Shirley .. thank you! I plant my seeds year round 365, no specific month or time. I usually try to get some of them going at least once or twice a month (sometimes more) and just keep doing that. No, I dont do mine in the house either, LOL.

Jayeanne do you have a greenhouse or just start them outside?

Shirley, No greenhouse, they just go directly outside. You can also winter sow them since they need the cold stratification.

Ohhh you are tempting me to to retry the lily adventure. I have lost so many I hate throwing more money in them. I look back at my planting logs and keep hoping I see one pop up then I can re label. That is my New years resoultion is finding a permanant label. My canning tops are the only ones that do well. Need to do that in bulk so they will be ready when planting. I love to recycle. Just have to follow thru with the clear coating after writing name on painted lids.

Susan dont go buying any seeds, I have plenty seeds here that I have hybridized from mine, that I would be more than happy to share some with you. No need for anything in return. As far as your labels go, I use aluminum tags (found from amazon) and you can indent these with a pen or pencil and they dont fade and dont wash out. they dont even rust. Best thing Ive found to use for tagging. Ill get some photos here in a minute to show you.

Coolrunner Plant Labels, 100 Aluminum Plant Tags with 6 Inch Wires (100) 15.99 free shipping. (amazon)

Susan ... here is one of the tags I was telling you about ... to be able to read its entirety simply rinse with water. I strictly use these for my seedlings, BUT I could see where you may find these work for other items you are wanting to keep labeled as well. Hope this helps.

I took a lead on that from seeing others do it. I am cutting pie pans. How do you attach. I was going to stick in ground. but now relize that is part of my lost window blind tags. they get moved around. I can put these on my metal clothes hanger peice. I love the offer of the seeds. Shirley shared with me. I think I have 1 "dances with angels" hanging in there. the others sprouted then died the next year still in the pots.

I dont attach mine, however the ones from amazon do come with 6 inch wires, (which remind me of twisties from bread loafs - same idea) I just either insert the tag inside the side of the container they are growing in OR insert into the ground beside them growing. You could actually 'bury' the tag a little under your mulch/soil to ensure the wind or outside elements doesnt 'take off' with the tags (or critters either) (watch growing in containers, they rot quicker than you can blink your eyes, they need extremely good drainage if growing in containers) Ive always got mine going into the ground as soon as they are 'big enough' to get them out of those containers.

Ill get some together for you either later today or tomorrow and get them sent your way. Just glad to hear you are not giving up on trying them again, they really are a lot of fun. The best part for me, is seeing the bloom on your seedling for the very first time! Its so exciting! No (2) seeds, even from the same pod on a daylily (hemerocallis) will ever be the same! They are all uniquely different. So for example, you have 27 seeds in a pod, or maybe you have 5 seeds in a pod, if you were to grow out every one of those seeds, every one of those will be different in some way. No two (2) are ever alike.

Jayeanne you have got me excited about trying some daylily seeds. I would be so excited to see that first bloom. Even though I have let the bees pollinate mine it would be exciting to see what you get.

Susan I am going to try and root/plant seeds of the clematis. I have customers asking every year wanting to buy them so going to give it a try this year.

Collect ripe seed in the fall and plant in sterile seed starting mix, covering seeds with a thin layer of sand. Place the container into a zip lock polyethylene bag and place it outside in a shady spot (or a refrigerator) for several months during the winter so that they go through several freeze/thaw cycles.

Has any one else started clematis from seed or propagation?

Jayanne that is so sweet. I will pot them and see how the spring goes. ready to pick out peppers. just ordered my seed starting mix from Garden alive. this is by far the best for no damping off. Hearing of the garden supply shortages rumors thought I would get it out of the way. The small companies are good for great tomatoe seeds, but feel I have a great selection already.

Shirley I have split my purple climatis it is very hardy. A smal peice pots up well. I find very few seeds on my other colors. The sweet autumn that self seeds every where. My fairy/gnome garden has out grown its bowl. so gonna try to progatate the aloe and dogtail cactus in it. They are reaching for light inside.

