Planning This Summers Garden

 
I think they all found my address and this is not all of the catalogs I have received thus far for Spring planting.
They have all filled up some cold winter days and had me
drooling over future flowers.

Now is the time of year when all of the gardening catalogs begin rolling in, and our eyes get big as we dream of all of the things we plan to grow or would like to try.
It seemed it took me longer to make up my mind this year
upon what I wanted to grow. With all of these catalogs I cannot guess why it took so long. LOL! I poured and poured
over them comparing seed costs, compared to seed amounts per packet and what was really practical and reasonable in what little room I had with which to grow them.
A few perennials may yet be purchased from a few of this mound of catalogs but when it all came down to placing my seed order I found I went with none of these but with two
online seed companies.

One order was placed with Summer Hill Seeds and another
from  Swallowtail Garden Seeds. They both gave me more seeds per packet for less money. Plus Summer Hill Seeds
give you free seeds with your order and the seeds they give you are from the same flowers you order but a different
color so it is not some free seed that you may never use.I liked that they never sent me celery or some other flower seed that they just had so many of on hand.
Some of the seeds I selected to try this year from
Summer Hill Seeds are …….

Asaina purpusii Victoria Falls trailing snapdragons which I wanted to try in some hanging baskets or the window boxes and since the dahlia seeds I germinated last year did well I wanted to try the Red Skin Dahlias with the burgundy foliage. I saw these in pots at the Franklin Park Conservatory last Fall and I loved them.

With the petunias I really went out of my comfort level and went  with two of the Dolcissima petunias,Limoncello a yellow and white and Roma which is a pink and white variegated. Can you tell that I am hungry for colors this winter? LOL!

Also in the order I wanted to try this Viola Fuji Dawn with the variegated pink, green and cream leaves and this Morning Glory Blue Picotee is another one that caught
my eye. The blooms may be smaller in size but just look at the shape of the petals.

  Also I wanted to try this Incarvillea Hardy Gloxinia Rose Deli (to Zone 5) for some part shade border planting.  Platycodon Shell Pink  Bellflowers are also going to be seeded. I had the blue and white Platycodon’s but none of the pink ones.

Anemone “Rose Beauty” perennial and Brachycome Bravo Swan River Daisy mix will be coming from Swallowtail Garden Seeds.

Chinese Foxgloves and “Wizard Scarlet” Coleus.

Petunia’s ’Burgundy Star’ and Rambling ‘Nu Blue’.

Since I always love Pelargoniums this year ‘Maverick Light Salmon’ will be grown and ‘Marine’ Heliotrope which I never grew last year and missed.
These are a few of the new seeds I will be attempting to
grow for this Summer. I say attempting because some years
my seed germination rate is not always great.
With these and seeds given  to me by blogging friends and seeds I saved from last years favorites I will have plenty of plants to fill containers and window boxes.
I always have those reliable plants that I  seed every year such as petunias, geraniums,verbena and impatiens but I always  like to try new varieties or colors  of plants each year to change things up or to see if I can even get them to germinate and grow for me. Some of the new ones may
well become one of those reliable plants or new favorites.

Are you trying any new plants or flowers this year?

Happy Gardening,
Lona

 

* Seed Pictures are Courtesy of Summer Hill Seeds and Swallowtail Garden Seeds.

 

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