How Many Is Enough?

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine to the soul.

~Luther Burbank, 1849-1926

Did you ever wonder how many plants it takes to create those full, overflowing, lush flowering baskets of annuals that you see hanging from the lamp posts on your local Main street?

This is basket week at the municipal greenhouse where I volunteer. We are planting thousands of plants in large wire and moss baskets that will eventually beautify lamp posts near and far on city streets. Just look at them…rows and rows of moss baskets. The baskets I planted today are destined to beautify Safeco Field in Seattle…home of our Mariners baseball team.

The pot pictured below is 20 inches (51 cm) in diameter. In it I have placed 20 plugs of differing but all cascading varieties of annuals. I have planted them in two offset circles, so as the plants closer to the center cascade they won’t completely cover the plant at the edge. In the center is a Begonia ‘bonfire’ which is upright but will also hang over as the stems lengthen.

At the greenhouse we plant ‘plugs’. As you can see below they are quite small but well rooted and used more in commercial applications because of volume and cost. At your local nursery you’ll find annuals often in ‘basket stuffer’ sizes, usually 2 inch (5 cm) pots. Even at that size you can still get 20 in this pot. Make sure to read the label and get everything in trailing or cascading varieties. Trailing lobelia, verbena, lotus vine, trailing begonia, calibrachoa, petunia, diascia, ivy geranium are all great for hanging pots. Something upright in the center will add height. Make sure all the plants you choose have the same light needs and are specified on the plant’s tags. If your basket is going to be in full sun be sure all the plants are labeled for full sun.

The brown plastic tubing lying in the pot is a part of the watering system Safeco Field uses. You definitely want to get that in place from the very beginning before the plants start to fill out if you are going to use a watering system like that.

Baskets need more attention to watering. Since they are made of wire and a mossy liner which allows more air flow and being suspended in the air and wind, they will dry out faster than terracotta or plastic pots. In mid summer, on a sunny, hot day you may need to water them two times a day.

Organic fertilizers are slow release naturally, so mixing in a handful of granular organic fertilizer before you put in your plants should feed your basket for 3-4 months. If you feel it needs a boost after 3 months or so you’ll want to switch to a liquid organic fertilizer, using every few weeks. Organic dry fertilizers need to be mixed into the soil, not just sprinkled on top. It will be too hard to mix in a dry type with all the plants and you don’t want to damage the lovely jumble of vines.

So now that your plants are in, all you need is sun, warmth, water and fertilizer and you too can have a beautiful, full hanging basket of colorful annuals this summer.

In Bloom In My Garden Today: Muscari (Grape Hyacinths), Hyacinths, Tulipa turkistanica, Corylopsis veitch (Winter Hazel), Hepatica, Daffodil, primrose (double English), Heleborus, Bellis perennis (English daisy), violet primrose


Author’s photos

The Potted Garden

"When in these fresh mornings I go into my garden before anyone is awake, I go for the time being into perfect happiness. In this hour divinely fresh and still, the fair face of every flower salutes me with a silent joy. . . . All the cares, perplexities, and griefs of existence, all the burdens of life slip from my shoulders and leave me with the heart of a little child that asks nothing beyond the present moment of innocent bliss."
~ Celia Thaxter, 1835-1894, New England poet and author of An Island Garden

The quote from Celia Thaxter above is one reason why I love gardening so. Years ago, at a particularly difficult time in my life, I stepped out my back door to begin yet another emotionally dark day. My burdens were too heavy. As I turned from the door toward the garage I heard my bubbling fountain, which caused me to look up. I hadn’t been looking up enough. I saw the sun was shining and my garden was there…in all it’s restful beauty. For a brief moment I stood there, looking and listening to the sounds of my garden and some of the burden slipped off my shoulders. I so needed that in that moment.

Everyone can experience that peace from a garden, whether it’s their own garden or a municipal garden or a park to visit. You don’t have to have acres of land or a big yard to have a garden. Many a garden is made up of pots. Big pots, small pots, lots of pots or just a few pots. The potted garden is just the thing if you are limited on time (far less weeding), space (think of balcony gardens), physical ability to reach the ground (easier digging and accessible by wheelchair) and easier to install than raised beds.

However there are some things to keep in mind if your garden is in pots.