Shirley ... OH its like Christmas morning when you see those first blooms forming on your seedlings and then its over the moon when the first bloom OPENS! You would absolutely love it!

clematis .. have never tried separating or doing cuttings from them, I have saved seeds from several of mine and have also tried growing from seed. I have heard ... it takes (2) cold spells (this might mean 2 periods of winter - 2 years) to get them to germinate, which is probably why I have had no success growing from seed. one might want to start them out in some sort of container where they can let them be for a couple years. My containers get dumped out before that.

Susan ... Happy to share! and do let me know how they do for you ... I have tracking on your package.

I wanted to stop by and say how much I have been enjoying reading everyone’s comments. I love the exchange of ideas and gardening advice and getting to know one another better.

Shirley I love your organization bins for your seeds and the expanding accordion folder too.

Susan, I love your label discussion. I have had issues with losing the vinyl blind labels too and having various labeling methods fade after a couple of months. I do need to find a better landing system. I keep track of my beds also with a spreadsheet with a grid layout system that I first sketch out and then finalize during the winter. It’s labor intensive but it’s a good backup plan for now.

Jayeanne, your daylilies are gorgeous. I had no idea that you hybridized them. I knew Shirley sells daylilies, but I had no idea about your amazing collection that you are creating there. I also associate you with pink flamingos and imagine flower beds filled with zinnias and other colorful and whimsical items. I love all of the daylilies you have shared. The spider type are my favorites. I had a few nice ones a long time ago at my previous residence. I wish I would have brought them with me but I wasn’t able to dig them out since the house sold in the coldest winter months and the ground was frozen solid.

This winter I am experimenting with some datura cuttings I obtained ina Facebook group exchange in the fall. They were not rooted when I received them in November but have since rooted and are doing well. I know they are poisonous and I will keep them away from the dog etc. I have heard once they become larger you can overwinter them in the garage. We have an attached garage but it gets pretty cold here in zone 6a. I am thinking I will just overwinter them in the basement instead. I also have an epiphyllum Queen of the Night that I received a a one leaf cutting about 3 years ago. It has become quite large now but does not flower for me. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Here is a picture of it below.

I am going to grow more herbs for culinary purposes and teas since the wildlife seem to not ravage them the way they did my veggie garden. I will grow some dwarf tomatoes and pepper plants in pots closer to the house. I always start a bunch of tomato seeds and share plants with my neighbors and they are so nice they share their harvests. They have built elaborate fences in areas to keep the critters out. I know I will have to do the same and my son in law offered to help me with that when I am ready.

Susan beautiful Plant. Are you a houseplant person? Starting cuttings? I am not. But found a local group that had been fun following. I collected a few cuttings that have done well. I dont think like other growers though. I want the plant that does not come easy. I spent the day yesterday deciding whether iIwanted to take a chance on importing

Phyllanthus mirabilis. It come from Thailand. Dont even sell seeds in USA. They are in UK also. But no sellers on etsy,Ebay or amazon from there.

I will post partners a little later. Lets post a color you want to make your garden pop this year. I am going with red!!! I usally do the pink/ purple petunias on the front border. My second choice is more yellow.

Ready to get our sending out group. Shirley send to Susan N. Susan N. sends to me and and I send to Shirley. It is the best time to start making those special plans for April gardens.

Good saturday I hope you are are enjoying some sunshine. Might venture out and see about starting some winder sowing jugs. I threw a pack of larkspur in some water. I never relized they were considered an annual. 60 to 90 days to blooming. also had some double purple white. datura seeds. I know I can get a blooming from those. I did a yellow 2 years ago. hoping to get some tall flowers to show off. anybody else opening a pack of seeds to get the season started?

good afternoon. Wanting March to get here. So organizing my flower seeds by year. I have flower seeds that have been here since 2015 . I am staying out of seeds trades till I can get an idea of what I really want to plant. Just got a package from a tomato seed trade. I sent out my older tomatoe seeds last year to people that requested seeds. I was requested to grow out 2 dwarfs. they are popular and I understand why. The size is great for the plants and tomatoes. The colors have been fun and taste good. They do not ripen before the large in ground. But you can start them earlier in the house because they dont get leggy. They keep a stout stem. I am going to seperate my seeds by regular plants and dwarfs.

Hope everyone had a good Sunday. It was a sunny day with pretty warm temperatures, at least for Ohio.

