarlet Sage |
| Salvia farinacea, Sirius Blue Sage |
| Monarda citriodora, Lemon Bee Balm |
| Gomphrena haagena, Strawberry Fields |
| Tropaeolum minus Nasturtium Black Velvet (presoaked) |
| Nigella damascena, Miss Jekyll Blend |
| Zinnia elegans, Fireball Blend |
| Cosmos sulphureus, Diablo |
| Tropaeolum majus Nasturtium Alaska Variegated, Jewel Blend (presoaked) |
| Tithonia Speciosa Mexican Sunflower Red Torch (2017 seed) |
| Mirabilis jalapa, Marbles Yellow-Red (presoaked) |
| Tagetes tenuifolia Lemon & Tangerine Gems Signet Marigold |
The last vegetable seeds I direct sowed beginning of March were the bok choy Tiny Hedou and Purple Lady, along with bunching onions Tokyo White. They are finally beginning to emerge. Meanwhile I’m giving the Thai Long Green Eggplant another try although I haven’t had any success with the last batch.
Time to plant!
Undeterred by my recent shipping disaster, I went ahead and ordered more plants online.
From one of my favorite online shops, Colonial Creek Farm:
| Description | Qty |
| Kitten Around Catmint | 1 |
| John Whittlesey Salvia | 1 |
| Mirage Rose Bi-Color Salvia | 1 |
| African Blue Basil | 2 |
It’s never too late to get bulbs. I’ve been needing to replace the calla lilies that turned into mush after the freeze. I ordered lilies through Brent & Beckys. It may be too late to enjoy the gladiolus, but I’m hoping I can get them into the ground by end of April.
| Description | Qty |
| Zantedeschia Picasso – Calla Lily | 6 |
| Lilium Lollipop – Asiatic | 5 |
| Lilium Muscadet – Oriental Lily | 5 |
| Gladiolus Zizanie – Sword Lily | 10 |
I received a heads up on a new nursery in Denton, so I headed over Denton Plant Factory right away and got a trunkful of plants. Four Seasons Nursery was only a short drive away so I hopped over to get some ornamental basil, strawberries and golden sage.