• Water – pots can dry out faster than the ground, so you may be watering more often. You’ll need to dig down into the root area to see if the pot needs watering. Just looking at or touching the soil surface, which dries fastest, is not indicative of what the moisture level is at the roots. There are moisture meter probes available. I haven’t had the greatest success with them but they may be just the thing for you. I just worm my finger down into the soil an inch or two to test for moisture. Hanging pots or moss lined wire pots may need to be watered daily, especially if they are in windy or warm sunny places.

• Good drainage is life or death to potted plants. Roots need oxygen. Oxygen increases as soil dries out and creates air pockets. In the case of most plants if the soil never dries out, even just a little bit, the roots will drown and rot. I do not recommend keeping saucers under pots outside. The saucer will hold water which will wick back up keeping the soil too wet. Remove all saucers and if necessary add ‘pot feet’ under your pots. Pot feet lift the pot up off the ground so water will flow freely out. Depending on the surface your pots are on you may or may not need them. They come in many styles, shapes and sizes. You can buy specialty feet or just use a few bricks or flat stones. Rolling trays allow you to move your pots but if they are solid like a saucer, drill holes in them so you won’t have any sitting water. I find covering the hole with a small square of window screen material before you add the soil works better than stones or pottery chards which can shift and plug up the hole.

• Potting soil – Since I am an organic gardener I buy only potting soils and compost from organic sources. Organic soil companies are tested regularly so you can be sure you are not putting your plants into soil with petrochemicals that will leach out into your surrounding environs or taint your pot of veggies. I do not recommend any bagged soil or compost that has fertilizers added. You don’t know what they are using and the term ‘organic’ is being tossed around too freely and deceptively in the bagged soil industry. Buy your own organic fertilizers from reputable sources and add it yourself depending on the specific needs of the plant(s) in you pot. Potting soil has a neutral ph so if you have a pot for acid loving plants like blueberries, you’ll want to add some spent coffee grounds to raise the acidity level of the soil, and you’ll fertilize with an acid loving plant fertilizer.

• Fertilizer - There is no such thing as one fertilizer fits all. Depending on what you are growing, you’ll want an organic fertilizer that will boost flower and fruiting production, another to boost nitrogen for leaf production. Pots may need fertilizer added more frequently than garden beds because the available nutrients get pulled into the roots or flushed away with watering. Organic fertilizers break down more slowly than chemical fertilizers so you’ll be using a safer ingredient and fertilizing less often. Once in early spring and once in summer are enough for dry organic fertilizers, but synthetics may need to be added monthly or in 6 week intervals.

• The pots themselves – I prefer terracotta or glazed pots. I just like the look of them, but they are really heavy when filled, so they stay where they are. Terracotta can chip and crack. Every winter my terracotta pots show a bit more freeze damage. Some glazed terracotta is marketed as frost proof and will last longer with little or no damage depending on how fierce your winters are. If you need to move your pots, plastic may be perfect for you. Plastic is lighter and easier to move but deteriorates from the sun and becomes brittle over time. If your potted garden has perennials that you want to survive cold winters you’ll need to move them to protected areas. Pots do not provide the insulation from freezing to the root zone like ground soils.

• Moving pots - even if you don’t plan to move your pots, there are times it seems it must be done. If you are not Ms/Mr. Brawny, don’t happen to have a Mr. Brawny nearby, or are too impatient to wait for him to get his act together, treat yourself to a handy hand truck. Mine is small but has a 300 pound capacity. Try to find one with bowed support rungs in the back so your pot doesn’t go sliding off as you round a corner. You may want to strap your pot to it for better security. I wouldn’t get one with inflatable tires either, they always seem to be flat when you need it most. Solid, hard rubber tires or the like are fine, and the bigger the better if you have to go over bumpy ground.

For the sake of keeping this post from being pages and pages long I’ve not elaborated too much on several points. If I’ve left you with unanswered questions, please drop me a line in comments so we can chat more. Or take your questions to your local nursery where they will have pot feet and fertilizers and what you need to have an awesome potted garden.

May your garden be one of many sanctuaries of rest for you as mine is for me.

In Bloom In My Garden Today: sadly nothing to report


Author’s photo

What's in Your Pot?

Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination. ~Mrs. C.W. Earle, Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden, 1897

Fall is here in my world and with the colder weather and nights dipping to freezing already, many garden and potted plants are taking a hit. It’s time to refresh your pots, add cheer to your front door or patio and fill in a few holes in the garden. I took a stroll around my district, looking for great fall combination plantings to share with you. I don’t know about you but sometimes I need to be inspired. Usually in years past, front porches have been a treasure trove of ideas around where I live. This year, not so much! I did find a couple of bed planting combinations but they were both commercial establishments. Wow, more evidence of people spending less? Or is everyone just too busy? Or is it we are not ready to let go of summer? Hmmm, I wonder.