I am going through my seeds this month too Susan and will be doing some winter sowing. It works well for me because otherwise sometimes the seeds don’t come up when I direct sow. We have a lot of hungry birds here and I think they are good detectives. I am going to try to winter sow perennial flowers and perennial and annual herbs.

I haven’t given too much thought to color schemes yet for my border flower beds but I think I will go with pink and purple this year for the front yard. My backyard has a rainbow of colors and I am putting my cutting garden back there this year. I promised myself I was going to learn to make fresh floral arrangements to bring some cheer indoors since we spend so much time at home.

We learned recently we will be working from home permanently so I am happy that I will be able to do some gardening chores during lunch breaks.

Susan, I am happy to be sending to you this month!

got to walk the garden yesterday. really cleaning up from Christmas decrations. Daffodills up 1/2 in my full sun garden. lots of bulbs being pushed out of the ground. Tried to push them back in but the ground is frozen about an inch down. Checked my rose clippings that I did in milk jugs. still green holding small leaves. They are stored in my holding area. it is surrounded by pine trees so tends to stay warmer. But gets no rain from the upper canopy. some pf my potted heurchras are holding color back there. where in the open garden are brown. I am impressed with the color of green spice right now. That has been a hearty plant. I lost the 2 I was babying inside. as I researched it is not uncommon for some to die out. I am not going to buy any this year. Just see how the 8, I have do this year. I replanted them around my tree last year for a colorful dotted bed. Like to know what is going on where you are .

Good afternoon Girls Had a fun morning watching Nicole Burke explaining the "Modern gardener" There is a big shift from row gardening to raised beds gardening. It is geared toward raised beds , trellises and planning each season. so you can visit the garden everyday. I was interested because the massive amount of weeding and regular tilling is getting to be very tiring for this 62 year old. I still have plans for my regular row gardening this year. I am seeing the smaller tomato plants and beans that are easy to manage. More trellis growing which has worked at home for cucumbers and melons. you can make it look attractive so seating and pathways . I agree that my garden in the back does become a mess with tall "special tomatoe" plants . I add color up with sunflowers, blackeyed Susan and marigolds. Just my garden thoughts for next year. If my garden was at home ,no toting rototiller, cages, and garden tools to the vegetable garden. #planningahead

8 of us ladies traveled to Chattanooga, Tn for the week-end and had so much fun. Really cold but we bundled up and got out anyway.

Jayeanne I am going to try the clematis seeds by wintersowing and see how they do. At least I will have tried.

We have a few warmer days coming up this week so hope to get outside and do clean-up and plant some seeds. Such fun to see those seeds sprout in containers. I like the milk jugs and have some saved. Goodness at the plant books coming in the mail every day. So many new plants for 2021 but trying not to order.

Susan N. - excited to send to you.

Susan, your gardens sound so beautiful. It is well worth the work you are putting in to them. I know thy once I retire I will enjoy tinkering in mine more hours than I do now. I am blessed to work from home now so I can get some gardening time in during lunch too. Of course we all practically live in our gardens from spring to fall I imagine, or is that just me that does that?

It is nice to hear garden beds is a current trend. I installed 6 last year and have a total of 10. What I find is that I am going to have to continually add dirt/compost each Spring because it tends to compact. It is easier to weed the beds though. even though my back yard is fenced the deer live in the ravine that is part of our property and I had a hard time with them and other critters frequenting my veggie garden. I am going to grow dwarf tomatoes and a couple of pepper plants and the rest is going to be for culinary and tea making herbs that the animals do not seem to be interested in. I have to make some sort of additional fencing around the bed that will house the tomatoes and peppers.

Of course I want to plant more perennial flowers that are deer resistant in my front garden beds that are part to full sun. My husband wants me to make it low maintenance and put some river rock or other stone instead of wood chip mulch to keep the weeding to a minimum. I had planted a number of azaleas in the main front bed and the deer don’t nibble on them too much but they do when they get hungry in the dead of winter. I think they like younger and more tender growth and as the shrubs have aged over the past few years they have not bothered with them as much thank goodness.

