Author: Nan Ondra

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Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – May 2023

A month later and I’m still relying on the calendar to tell me what the date is, because the seasons are colliding. Chilly nights (we may still be flirting with frost this coming week—yikes!) have slowed the planting-out process, which has in turn delayed potting up seedlings, because all of my pots are full. It’s been so dry that I have to water to soften the soil before planting, then water again to keep all of the planted seedlings alive. I’m still cleaning and packing seeds from 2022 to fill orders, and about 10 days ago, the 2023 seed harvesting season began. I hope that things will get back in sync by next month. In the meantime, this Bloom Day post will have to be a quick one. That means my virtual garden journal of what looks good each month won’t be complete, but it’s better than missing the day altogether.

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Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – April 2023

The calendar says April, but with bone-dry soil and temperatures in the upper 80s, it has felt more like August here in southeastern Pennsylvania this week. It’s tough on the dainty wildflowers that have dared to open their thin-petaled blooms, and the sun is intense enough to bleach out or scorch delicate petals. On the plus side, it’s been great to be able to move nearly all of the seedlings outside for a while—at least until nights get back into the 30s this coming week. Continue reading Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – April 2023

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Don’t Be Ordinary: Grow Seeds with a Story

I’d been growing Farnsworth’s jewel flower (Streptanthus farnsworthianus) for several years before learning about the person behind the plant. While doing some research about botanical names on California Plant Names: Latin and Greek Derivations and Meanings, I discovered that “farnsworthianus” refers to Evalyn Lucille Klein Farnsworth, a California rancher and naturalist. There’s more to her story (and many others) on the site, which is, by the way, safe to visit even if your browser says it is not secure.

Several years ago, I posted the first installments of the “Don’t Be Ordinary” series—Explore Intriguing Alternatives , Consider the Source, and Eight Utterly Un-Ordinary Gems—to highlight some of the many ways that growing plants from seed can make your garden unique. Since spring arrived too late for this month’s Bloom Day, and the next is nearly a month away, this is a perfect opportunity to pick another topic. Let’s consider the ways seeds, and the plants they produce, can link us to other times, places, and people through the stories connected with them. Continue reading Don’t Be Ordinary: Grow Seeds with a Story