It’s growing!

(Tagetes)

Some of the seeds are peeking up. Tagetes, Ipomoea purpurea and Mauranthemum paludosum.

Building a animal friendly garden

My garden is tiny but I want more animals in it. I would love to have a hedgehog but I have never seen a hedgehog around here but with the new compost who knows. I want an owl so I’m building a house for it. People have said that they’ve seen tawny owls (Strix aluco) and I read somewhere that they likely to move into a house if you build it so…

I want a robin too, something about robins. So cute. I need a bigger bush for them to like it. If I ever get my yew hedge I might get a little robin.

My dream is to have a raven living in the garden but they are apparently shy so I would have to settle for crows. I just love it when they sing…

And bats! Must have bats, building several bat-houses and hoping for the best. There are bats in the neighborhood and with all the demolition of forest around here I’m sure they will have a hard time finding a place to live.

I would like to have swallows but I think they make a mess if I get a colony of those to move in.

I’m also going to make bughouses. Good for all the plants and essential if I want a whole bunch of birds to move in. They seem very easy to make too. Here is how you make one.

Yesterday and today

Yesterday: I check the dahlias again, no change since the last time I check them.

Today: I sowed lots of seeds, begonia, violets, dahlia, Mauranthemum paludosum, tagetes, Impatiens, bleeding heart, Japanese poppy, hairy poppy, Papaver lateritium, atlas poppy and Ipomoea purpurea.

Keep your fingers crossed now…

Today…

I planted three eryngiym planum pots and two pansies. Keep your fingers crossed.

Hmm…

I should have made an order earlier but I haven’t and now I’m sitting here wondering if I should remove some of the stuff, add just a few more or if I’m done. Whenever I feel, “Okay, done” it’s like standing in line by the register surrounded by candy and having an empty stomach!

I’ve found a few cuties that I want but it’s already pretty full in all my flowerbeds, not sure I’ll find space for it all. Some of the poppies look pretty dull and one is dull looking and pricey, but I want ALL poppies and I know I’ll love him when he’s here so what to do!?

I’ve never had Zinnias and they seem cute and easy (knock on wood) so I think I just have to have a few of those.

Zinnia, pic found here

Zinnia, pic found here

Update: I managed to remove one papaver rhoeas but it was hard. There was this really cute mixed called, “Angel’s choir mix” but I guess I can live without… I didn’t get any peony poppies either.

Wolfs Bane

Planted two pots of Wolf’s Bane (aconitum napellus) on January 13. Let’s see if they feel like growing, keep your fingers crossed.

Check the dahlias in storage

Most of them (knock on wood) looked just fine but one thing is sure, the bigger they are the easier they are to store. Some of the smallest one, the ones I sewed last season, I doubt they will make it through the winter. This was the first time I check on them.

Arabian Night: 4 (all very nice)
Fantasia: 1 (very questionable due to size)
Unknown: 7 (five questionable)
Children of Oxford: (1 fine, 1 okay, 5 small and will most likely not make it)
Tomas A Edison: 2 (both looking nice)
Le Baron: 1(Nice)
My Love: 1 (ok) (There might be two, I put the one I think is a “My Love” in the same box and it looked nice too)
Lucky number seven: 1 (Nice)

I’m also trying to storage a small pot with tall verbena, looking questionable, gave them a little spray of water…