I have a bunch of varieties of coneflower seeds that I am going to winter sow in milk jugs. I love winter sowing. It is so easy and rewarding. I am also trying to develop a partially shaded backyard area with hosta , Columbine, bleeding hearts, ferns, and anything else I can find that will do well there. There are a couple of large trees so I have tree roots and a lot of shade in some areas. I am slowly adding some daffodils and other spring bulbs to the area to give it a splash of color. I will probably get wood chips for mulch as the beds develop and put a couple of sitting areas to finish it up. I mulched the leaves from the maple and oak trees and mixed with the soil in the raised beds to help amend and prepare it for spring planting. I did that the year before as well and it really helps.

I do have a small Garden bed about 30 inches deep and 30 feet long in the back that my husband prepared for me this fall. It is in a sunny area of the back yard where I will plant zinnias and other annuals for my cutting garden like sunflowers, gomphrena, and maybe a dahlia or two. I do want to get some other annual seeds that are good for that purpose but I don’t know what I am going to get yet.

Shirley, I am so glad you are getting out and traveling a bit. My dad was born in Chattanooga TN and I only visited there once. My grandma lived in Calhoun GA and I visited a handful of times growing up. It is so beautiful there and I sometimes just want to be spontaneous and jump in my car and take a road trip for a long weekend. I remind myself it takes a good 10 to 11 hours minimum each way not including stops to rest etc and I am not a Spring chicken anymore. I am planning to go for a week or so but probably not until next year.

Almost forgot, back to my gardens, I do have a little corner also that is sunny where I have a little grotto for the Virgin Mary. I have a trellis with climbing Don Juan rose there and a couple of shrub roses that the animals don’t really like either. I tried to plant a couple of other plants there but the area is pretty small and I just left my tall bearded iris there with a couple of ground cover succulents and mulched and used marble chips in the rest of the area. I have a nice bench there and it is a very spiritual, peaceful and reflective space.

Shirley I hope you got you climatis seeds winter sowed. we are having a sunny day. I bought some fancy hibistis seed. {giant black Hibhibiscus, red,yellow,orange hibiscus, blue and red center hibiscus}they came yesterday. let you know if this seller is any good. He offers money back also if not satified. That is the reason also I want to start them. so I will be winter sowing then move inside when I start the tomatoes. I am going to buy my petunia plants this year. We have a great garden center that in the spring does $1. wave petunia plants. I will let them grow for me this year. the big box store usally have good sales on baskets. have my thoughts to build a trellis where my raised bed is at. My husband will see my "stuff" filling up the back yard.

Susan was hoping to get the clematis sown but the wind here is terrible. Sunny but that wind is awful.

Susan N - Chattanooga was great, really enjoyed it. You are quite a ways from Chattanooga. I love to travel but it gets harder as I age.

We have visited this home several times as they have built it. It is now done except for landscaping. Look familiar, they built it to look like Gone With The Wind, Tara. It is gorgeous and I couldn't get the picture I wanted.

Dixie the lady and her Husband designed it. She's coming to buy peonies from me in May.

Wow that is so cool to work with a blank yard . of course all the shrubs are not my style. I went out to do my winter sowing also. and it was brisk!!!. Ending up bringing my jug in and doing it inside. I am rethinking the germanation. It is at least 2 weeks . so I started them inside. That way I can let the seller know how I like them. I wrote him to tell him my plans. Here r the beauties I want. But it may take 2 years. I am not sure on the rest.

I did not buy alot of seed. just 5 of each. #snowing

Those are beautiful

Love that house Shirley. It would be great to start with a blank slate like that.

Susan those are beautiful hibiscus. I wish you all the best with them. I have a friend that has a tropical hibiscus that makes beautiful peach flowers. It reaches her ceiling and she has it in a huge decorative pot. She takes it out to the patio for summer and over winters it in her family room the rest of the year.

I found a picture of my Virgin Mary grotto garden all ready for a winter’s nap. It is a small space but it is a nice private corner. I was thinking of expanding it out a bit and putting a couple of shrubs around to make it more private but I am not sure if I want to do that. I want to be sure it continues to receive sufficient sun for the roses I have planted there. What do you ladies think of the area and how I might improve it?

Susan I saw a small private area with raised beds all around in the seminar i watched. . it was filled with flowers and produce. thought it was a great way to spend that hour a day picking produce. that is the "modern" gardener gardening to be able to just relax and still be produtive. I can vision on in my yard.

