Seed sowing

There are so many signs of Spring here.  The daffodils are in full bloom.  The forsythia have been a glorious yellow for about a month now.  Magnolia trees are in their glory - and there are a few really amazing ones I need to photograph, whenever I remember to take my camera with me.  Many of the flowering cherry trees lining the streets are in bloom.  I spotted some tulips blooming today, although I'm guessing mine will need another 3 or 4 weeks.  In my yard, the fruit trees are bursting with buds, and will soon be in bloom.  Mini irises are popping up, my Bergenia "Baby Doll" is blooming, and the weird flowers of Petasites Frigidus are extending up from the hillside of my garden.

This year I was inspired - or should I say tempted? - to buy a number of seeds.  I'm not usually enthusiastic about seed starting, but there are so many neat plants which I have discovered - many by wandering through other bloggers' gardens - which are either not readily available, or not at a price which I am willing to pay in the garden centres.  I was also inspired to try winter sowing this year, from one of the blogs I follow.  I am a big hoarder of plastic containers and such, and was happy to discover a way to reuse some of my containers (see photo right, the containers sitting on the edge of our giant chess board).

The seeds I winter-sowed in January are sprouting now, some very very tiny, but almost all show some signs of sprouts.  Good thing they are in the container, since we recently had a late round of frost (considering we hardly had any all winter!), and even a small dusting of snow:

 Goji berries
 Platycodon grandiflora "Komachi" (Komachi balloon flower)
 Dodecatheon clevelandii (Shooting star)
 Cortadeia selloana "rosea" (Pink pampass grass)
 Heuchera americana "Marvelous Marble"

I am thankful for my Mom offering her windowsills (and patience with daily watering!) for my seed starting.  I potted up 12 tiny pots tonight, and hope to buy more potting soil and pot up more soon.  I started (sorry I'm a bit lazy on the names) :

 Helichrysum (straw flower) - salmon colour
 Canary bird vine
 Aristolochia (Calico flower)
 Asclepias tuberosa
 Ixia viridiflora - I am really excited about this one - I hope it sprouts! (see photo on right, "borrowed" from the site www.treknature.com/gallery/photo24032.htm)
 Erythronium
 Himalayan blue poppy
 Yellow pear tomato
 Stripey green tomato
 Purple Russian tomato
 (ha ha - no red tomatoes yet!)
 Papyrus grass