So here is one of what I found that was photo worthy. I think it’s my favorite.

The standard greens and purples of a Kale planting is livened up with what looks like spikey New Zealand Flax (Phormium). You could also use the burgundy Cordyline to achieve a similar look but for a smaller scale like a pot. What I love about this is the Dusty Miller. It really adds some brightness to an otherwise dark grouping.

Next is another kale display but with a geometric design of color blocks and blue pansies for a texture change. Truly I’d have chosen a creamy white or soft yellow pansy color but I was not the designer. Somehow the blue color looks off to me.

For cool weather displays Kale is kind of a standard and yet somehow I don’t get bored with it. To liven up your kale planting, you can choose from Aster, winter Pansy, Cyclamen, Chrysanthemum and Heaths and Heathers. All make nice textural combinations. And remember to leave a space in your pot to tuck a little gourd or pumpkin. And a casual tumble of pumpkins around the base is nice too. Hopefully next year will bring more ideas for me to pass on to you. But here’s one more I couldn’t resist sharing with you. Not a garden but adorable no less…

Dancing ghosts! The imagination of people never ceases to amaze me! Happy Halloween!

In Bloom In My Garden Today: Gladiolus callianthus Abyssinian Glad, Cimcifuga ‘Brunette’, Cyclamen hederifolium, Colchicum, Gaura, blue fall crocus speciosus, Fushia, Alyssum, Coryopsis, Nepeta, Russian sage, rose, Eupatorium ‘Chocolate (Joe Pye Weed), Oregano, Schizostylus, Mullen chaixii ‘Album’, Veronica, Salvia, hardy geranium ‘Mavis Simpson’,Lavender, kirengeshoma palmate, Daphne caucasica ‘Eternal Fragrance’ and ‘Summer Ice’

Authors photos

No Dearth of Zucchini

The trouble is, you cannot grow just one zucchini. Minutes after you plant a single seed, hundreds of zucchini will barge out of the ground and sprawl around the garden, menacing the other vegetables. At night, you will be able to hear the ground quake as more and more zucchinis erupt.
~Dave Barry


For my European readers, we’re talking about courgettes today. Doesn’t everyone have a neighbor who’s desperately trying to give away extra zucchini just about now? Have you ever been zucchini’d? You come home to find a mondo bag of zucchini left at your door by some desperate, cagey gardener? I’ve never resorted to that, thankfully my friend Kathy will take all the extra I can grow for her yummy zucchini relish.

Zucchini is a healthful vegetable for your table. It contains Calcium, Iron, and Vitamins A, B-1, B-2 Niacin and C. Growing it is so easy, it practically grows by itself. After the seed sprouts, there is no effort aside from watering it. I also happen to think it is a beautiful plant in the garden. The huge dark green leaves are often marbled with lighter veining. Depending on your locale, look for a seed variety that will fit into the full sun garden space you’ve allocated for it. In my small urban garden I grow ‘Sungreen’, which is a smallish, compact plant that is open, meaning it’s easy to reach in there to find the vegetables. It doesn’t get any more than 4 feet high or wide. In the fall when I pull it out of the ground it doesn’t seem to have a huge root ball either so I think it’s a good candidate for pot gardening too.

For our family of two, one plant yields more than enough. According to the seed package directions, before you plant your seedling, mix an organic complete fertilizer into the hole. I’ve been lazier than that and simply mixed a good shovelful of aged composted manure or compost in first. You should probably do as the seed packet directs. Little known fact: alfalfa meal is a complete organic fertilizer, is inexpensive and can be used throughout your whole garden, but it must be mixed in so the soil’s microorganisms can break it down. If your zucchini plant’s leaves get a whitish film on them toward the end of the season it’s probably just powdery mildew. Mine gets it every year as the late summer night temps begin to drop lower and lower. While the plant looks nasty, the vegetable is still good and healthy to eat.

All summer I pick my zucchini when they are still small, 4-6 inches long (10-15 cm), and after the flowers have closed but are still firm and attached. The flowers are often used in culinary dishes, but I’ve never tried them. Do you cook with zucchini flowers? I’d love to hear your experiences and recipes.

For today’s post I include a recipe. I tweak nearly every recipe that comes my way, and this recipe is great for using whatever veggies you have on hand. It is very much like stew, so you can serve it with your favorite loaf of bread, a fresh salad, or over a bed of lettuce or rice.

