A Weekend Dedicated to Seeds, Seedlings, and Garden cleanup

Today, I cycled some of the seedlings from the heat mat/light garden to the greenhouse. Specifically, there were about 36 Incarvillea sinensis “Cheron” seedlings that I potted on into large six-packs and put in a tray in the greenhouse. I also transplanted about a dozen Heliotrope “Marine.” And there were twelve Stipa gigantea seedlings that were transplanted, as well.

None of the succulent/cacti seedlings are big enough to be transplanted yet–they will get moved to the greenhouse in their seedling pots and given a year to fill out their pots before being moved on. That includes Kalanchoe, Albuca, Lewisia, Gasteria, Lobivia, and Haworthia.

Some other seedlings are making an appearance after a couple of weeks. Heuchera seedlings are starting to show, as well as Fragaria vesca seedlings. And about six seeds of the Greenhouse Lottery Mix from Chilterns have germinated.

I spent today planting more seeds, as well, including native plants and herbs:

Valeriana officinalis
Armeria maritima
Aquilegia formosa
Aruncus dioicus
Allium cernuum
Sidalcea hendersonii
Sisyrinchium idahoense
Big Leaf Lupine (L. polyphyllum)
Erythronium montanum
Lupinus polyphyllus
Maianthemum racemosum
Armeria maritima
Aruncus dioicus
Fritillaria camschatcensis
Tellima grandiflora
Tolmiea menziesii
Sisyrinchium idahoense
Sidalcea hendersonii
Allium cernuum
Sambucus cerulea
Sambucus racemosa
Holodiscus discolor
Rhododendron occidentale
Oregano, Common
Parsley
Thyme
Summer Savory
Chives
Fennel
Dill, Bouquet
Chamomile
Dahlia Bishop’s Children

The herbs are in the house under lights; the natives are all outdoors in pots or six packs.

Light garden with heat mat in a west-facing window. All LED lights. The cooler-growing seeds (Heuchera, Fragaria) go in the windowsill, not on the heat mat
Some of the natives planted today.
More native seedlings.
More seed pots.

When all the seed planting was done, I decided to package up the extra seeds and offer them up for free on Nextdoor. I had already shared a bunch of seeds with brother Tim, so it makes sense to share the extras locally. Within two minutes of posting, a neighbor had responded. I’ll keep doing that as I plant all my seeds this year. It seems like a great way to share the love.

All of the transplanting and seed-planting took up most of my time today. I did get to glimpse a few bright things in the greenhouse, though, and tomorrow I will work in the garden proper to bring some order after all the winter storms.

The Cyclamen coum seedlings continue to flower generously.
The curlicue stems are fascinating–you can see one in the lower left.
The Masdevallia orchids are starting to erupt.

My favorite surprise today was finding the below Forsythia cutting blooming on a lower shelf. I took this cutting at my brother’s request and it is for him, so I will pass it to him soon. I had forgotten how cuttings carry the maturity of the wood they came from into their new life, so even very young plants can bloom.