The Seedlings of 2009

Now that we are undeniably entering fall, I paused to reflect on the seedlings I grew this year and how they fared since their growing season began, way back in mid-January. First, the herbs...


I grow a number of perennial herbs (that I did not start from seed), including oregano, lemon balm, and chives, and I decided to add Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) to the list of perennials. The seeds sprouted easily and showed vigorous foliage growth all year, but it's the flowers I want for tea, and I'm now finally getting enough blooms to harvest some every couple of days. I'm hoping against hope that we have a milder winter this year than last year because Roman chamomile is only nominally hardy in zone 5.

(Chamomile with lemon balm and Italian oregano nearby. German chamomile [Matricaria recutita] is an annual while Roman chamomile is a perennial.)

Annual herbs are a staple as well; this year it was basil (Ocimum basilicum) and cilantro (Coriandum sativum). The basil took a long time to get going, but these three sturdy little plants are producing more than enough for my purposes. There should be plenty to dry for the winter. Despite the slow start, they're producing more than the anemic plant I purchased last year that was twice as tall as these guys but had little foliar growth, so I will definitely be growing these from seed again!

(Small but robust basil)

The cilantro became a surprise ornamental when it bolted and started to flower uncontrollably. The plants put their energy into flowering and seed production and their foliage basically disappeared, with the result being no cilantro leaves for my cooking.

But I've enjoyed the lacy white umbels all summer, and now I have coriander seed, which is not what I expected to harvest but still is nice nonetheless. (By the way, any recipes using coriander seed are welcome!) Now, onto the perennials...


After doting upon and hovering over my one little Eupatorium seedling, I foolishly planted Baby Joe in the shade of my goldenrod. Of course, this past spring when the goldenrod was barely leafing out, I didn't realize this would be the case but here we are. I am just glad that Baby Joe seems to be surviving whatever bugs are chewing on him (likely those typical thugs, Japanese beetles), and hopefully he'll grow tall enough next year to get out of the goldenrod's shadow.


Here are some thriving Canadian columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) seedlings. They were easily collected last summer from the seed pods; I cold stratified them for about three months, then scarified them gently with sandpaper, then cold/moist stratified them for another month. The germination rate was fabulous! It sounds like a lot of work but really it wasn't. They sat in my fridge most of the time, and it was only a total of about 10 minutes of actual activity to stratify/scarify them. Don't hesitate to try this at home!

(Don't be scared to scarify!)

This is both a perennial and an herb: anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum).

I figured it would be foliage-only this year because of its slow growth, but in the last couple weeks it's surprised me with lovely, albeit miniature, purple flower spikes. In a few weeks, when frost is imminent, I'll harvest the leaves and dry them for tea.

I know I said onto the perennials, but we've finished with those so we're back to some annuals at the other side of the garden: 'Velvet Queen' sunflowers.

I feel very conflicted about these. On one hand, I'm delighted they finally started blooming, although only one is currently flowering and the others are about to explode. Also, they've reached robust heights despite the rainy, gloomy summer. On the other hand, the seed packet clearly showed deep coral blooms, and these are a rusty yellow. (I'm bummed I lost the packet because I'd like to show it here for comparison.)

(Not what I expected)

That's gardening for you! The disappointment of a mistaken color is tempered by the success of getting tall vibrant flowers. Plus this color sort of complements the coreopsis and smooth blue asters blooming nearby, so perhaps it's for the best. I'll have to decide that once they all finally show their faces!

And last but of course not least, there's my coleus.

It's still going strong--the foliage, the flowers, all of it! In fact, it's so vigorous that it was shading the spearmint to death. So I took the spearmint out of the pot and I'm trying to nurse it back to health with partial sun, instead of the constant shade from the coleus going buckwild.

And that concludes my seedling review! Overall I'm really pleased with how everything turned out, particularly in the challenging conditions we've faced this year. Seedlings need consistent, full sun to help them grow, and that has been in short supply around here. I used no grow lights when I started these seeds, which makes it all the more amazing that this many seedlings survived! I am looking forward to starting more flowers, herbs, and vegetables next year when winter's doldrums are at their peak, but that's another post for another day! Did you grow seedlings this year? How did it go?

PS--I will be out of town this week and likely will not have another post until Bloom Day. I will try to visit blogs, however, and I will be back gardening and blogging about it as soon as I can!

The Agony and the Ecstasy

I have a curious relationship with annuals. On the one hand, I don't like their lack of commitment. My garden is filled with perennials because I want plants I can trust to stick with me and be there year after year. On the other hand, annuals are a dalliance and chance to try new things, which is also good for keeping the garden vibrant and interesting.

From college until the time I owned a home, I gardened almost exclusively in containers. I filled these with annuals because I was never in one location for more than 12 consecutive months (standard lease agreement time). But since settling on one property I've neglected container gardening, getting lazier with it each passing year. This year has been the pinnacle of laziness, and I'm so disappointed with my lack of effort that I'm determined to improve next year.

So what does this have to do with annuals? It has resulted in a very short list of my best and worst annuals for the meme by Mr. McGregor's Daughter. Let's start with the best:

I've waxed poetic about this coleus for most of the summer now, and this plant's performance is the driving force behind my decision to improve my container gardening. I really should have used these beautiful foliage plants with other flowers to take advantage of their colors and textures. Instead, I plopped them all in this pot with my spearmint in the middle. At the very least I should have planted some of these in the garden beds. There's enough shade around here that they could have spiced up some dull areas!

(These neon leaves are a perfect example of what I like about annuals--something eye-catching and different from my general color scheme, but not something I'll have to look at for years.)

(Gasping for breath to left of the coleus is my spearmint.)


In another example of container laziness that has still managed to produce prettiness, here's my Spring Fling Supertunias, still going strong in a partly shady spot on my front patio.

(I know they supposedly don't need deadheading, but I still pick off the spent flowers. Except, not in this picture I guess...)

Now for the worst:

These are 'Velvet Queen' sunflowers that I had such high hopes for. I've failed at growing sunflowers before by sowing them in places that were too shady, so this past year I watched and planned and sowed these in the sunniest place I have. And thanks to a cloudy, rainy summer, I've got these lovely leaves and no sunflowers. I'm still hoping they'll make a miraculous comeback by late August, but I'm not holding my breath.

(Sunflower failure: is it the weather, the flowers, or me?)

That's part of what makes me dissatisfied with annuals: I don't have next year to enjoy some beautiful, deep-coral sunflowers, I'm just out of luck. But as hope springs eternal, I'm confident that next year I'll get around to planting some decent containers and improving my record with annuals. They embody the constant renewal and continual opportunities of the garden!