Thanks Susan. That is a great idea.

Shirley, I forgot to mention that I had tried to start clematis from
Seed but I didn’t know it required a stratification period. No wonder nothing grew for me lol. That was a long time ago. Now I read up on everything when I am going to start seeds.

Your purple clematis sounds lovely. I think propagation by cuttings is so much easier for most plants than starting from seed.

I am starting some winter sowing milk jugs this week and am excited to finally get around to doing so.

I hope you all had a great Sunday. We had a few flurries but our January has been extremely mild this year. I am not complaining. I could get used to this.

Hello sorry I have not been on. I have been blessed with a seeds for my school I support RRAC. Check it out !!!I I got over 10 lbs of Livingston seeds 2020.The issue is It cost $25 to send 2 lbs. So I posted in 2 gardening groups I am selling packs for .25 .It is just taking time recording .If anyone is interested I can make a generous box. I am not trying to sell here.Just want to share. The money goes for shipping to the school.

Shirley your box went out Sunday. My Amariyllis is giving me some blooms. Held over for 2 years.

I received Jayeanne generous gifts of day lily seeds. Need to work on those this week. I let them on my kitchen counter to remind me. A seller I know could not get the sponges she uses to start seeds. She tried cotten balls. She is just starting so following her results. She start some in the sponges she had. I am thinking I might try the lilies before potting up.

Hi everyone, hope your day is going well. The cotton ball experiment seems very interesting. I will have to do some reading on it.

Susan, I mailed your package today, have tracking info if we need it. Your package will delivery by this Friday, January 22nd.

On another note, I was wondering if any of you have any fertilizing secrets you would like to share. My mom always used ground egg shells on the tomato plants. I do the same. I have heard aspirin is good also but never tried it. I did use Mater Magic last year and my tomatoes were 8 ft tall but fruit production did not seem to increase any. I tried the banana peel tea on a couple of them and that really made my roma tomatoes produce a lot of friut. Of course the animals got to them before I did, but that is another story.

I use coffee grounds for my acid loving plants like azalea, rhododendron, hydrangea and blueberry bushes. I have heard mixed comments about that but all my plants seem to like it.

My grandma used to have a section of the yard that she would alternate each year and not plant there. She would bury all her veggie scraps about 10 - 12 inches deep and they would decompose over the year and enrich the soil for next year's planting. I have done regular composting which works, but takes patience and requires dedicated space, and I have used Jerry Baker's recipes and blended up veggie scraps and mixed with beer, hot sauce, a drop or two of dishwashing liquid, and I don't recall what else, but it worked well also.

I would love to hear about your favorites for natural soil enhancements and fertilizers.

I also would like to know how you all start your seeds. I start mine in the basement, against my husband's wishes of course. Oh well, he's a good guy so I keep him around anyway, lol.

Susan ... glad to hear you got them OK ... hope they grow well for you and bring you many blooms! happy lily planting!

I have always used Epson salts and a whole egg in the hole when planting. Can't hurt!!! my leaves always green and healthy.now someone feels you don't need Epson. I used Dr Jim tomato food last year on my dwarfs in pots. They were healthy. I purchased again this year to add to my special plants. My tomatoes are in my spare bedroom.The only dirt I use now is garden alive with vermiclite.Never have damping off or gnats I have been using the led red/blue light for starting and use the clump method They grow so straight, right toward the light. Then when they get potted up individually I bring out the 4 ft. Lights with a fan for movement. Bottom water. Try to move to the deck when a day is warm enough. That way don't need hardening off.

Thanks for sharing Susan. I will be trying the Epson Salts and the whole eggs this year.

Hope everyone has a good Thursday. The temperature is at 32 degrees this morning but it is supposed to warm up to a balmy 43 degrees, which is pretty warm for a January day in Northeast Ohio. It is nice and sunny out so I hope to go for a nice walk during my lunch break later today.

Same here I feel enerjized to get out to the community garden and look around. i left some plastic fencing there . The rule is if it is there when they till it is theirs. Plus there is a bread outlet on the way there. so stockup on some hand pies. I spent all yesterday counting and recording packs of seeds. Now not so overwhelmed. Get out and see how the bulbs are doing .

