Today was the first time in a very long time it was in the 70's, clear and not cloudy so I started the first batch of seeds .. I'm a month behind because Winter confined itself to mostly February and there was just no room in the greenhouse for seedlings. I'm wee bit sunburned, tired but I managed to start about 150 seeds this afternoon. Here is what I planted:

Chinese Cucumber - Trichosanthes kirilowii
Datura - Evening Fragrance - Datura inoxia
Gazania - Kiss Mahogany - Gazania rigens
Gazania - Kiss Rose - Gazania rigens
Gazania - White Flame - Gazania rigens
Petunia - Carpet Buttercream - Petunia x hybrida
Petunia - Dolcissima Flambe - Petunia x hybrida

By the time I got to the Dolcissima I gave up on placing individual seeds into cells and just sprinkled them over the soil and hope for the best .. at least the Buttercream seeds were pelleted.

I'll be starting up more for the next few days until Winter stops by on Wednesday again. I checked my records from last year and it was about this time last year I was emptying out the greenhouse.

I am convinced that Mother Nature is going through menopause. She keeps having hot flashes then the cold starts up again. According to Accuweather, this hot/cold period is going to continue on into April. Thursday the low is going to be 31!

Ma Nature is still giving us the cold shoulder here. Most of my flower beds are still under at least some snow. I'm also late getting things started, but the soonest I could possibly put anything out is late May, so I think I'm still safe. I have a few pepper and tomato seedlings in the GH along with a few flower seeds planted. Got to get started on the petunias, tho! I always grow LOTS of petunias. And I'm still waiting for a shipment of seeds ordered late on one of those free shipping offers. Going to try a couple of the tomatoes recommended in the latest article. Should be interesting.

I planted the Kiss series of Gazania last year, but from plants purchased from the High School plant sale, I loved them.
They are almost to perfect, the blooms are so awesome.

That's awesome Seedfork .. I planted Gazania Sunshine Mix last year for the first time and was really impressed with them which is why I got more!

Woofie, usually by this time my main greenhouse is burgeoning with seedlings. I'm going to direct sow the Morning Glory's this year. I used to grow veggies but just got tired of battling bugs and squirrels.

This is the rest of what I need to get started within the next few weeks:

Desert Bird of Paradise - Caesalpinia gilliesii
Caterpillar Bean - Scorpirius muricatus
Chihuahua Flower - Tacitus bellus
Chinese Cucumber - Trichosanthes kirilowii - 3-09/14
Clematis - Clematis hirsutissima
Clematis Asian - Clematis stans
Clematis Wakamurasaki - Clematis
Corkscrew Vine - Vigna caracalla
Datura - Evening Fragrance - Datura inoxia - 3-09/14
Garlic Vine - Mansoa alliacea
Gazania - Kiss Mahogany - Gazania rigens - 3-09/14
Gazania - Kiss Rose - Gazania rigens - 3-09/14
Gazania - White Flame - Gazania rigens - 3-09/14
Ginger, wild - Asarum caudatum
Goat's Rue - Tephrosia virginiana
Hibiscus - Jamaican Tea - Hibiscus sabdariffa
Hibiscus - Pavonia Orange Mallow - Pavonia missionum
Hibiscus - Pavonia Pink Mallow - Pavonia lasiopetala
Hibiscus - Red Shield - Hibiscus acetosella
Hibiscus - Thai Red - Hibiscus sabdariffa
Milkweed - Scarlett - Asclepias curassavica
Mimulus - Calico Monkey Flower - Mimulus pictus
Penstemon, Palmer's - Penstemon palmeri
Petunia - Carpet Buttercream - Petunia x hybrida - 3-09/14
Petunia - Dolcissima Flambe - Petunia x hybrida - 3-09/14
Rabbit Ears Vine - Ruttya fruticosa
Rose Crown - Clementsia rhodantha
Twining Snapdragon - Asarina scandens
Voodoo Flame Ginger - Burbidgea schizocheila
Ylang Ylang Climbing - Artabotrys hexapetalus - 3 seeds 2/18/14

I'm also planting some of the night blooming MG, I alba with the night blooming datura and trichosanthes.

Ah, zone jealousy! You'll probably be able to actually get blooms off your I. alba. I've tried growing them here several times and only once did I ever get a bloom. Yes, bloom, singular.
Hee hee, I think I've already teased you about growing Taco Bell flowers.
I'm trying Gazania for the first time this year, so that should be interesting. They were everywhere in SoCal, but it never occured to me to try them here till someone mentioned them.
And I just love Asarina! I grow them every year. It's possible to overwinter them, too, if you were inclined to mess with them.

I planted the I. alba last year for the first time and it bloomed like crazy for me starting around mid July .. huge white shimmering fragrant blooms. They begin opening around 8pm. I'll probably start about 10 of them this year .. I'm doing a moon garden with the Trichosanthes, Datura and I. alba and am considering maybe throwing some 4 O'clocks too for color since the other 3 are white.

What an interesting list of seeds to start.
Some I had not heard of.
I like Buttercream Carpet Petunias and the Dolissima too.

Xeramtheum, if you're open to suggestions, zaluzianskya capensis is lovely with the Datura. The flowers are appropriately white with dark markings, and super-fragrant. I underplant potted Datura with this and helichrysum, dichondra, or plectranthus, it's one of my favorite annuals to pop in a mixed pot for fragrance. I generally start 24 of them a year, and wish I'd started more.

My middle name is weird and yes some of these plants are weird. I love the strange and unusual. I adore the Dolissima petunias .. they are so unusual. I'm hoping I have good success with the Buttercreams because I think they'd look great in my window boxes.

Celene I just looked up zaluzianskya capensis and I'm definitely going to see if I can get some seeds! Thanks for the suggestion.

I started a bunch of Hibiscus Red Shield last year. I gave one to my friend and she shape-pruned it to create this:



I left my to just grow without pinching or pruning (no close up photo. It's at the back of the collection)

Here's the Hibiscus Red Shield



Feb 7

Joanne I love what you did with that Red Shield! I'm going to do that too!

Xeramtheum said:I am convinced that Mother Nature is going through menopause.

--- From a scientific point of view, there certainly is a big change in climate weather, with more extremes on all ends of the spectrum.

--- From a male point of view, I decline to comment (mostly from lack of knowledge.)

Lol .. well she obviously has a bad case of PMS too .. the low for Thursday night is going to be in the upper 20's.

She just has an evil sense of humor. Heh, here in the frozen northland, the low for Thursday is supposed to be 34.

I'm astonished .. the gazania has germinated? I put a piece of aluminum foil over the top and when I checked this morning, there they were!

Wow, looks like almost 100 per cent germination too. I love it when that happens, bet they are going to be outstanding in the garden.

Yow! That was quick!! I think I'll hold off starting mine for a bit.
And I found a wasp on my greenhouse yesterday. Groan. I'm just not ready to deal with that problem yet!

I just read an article saying you could get rid of wasps by using soapy water in a hose end sprayer, but the author seemed to have trouble telling bees from wasps. I plan to try it this summer, I have read that is the best way to deal with an attack of African bees.