Zucchini Vindaloo

In typical Indian fashion you want to dry roast your spices in the pan first over low heat for a minute or so, till they become aromatic, but not too hot or too long, they can burn easily.

To a dry skillet heated on low, add and stir constantly till aromatic:

½ t ground Cinnamon
½ t ground Cumin
½ t ground Cardamom
½ t ground Coriander
½ t ground Paprika
½ t ground cloves
1 t ground Ginger
1 t ground Tumeric
¼ t ground Cayenne pepper (more of you like it spicy hot)

Add and stir till softened:
2-3 Tbs olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
onion or leek minced (I used one small leek)

Stir in:
mushrooms, celery, carrots, leeks, asparagus, zucchini - all chopped
1 14.5 oz can of chopped tomatoes (I puree them more with a blender first)
1 ½ C chicken broth (I use vegetarian “chicken flavored” powder with 1 ½ C water)
2 Tb red wine or wine vinegar
Tofu, drained and squeezed, cut into squares
1 Tb tomato paste
1 bay leaf

Simmer 30 minutes more or less till all veggies are cooked to your liking.

Salt and pepper to taste, add more cayenne if you want it hotter.

Yield 4 large bowls

The original recipe calls for chicken but I prefer tofu or poached eggs in my Vindaloo. If I have tofu I add it (drained, squeezed and cut into squares) early on to absorb the liquid and spices. If I want poached eggs, I add them to the simmering sauce at the last minutes, Cindy style.

Prepare your veggies beforehand. Use what ever you have on hand. This time I used zucchini, mushrooms, celery, carrots, and leeks. I sautéed the leeks, mushrooms, celery and carrots with the spices till they were beginning to soften, then added tofu chunks and zucchini, asparagus, tomato sauce etc. Chopped potatoes or lentils are also nice in this dish but take longer to cook if adding them raw. You can double the canned tomato and skip the ‘broth’ as I did this time.

This is a very forgiving recipe…I usually forget something (like broth, vinegar and tomato paste this time) and it always tastes great! It is also very versatile! For another great way to make this dish, hop over to Shari’s blog and find her crockpot version of Vindaloo.

In Bloom In My Garden Today: green beans, tomato, basil, oregano, zucchini, cucumber, thyme, black mondo grass, lavender, borage, veronica, fushia, rose, nepeta, salvia, russian sage, daphne, echinacea, liatris, coryopsis, caryopteris, begonia, alyssum, lobelia, heather, hosta, gallardia, Star Jasmine,

Author’s photo

It Just Happened!

Science, or para-science, tells us that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to. But a kind word every now and then is really quite enough. Too much attention, like too much feeding, and weeding and hoeing, inhibits and embarrasses them.
~Victoria Glendinning

Years ago it just happened to be our anniversary weekend, and we just happened to stay at a cute bed and breakfast up north, which just happened to have a Sunset magazine in the room, in which I just happened to read an article highlighting hardy Geraniums. The article just happened to mention a hardy Geranium mail-order/nursery/grower and profiled some rare varieties, one of which was ‘Lily Lovell’. The next day, we just happened to stop at a grocery store for some picnic lunch goodies and they just happened to have just received a nursery shipment. And guess what? There just happened to be a one gallon container of ‘Lily Lovell’! Of course I made it mine and do you know I’ve NEVER seen the fair ‘Lily Lovell’ since…anywhere! Just goes to prove the old adage…when you see it, if you like it, buy it.

There can be some confusion when we talk about geraniums. The brightly colored, large flowered, annual geraniums that grace pots and planters in spring are Pelargoniums also known as zonal geraniums. The mainstay of Germany’s window boxes, they come as upright varieties or the trailing ivy geranium varieties. Since our winters in western Washington can be mild we can often get the zonal geraniums to winter over, but usually they need some protection. There are also the tender scented geranium varieties that are only winter hardy in more tropical climes, unless you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse.

Not so for the hardy Geranium (Cranesbill). A true geranium, when it is planted in the ground they are a hardy perennial, and they look nothing like the Pelargonium plant. According to Sunset’s Western Garden Book, most are hardy in all zones with just one or two specifically hardy to zone 6 and to zone 9. Read the tag and know your zone before you buy. They sport a huge variety of leaf shape, leaf color and flower color too. The variety differences are endless. Some have leaves of deep purple color, some green, some a silver sheen. Some shamelessly seed themselves all over the place while others are very well behaved, slowly spreading and cooperative as we small garden tenders prefer. They are not bothered by any pests in my experience, including slugs and snails. I don’t know about deer, but since they do have an odor it may be worth a try if you and your deer friends have a disagreement over who your garden was planted for.