Susan I received my wonderful pkg today, sure made my day much brighter.

Such lovelies you found:

Cardinal Clumber, Cypress Vine seeds

Asparagus, Cleome, Onion, Chive seeds to deter deer (which I need badly)

I agree strong smelling plants help. Also, clear fishing line, bars of soap wrapped in cloth and placed around yard.

Never have enough plant labels so thank you for including them. Can't ever get enough seed starting pellets so love these.

Thank you so very much.

I couldn't stand it until I used these.

We went Sunday to Atlanta, Ga and I picked up my soon to be hero to keep deer out of the yard when she grows up. Her name is Amena.

Susan. I got your box opened this morning. Of course I went right for the tomatoes seeds. So many great items. The assortment of tea will be a treat tonight. The tools and gloves look so sturdy. Plant clips,markers and labels always needed. Such a great gardening package. I can check off some of my gardening needs.

Shirley so glad you got to start some seeds. What a sweet little German shepherd. They only get more beautiful. He is very lucky to have you as his mother.

Shirley, your beautiful German Shepard will grow up to be a fierce protector for you, your home and your gardens. I am sure she will have the deer thinking twice before they intrude on your property.

My little Hercules, our Chihuahua, is unfortunately not very intimidating. The deer just stare at him and don't budge.

Susan, I am glad you received your gardening package. I know it is mostly just ordinary tools and gloves and organizing items, but that is what January is all about. I hope you find some nice tomato varieties that you don't already have. As for me I will be growing tomatoes in hanging baskets and containers since I had so many issues last year. I am hoping that will work better for me. I hope the trowel and weed removing tools will work well for you. I have the same weeder and it has held up for me through years of use. Very good at removing those pesky roots so the weeds don't grow back. And of course, the gloves are nice for when you are working with ridding the garden of thistle and working with roses so you don't get stuck with the thorns.

Well, happy garden prep to both of you, Susan and Shirley.

I am getting some winter sowing done and was wondering if anyone uses other clear plastic containers besides milk jugs. I have heard you can use other containers but I have never tried it.

Wishing you all a happy Sunday!

good afternoon girls starting a warm up here in Dayton. but I know it is short lived. Gotta get thru febuary. Get to play with seeds today. I sold 3 packages for my postage project. it will help in getting them to Uganda. Hope everyone day is going well.

Thanks Shirley. I will let you know when I receive your package.

I was wondering if you ladies do composting with your old potting soil. i usually throw mine in the compost bin at the end of the season. I use fresh seed starting mix to start my seeds and in winter sowing also. What do you use? Do you make your own mix?

Despite the terrible snow, cloudy skies and cold temperatures, my day has turned out great. I am smiling from ear to ear with the wonderful package Shirley sent. She includes a great assortment of summer flowering bulbs, a couple of green ones, (green is my favorite), gardening gloves, plant labels, floral stickers, a beautiful assortment of seeds, and seed baggies. What a great assortment of goodies. I love it all Shirley! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can’t wait to get started planted. Spring fever has me in it’s grip! I am going to start the bulbs indoors since it will be cold for a bit yet. Shirley? Do you know the name of the bulbs you sent in the brown bag? They look like lilies. I didn’t see the name on the bag, but I might have missed it. Whatever they are I am sure I will love them! Thanks again for everything!!!!

The year started slow and ending slow. That gives us time to plan for Spring. Thank you Shirley and Susan for joining the fun of planning our gardens. on to reaching our goals in the garden.

Thank you for hosting a great month Susan. And thanks to you Jayeanne, and Shirley for the great conversation exchange. I enjoyed and learned a lot.

Shirley, thank you again for the wonderful package. I did find the label for the lilies when I planted them up, it was hiding at the bottom of the bag. Thanks for making such nice labels for everything and for the lovely card too. I will enjoy a wonderful spring and summer with all of these nice plants and seeds.

I wish you all a great gardening season this year. Have a great time organizing and planning meanwhile.. A gardener's work is never done!

Susan glad you found the name of the lilies I thought I put it in the bag. I have been planting bulbs and seeds and can't wait to see blooms.

Thanks for hosting this month Susan.