Frozen in Time

Frozen in Time is a fitting Violet to introduce to my flower fans a few days before Christmas. It is freezing outside. My door to the deck was frozen shut this morning from the recent snow fall and a little melting that occurred recently.  I never had a violet with these colors. Notice the tips of the leaf are etched in white and the blooms are a faded white with green tints. How unusual, how intriguing to the eye. This flower has bloomed so abundantly for me; it is the rich soil that has made this happen. It is so simple, yet the average house plant person has no clue where to get good soil. You make it. Comment to me if you have questions.  

Here is a closer view of the blooms and the white etching on the leaves. Can you believe how plentiful the blooms are? You too can have abundant blooms. It is so simple a child can do it. Write me to tell me what your experience has been with violets. You might like this blog about African Violets. 
 http://www.nsavctc.blogspot.com/

Ma's Melody Girl

You would not believe the size of the cutting I received that resulted in this mature Violet called Ma's Melody Girl. It was not more than two inches across. And now look at it. From leaf to leaf it is probably 10 inches across. How about the healthy leaves? Look at the rich greens; light and deep green. So lush. You too can grow magnificent violets. The recipe is simple. You need rich soil, watering from the bottom and indirect lighting.  Voila! Amazing blooms charming your life and amazing your imagination. Always something bright to look forward to.

Deck Day Dreams

When the dreary clouds of late autumn and early Winter pour out their buckets of rain for days on end, don't you just day dream for the time when your deck will be once again dotted with beautiful blooms, with colors galore?

This is what I am dreaming of::  flower pots filled with  deep pink, fire engine red, and bright white geraniums overflowing in great abundance. The picture below is one example of what we saw this past summer immediately out our back windows overlooking the deck and thick woods.  The spike plant adds a nice variation of texture and complements the charming rich green leaves of the geranium plant. One of the amazing traits of the geranium is the fragrant scent from the leaves. My memory of this scent goes back to my childhood, when we used to plant geraniums on my Gramma and Grampa's graves, every year on Memorial Day. 

Do you take advantage of the hardy geranium as you adorn your deck with color & beauty? Properly planted in rich soil, you will have a bounty of blooms all season long. The key is to dead-head the spent blooms to make way for the new buds that are just itching to begin multiplying. Geraniums are a staple of our summer Deck Decorum.  Don't heed those little rain puddles huddled on your deck; Day Dream with me. It won't be long and you can start your geranium cuttings for next summer.

   

Mum's the word!

Once the cold arrives in early October virtually all of my summer flowers displayed on the deck (in pots and flower boxes)  reached their peak and began to whither. I took my geraniums out of the pots and flower boxes for their long winter nap. I store them in a green garbage bag, after drying the roots a bit, and shaking off most of the dirt. I poke several holes in the plastic bag so the roots have some air and don't dry out.   The pink and red geraniums  go dormant during the winter but start shooting out little buds about mid February.

With our son Paul's wedding around the corner I knew it was the perfect time to cheer the place up with some autumn  Chrysanthemums. I bought five different colors from Kollmans' Greenhouse in Twinsburg. I transplanted them out of the plastic containers into my clay pots for display on the Deck.

I will try to plant these in the ground before the hard frost arrives, and hopefully some of them will survive the winter and be a source of many new mums next year.  I will  re-grow the Mum's shown and I will make cuttings from each of them.  

Kentucky Zinnias Win the Race

How would you like this bouquet of Zinnias on your dining room table as you sit down for a romantic dinner for two tonight? This picture was sent to me by my cousin Brenda Lee. She grew these marvelous specimens way down in  Kentucky. Notice the bright yellow Zinnias. They give such a lovely contrast to the reds and pinks and oranges. 

In early October Brenda said her Zinnia's were still setting buds and blooming. Virtually all but a few of the  Zinnias in the Garden of Deegan are gone. It has been unusually cold this October. 

I have already harvested a good amount of Zinnia seed and placed the stems and dried blooms in the compost heap. I can hardly wait for next Spring to start my Zinnia seed. If you would like to order some Zinnia seed please let me know.     

To  enjoy more gardening wonders check out Brenda's grdening blog Where the Green River Flows  at  www.greenrivergreens.blogspot.com. See you in the Garden. 

Zinnias Create a Festival of Color

Zinnias offer a rich variety of  pastels to brighten your garden. I started my zinnias from seed this year. A friend from Toastmasters gave me some Giant Zinnia seed and some Lilliput (small) Zinnias. These were seeds that she grew from heirloom plants; the varieties that produce true seed. Many hybrid seeds will not produce seeds that mimic the original flower. So it was a treat to be able to germinate these seeds.

The beauty of Zinnias is that you can cut your best blooms and create  a gorgeous bouquet for your loved ones.   The blooms last a long time, and they look just as attractive in an artistic vase (an expensive cut glass variety) or in a more plain vase that you would be willing to give away when you share a bouquet with a neighbor or friend. My wife Nancy keeps the bouquets at their peak by removing blooms that have lost their pizazz and by adding new ones, periodically.

The bouquet shown below highlight the wonderful variety of colors and illustrate the interesting geometry of the bloom itself. The symmetry in the concentric circles creates a unique artistic flair. When you place the vase on an interesting table cloth a composition is created which adds to the simple enjoyment you can experience, day after day while the bloom holds up.  The height  of your zinnia flowers will depend greatly on the nutrients in

your soil. If you have a composted soil you can get blooms up to five feet tall. If your soil is average or

below average expect zinnias about two feet tall. Zinnias are perfect for the back row in your garden, and serve as a perfect backdrop for smaller flowers such as impatiens or snap dragons.

Zinnias will continue to bloom in the garden all summer, until the weather changes. I watered mine regularly during the dry and hot weather we had this summer. They droop easily in the heat of the day, but a little droopiness is better than over watering. They recover from 'heat stroke' quickly, so don't panic at the site of wilting leaves.

Finally, zinnias are very photogenic if you have a knack for taking pictures. They are a great subject for an 8 x 10   enlargement that you can place in a rustic frame. Add a professional touch by placing a border around the photo. If you are really creative zinnias make a great front cover on a hand-crafted greeting card.  Make your own picture card by going to my web site:  www.sendoutcards.com/achieveandgrow to send up to three free greeting cards. Do the walk through to learn how to create and send a real card by using this online system. It is user friendly and fairly intuitive. If you like the service let me know. 

The bouquets shown above and to the left produce a wonderful festival of color.  Also notice  the interesting geometry of the bloom itself. The symmetry in the concentric circles is artistic and aesthetic in its own right.  When you place the vase on an interesting table cloth a composition is created which adds to the simple enjoyment you can experience, day after day after day  while the blooms hold up. If you have not yet grown zinnias in your garden give them a try next year. They are sure to add a new excitement to your gardening experience.  See you in the Garden!     

  

Deegan in the Garden: Lemon Boy Tomatoes yield Sunny Taste

Deegan in the Garden: Lemon Boy Tomatoes yield Sunny Taste