Over the years I’ve had many hardy Geraniums, but my two favorites are ‘Lily Lovell’ and ‘Mavis Simpson’ because they are well behaved and beautiful.

In my garden, Geranium phaeum ‘Lily Lovell’ (pictured above and right) blooms in late April through May, is nearly evergreen with large green leaves and has lovely purple flowers of reflexed petals revealing a white eye. It prefers morning sun and sulks if it gets a bit dry or too hot from later sun. I do cut off the stems after they flower (seeding issues) and it sometimes gives me a minor re-bloom later. The leaves stand about 12” (.30 m) tall and the flowering stems about 36” (.90 m). It started as a one gallon size plant and is now a 4’ (1m) diameter patch. It’s been slow to reach this size (more than 10 years if memory serves me) and definitely would be easy to keep smaller by digging up pass-along plants.

Geranium riversleaianum ‘Mavis Simpson’ (pictured below being enjoyed by a honey bee) on the other hand disappears completely in the winter. The fresh fuzzy grey green leaves start peeking out again in March and once the blooms begin about a month or so later, it continues to bloom all summer. The leaves are small compared to ‘Lily Lovell’ and from its basal location the stems grow each year to fill in spaces like a low ground cover about two feet (.60m) in diameter. It could be considered to be of a trailing habit, so would do well in hanging containers or spilling out of a pot. Overall the plant stays under 6” (15cm) tall. It does not spread underground and I’ve never had a seeding problem. Perhaps it is a hybrid, so the seeds would be sterile. I only trim this one when it encroaches upon its neighbors or the pathways. The flowers are pinkish violet with dark veining and light centers.

In my experience, my least favorite is Geranium phaeum ‘Samobor’. It has lovely burgundy marking in the leaves and dark cherry colored flowers but exuberantly seeds itself everywhere unless you are diligent at deadheading. I thought I was, but still found it coming up all over the place. I finally pulled it and it’s offspring out.

What a find ‘Lily Lovell’ was, all those years ago. Who knew she would be elusive ever since? Some days are just like that!

In bloom in my garden today: Bergenia ‘Winter Glow’, old fashioned Coral Bells (Heuchera), Tellima (Fringe Cups), Ajuga (Bugleweed), Solomon’s Seal, Erythronium ‘Pagoda’ (Yellow Fawn Lily),Wisteria, Tulipa ‘Gavota’, creeping phlox, Oxalis oregana ‘Wintergreen’, Anemone nemerosa ‘Robinsoniana’, Dodecatheon (Shooting Star), Alpine strawberry, Fritillaria, Primrose, Hellebore, Heather, Clematis, Daphne caucasica ‘Eternal Fragrance’ and ‘Summer Ice’, Wood Hyacinth (Hyacinthoides hispanica)

Top photo ‘Lily Lovell’ courtesy of Patrick Chissus
Other photos by author

We Have A Winner...Or Two!

There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling.
~Mirabel Osler

Thank you everyone for your entries! What a fun and imaginative bunch you are. But how to choose? They are all wonderful. Oh dilemma!

While looking over this fabulous list of entries and considering choosing just one via ‘pin-the tail on-the donkey’ style, a combo-name popped into my head, rolled around in there for a while and refuses to exit. Leaving you in suspense a little longer, I’ll give a rundown of the names submitted.

Shari from FitFeat got the ball rolling with:
Mary Jane: clever, verrrrry clever my dear, but no doubt some knuckle-head will point out that mary jane is aka ‘weed’ and since no weeds are allowed in my garden I had to root that one out ;)
Sukhon: meaning pleasing scent…hmmm I like that! It’s restful.

From Tracy at Kitsap Garden
Mali: meaning Jasmine…ohhh lovely and as she stated I do have Jasmine vines!

From Rosella at Rosella's Garden
Floradora: whimsical fun! Capricious comes to my mind…root: n caprice meaning…"head with hair standing on end"…and Rosella hadn’t even seen this picture yet!! Are you psychic?

