The Colors of Cosmos

Happy first day of spring! I thought I'd share the varieties of cosmos I planted last year. Seed companies sell more varieties than I'm showing here, but I'd say these were a success. 

Two bees!

This is asters disease on Cosmos. I pulled up the plants immediately, and it didn't spread. 

Above is all the cosmos planted together in front of painted lady runner beans. I saved some seeds, and they may have intermingled, so we'll see what kind of flowers they sprout this summer. Below is Purity. It is vigorous to the point where I worried about the native perennials I planted in the same space. Purity looked feathery and lush, covered in blossoms. 

Sonata, a shorter variety, in a container (below)

Picotee

Picotee

Picotee

Picotee

Daydream

Daydream... I think. I tried to save seeds of this one.

 

Bouquets

These are summer memories to help make it through these next few bitterly cold days here in Minnesota. When we have weather advisories and warnings due to the cold, I tend to stay inside. Yes, I feel a little sheepish that I'm not walking outside (am I not a Minnesotan?), but I'll get back out there when the temperatures are above zero and the wind chill isn't so brutal. Here are some bouquets I made over the summer. You'll see that they tend to be small. That's because I have trouble cutting flowers when they look so good outside. Also, bees and butterflies enjoy the buffet that is my garden, and I don't want to take too much from them. Above is a begonia. Below are cosmos.

Limelight hydrangea

Zinnias with lemon basil

A single rose in a vanilla bottle

Zinnias!

Reminder to Myself

Here's the temperature when I walked this morning. Yep, that's a negative sign. The wind chill was -16F. The sun was bright, the sky was clear, and my toes were cold. Was it cold? Yes. Was it too cold? No. I was dressed for the weather (though I may need an extra pair of socks next time). 

Here's my reminder to myself. January can be a difficult month because the temperatures range from cold to frigid, making it more difficult to be outside. Yet it's a great time to buy seeds and plan my garden. I'm subscribed to Brit Box to watch Gardener's World for inspiration. I'll give some attention to my houseplants and organize some projects indoors, which I neglect during the growing season. This is a month of indoor opportunity. 

Here's yet another reminder to myself. Do NOT start seeds indoors too early. I want to have commercial greenhouse looking plants in May but I don't have a commercial greenhouse. I have one heating pad and one south facing window. Seedlings do not do well in my cold house in winter. My new philosophy is to start seeds when the seedlings can be outside in the sun during the day and come inside at night. This means late (late!) April at the earliest and more likely May. So, no, I'm not starting seeds in March this year. Really. I'm publicly declaring that I will wait. I'm skeptical as I write this, but I'll be honest when I update this blog. 

Stay warm and dream of gardens!