Seedling Updates

Post #2 of the day.
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We are having yet another above-average warm stretch. With the potential of record-breaking heat today, I decided that it's time to start hardening off my plants. They are now outside on a covered porch. The slight breeze will help sturdy up their stems, but they will be protected from the most intense hours sun.
Above are three of my five trays. The other two trays include one with seeds waiting to germinate (cukes, cardinal climber, nicotiana, carrots, lettuce) and another tray with small seedlings that have already germinated but are still small (petunias, cukes, more tomatoes, more peppers). Here they are up close.
Left to right:
There are two Salad Bush cucumbers that just germinated that are in the back, left corner.
Tomatoes ( just a couple of the ones started)
Fat N' Sassy (now called King Arthur) peppers in the front center.
Tango Celery tucked into the middle back.
Tropical Milkweed for the monarch cats to munch on.
In the front, Snow Crystals Sweet Alyssum that started blooming when it was quite small. It has a lovely fragrance which is what I was hoping for. Nicotiana sylvestris in the back...also for fragrance and moth appeal.
Dwarf Janie Deep Orange Marigolds. Just the other day I had to pick the first blooms off of most of them. They are nice and sturdy so far. Behind them in the tray are Oklahoma red zinnia and Fruit Smoothie Orange and Purple zinnia. It's funny. I used to look down on marigolds. That somehow, since they are easy to grow, that they aren't as impressive as other flowers. It wasn't until last season when I saw my daughter picking marigolds to place in vases that I saw them as something special again. Now my gardens will be filled with deep orange marigolds, so my daughter can make bouquets to her hearts content.

This morning I decided to bag some blossoms. I used bridal tulle circles to cover the blossoms. A bagged blossom. The clothespins are holding the "bags" together and their weight is supported by clipping them over the cages. I will remove the bags once I see tomatoes forming.
Fused tomato stems on my Lucky Cross tomato plant.
Copra and Red Zeppelin onions starting to bulb up.
Reliance Grapes
Blueray Blueberry
Newly expanded front garden. The entire middle portion was grass in the beginning of the season. Now it is filled with marigolds, dwarf sunflowers, lots of carrots, and other assorted annuals as fillers.
Scarlet Oklahoma Red Zinnia
Jacob Kline Monarda
Purple Coneflower

I'm beat. On this lovely afternoon, I planted my tomatoes, peppers, celery, zinnia, asclepias curassavica, fennel, cosmos, and marigolds. I still have a few more leftovers and other plants that need to get planted, but I'm exhausted. That's hard work. Sure feels good though.

Hail. Hail. Grass Be Gone!

Boy has it been a cold spring. Temperatures should average in the 50s with 30s at night. Not so here. It's about 10 degrees below normal around here lately. And what is that? Snow? Nope. We had ourselves a nice thunderstorm that produced pea-sized hail this past week.
Despite temperatures in the 30s yesterday, I found myself outside digging and tearing out the grass out front. Now there is no need for my hubby to line trim around the edge or "fancy" mow around the new bird bath. :) I'm sore today, but it's so much fun while I'm working in the garden. It took about two hours, but I was able to save and replant the bulbs that were growing up through the grass. Lots of crocuses, tiny tulips, and a hyacinth or two.
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The best part....Now I have just the spot for my new Mrs. F. D. Roosevelt peony that I ordered! I also ordered an American Revolution, Bright Sunset, and Eenie Allegro daylily that will grace this new section. The border will consist of Citrus Mix marigolds that my children are growing and carrots....for their foliage. Hoping the carrots will serves as host plants for the black swallowtails again this season. Any carrots that endure the constant foliage-munching are just a bonus.

Late Summer Garden

Summer is coming to an end, but there is still a lot of pep left in these plants. There are scarlet runner beans and Scarlet O' Hara morning glories climbing up the trellises. The back includes red, Will Rogers zinnia. The front is a mix of Butterfly pentas, Red Rubin basil, petunias, Lady in Red and Coral Nymph salvia, a Jalapeno M pepper plant, and anaheim chili pepper plants. Moss Curled parsley is hiding behind the peppers on the right. Closer to the birdbath are volunteer marigolds from last years plants.

Scarlet Starlet or Scarlet Charleton?

I was so excited to find seed for Scarlet Starlet marigolds. I wanted marigolds in my garden, but I'm not much of a fan of their look. Scarlet Starlet didn't look too marigold-y, so it was perfect. Unfortunately over time the flowers have begun to change. For the first few weeks most blooms looked like the flowers advertised. Now that the season is further along the blossoms are quite variable on the same plant. Above is a picture of what the blooms look like now. The flower on the left is the new variation taking over. The right flower is what they should look like. I don't exactly dislike the newer blooms, I just wish the plants were consistent with their packaging.