I never get tired of seeing seedlings pop up. : ) My first seedlings for this year are coming up that I winter sowed. I have senna and showy milkweed so far. Both are host plants for butterflies.

I winter sowed showy milkweed last year too but I only had one that seedling which I planted in a big container on my patio and the squirrels have been digging in the container so much I'm not sure it's even still in there. Anyway - I was glad to see that my leftover seeds from last year are emerging.

I also have giant milkweed and tropical milkweed inside under lights.

I think I let my winter sown containers get too dry again. I hope the seeds don't mind. I still have a couple dozen containers with no seedlings so far, all perennials. I haven't done my annuals yet but have some containers ready to go.

What kind of senna?
I wouldn't expect the tree types to be hardy up there... barely hardy here...

tree form



Cloudless Sulphur caterpillar on coffeeweed (senna obtusifolia)

The seeds were given to me so I'm not sure but maybe senna marilandica.

Those should be pretty...
The above butterfly can also be seen happily munching the partridge pea... another gorgeous wildflower....

Totally bizarre how little respect the senna(s) get around here... people act like coffeeweed is a weed only deserving of being pulled on sight...

https://www.walterreeves.com/l...

Thank you Stone. I would love to see more Cloudless Sulfurs.
I have two more containers with new seedlings. One from seeds that I saved from some red Cheyenne Spirit coneflowers and a mystery "deep red perennial milkweed" that I got from a seller on Etsy. I suspect and hope those may be a red form of a. tuberosa which is hard to find.
Does anyone else have seedlings coming up?

I do my winter sowing directly in the garden.
While I plant echinacea, they tend to come up kinda late...

Lots of poppies up everywhere, though...

I have a couple "winter sowed" in the garden too. I didn't winter sow verbena bonariensis in containers because I expect some volunteers and I have some mixed colors phlox paniculata winter sown in containers but always have low germination with those so I planted a few of my favorite coral colored one in the garden last fall too for insurance.
New things coming up - Anise hyssop, prairie milkweed, purple milkweed, liatris ligulistylus, asclepias tuberosa, and seeds saved from a melon colored Cheyenne Spirit coneflower.

I also have annual poppies and larkspur seeded directly a month or so ago, they put on a pretty show in early summer. I don't have any WSed seeds up yet, but with the warmer days I have checked on them occasionally. Now we're headed back to winter for a few days.... I have some things I'm anxiously hoping will sprout: coral honeysuckle, Virginia bluebells, white toad lilies, a couple astrantias, Jerusalem sage, gaura, V. bonariensis (they don't reseed for me), and etc. I'm somewhere around 60 containers and still going. Mostly annuals to do now. And starting indoor vegetables. Spending lots of time in the basement where my lights are and jug storage.

Seeing the first little struggle that I hope are what I sowed not just weeds from old potting soil that was part of the mix in the jugs. I'm psyched about a couple New England Aster sprouts after getting the seeds about this time last year and having no luck with either a couple direct sow into the garden or refrigerator stratification. There's some onions from an old pack that I expected bad germination rates. Those are at least obviously alliums not weeds. Maybe, just maybe A single petunia is sticking it's head up and there's what looks like a Cosmo seedling just about to break soil.

PattyPan, that's exciting! I checked mine today and found some yellow Gaillardias up and they are fairly recently planted. Had a look at my notes from last year and April 3 was the beginning of sprouting--those were Penstemons. The rest of my jugs finished by the end of April.

If you find you need some more NE Aster seed, let me know--they volunteer everywhere here and I saved lots last fall (originally Prairie Moon seed).

ruby_dog said: If you find you need some more NE Aster seed, let me know--they volunteer everywhere here and I saved lots last fall (originally Prairie Moon seed).

Thanks. I have some left although I am not sure how long they are good for. They were harvested in 2022 by the native greenhouse for the county parks system so they're not that old yet. I

really only want 2 plants. 3 would be a little tight for the two spaces they are going. Poor germination is fine as long as I get some to survive to plant. Anything more than that is just take to the plant swap in early May material.

A few more things are up in the last 2 weeks: watermelon heaven poppies, white cloud poppies, gaura and white perennial sweet peas. Still a lot to go, but our weather hasn't settled enough yet...low 20s last night.