Lastly, Cindy at A Sparkle A Day
After a frightening brain freeze, her ‘little grey cells’ kicked back into high gear just as the door was closing…
Petunia-Panten-a
Jasmine-Jehmima
Bee-Trice – Yay! Save the bees!
Rose-Annafanna - Love this, too funny!
Hya-Cynthias
Mademoiselle Fanny Le Fleur – I love French lingo and French music

Well I had some work ahead of me didn’t I? And the winning name is…drum roll…are you sitting down?...

Mademoiselle Mali Sukhonafloranna

Pronouncation: mad-mwa-zel molly sue-CĂNNĂ-flor-ănnă.

Translation: Miss pleasing scent Jasmine flower- anna.

How cool is that? Indeed, it is a mouthful and even my brain is beginning to freeze…but hey, I like it!! And if you’ve ever studied German, you know they make HUMONGEOUS compound words…so if they can, I can!

Well done all!! Which means you’re ALL winners!! I have packets of poppy seed ready to be sent to each of you. Email an address to which you’d like me to send them at: gardenblogger at msn dot com and I’ll get them out right away. Please, please…a big woohoo for each other!

This year Mlle. Mali Sukhonafloranna will be sporting a spikey do (no greasy kid stuff needed) of Spider plant (Cholorophytum) with a mossy crown. Normally, Spider plant is an indoor plant around here, but I think it will do well for her this summer as soon as the night temps stay above 50F (10C) degrees and she stays in a shady spot. It will be a fun experiment, and no doubt one of many changing hairdo’s she’ll undergo in the years to come. Though now it looks more like an unruly mohawk, as the plant grows and fills in I’ll be sure to update her picture. Stay tuned!

In bloom in my garden today: Oxalis oregana ‘Wintergreen’, Anemone nemerosa ‘Robinsoniana’, Dodecatheon (Shooting Star), Alpine strawberry, Muscari (Grape Hyacinths), Hepatica, Fritillaria, Primrose, Hellebore, Skimmia, Mahonia repens (Oregon Grape), Heather, Rhododendrons, Clematis, Hyacinth Orientaliis, Daphne caucasica ‘Eternal Fragrance’ and ‘Summer Ice’, Wood Hyacinth (Hyacinthoides hispanica)


Author’s photo

What's In A Name?

“Nicknames stick to people, and the most ridiculous are the most adhesive”
~Thomas C. Haliburton

This pothead is the newest addition to my garden. I’ve had a hankerin’ for a pot head for some time, and after a lot of looking but no finding, I was thrilled to stumble over a newly arrived, large shipment at a small nursery that was just what I was looking for!

Almost every pet I ever had was given a well thought-out name, and this hand crafted pothead that comes to my garden from Thailand is no different. I have a few ideas for a name for her but I’d love your input!

Ooh, ooh, I know…let’s make this a contest! The winner will be rewarded, naturally. If you are in the continental USA, I will send you a prize of TWO packets of my favorite annual purple poppy seeds! One for you and an extra if you choose to give a friend a gift. These poppy seeds should arrive to you in time to sow them in your spring garden in the Northern hemisphere. Here in the western part of Washington State, USDA zone 7-8, I can usually sow them in February, and they bloom in June. They reach over three feet tall and are a beautiful deep purple, single (occasionally double) flower with a darker throat and creamy pollen which my honey bees love. After flowering, it yields wonderful seed pods that not only supply you with a-gazillion more seeds to save but also snazzy dried pods to use in your fall decorations or arrangements. Heck, I even like to use the green under-ripened pods in flower arrangements, which you can see in this picture.

Outside of the continental US it is illegal for me to mail seed, so for my non USA readers, if I choose your suggestion for a name you’ll have to settle for knowing I celebrate you as the winner! Lame, I know but my hands are tied. Sorry! But your name and blog address (if you have one) will be forever posted for all to see! I’d love to hear all my reader’s suggestions!! I know I have many readers outside the US, so please join in the fun! After all how often do you get invited to give your opinion?

I’ll end the contest 7 days from the day of this posting.

In bloom in my garden today: Oxalis oregana ‘Wintergreen’, Anemone nemerosa ‘Robinsoniana’, Dodecatheon (Shooting Star), Alpine strawberry, Muscari (Grape Hyacinths), Hepatica, Fritillaria, Primrose, Hellebore, Skimmia, Mahonia repens (Oregon Grape), Heather, Rhododendrons, Clematis, Hyacinth Orientalis ‘Blue Jacket’, Daphne caucasica ‘Eternal Fragrance’, Wood Hyacinths (Hyacinthoides hispanica), Corylopsis veitchiana (Winter Hazel)

Author’s photos