New blooms.

The red clover in the meadow is nearly done. The wind and rain has trampled it down pretty good. The seeds are forming. I'm tempted to rip out most of the plants, but I want to let this area do its thing. Cosmos are up and growing even without rain. I'm watering once a week with the sprinkler.

New larkspur blooms are open in the perennial bed.





Blue Bedder salvia, grown from seed last spring and overwintered, is budding.



The roses along the front bed parallel to the driveway look great. These are knockouts. Sunny Knockout is growing faster than the pink or reds.



At the base of the dead oak tree, a new fungus appeared last night. I didn't notice it yesterday as I walked around the yard watering new plantings.



It's 59 degrees. The humidity stands at 93%. The high today will reach the low 90s. No rain in the 10 day forecast, again.

Sunlight.

On a cloudless day, the colors are more vivid.



Every flaw, every weed, every nuance is highlighted. Texture is more visible with hard shadows. Fuzzy becomes apparent.



Red is true.



Orange.



In dappled sunlight, things are fuzzier. Weeds blend with the foliage of other plants making them less recognizable.



Backlighting is useful when photographing dark colors.



In deep shade, the colors are more muted.



Details are clear if you can focus.



But once in a while, the sun breaks through for just a few moments.



It's 57 degrees. The chance of rain has been downgraded to sunny and warm. The high will be in the upper 80s today.

Nineteen...

degrees. The wind is blowing. Today is going to be a cold one. That once in a generation cold snap the National Weather Service was predicting has arrived. The last one occurred in 1977 and lasted nearly two weeks. Over the next 7-14 days, it's possible that the temperature might remain below freezing for extended periods of time. The wood heater will certainly get a workout trying to keep the house moderately warm. Last year, it was 50 degrees by late afternoon on January 3rd. I built an Adirondack chair that night in the basement while recovering from a cold.

Outside, it's 28 degrees in the hoophouse. The other half of my wireless thermometer is sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by all those containers I sowed yesterday. The sun is just starting to top the trees out back. I'm expecting about 60 degrees for the high in there today. Our high will be in the low 30s.



In the basement, three brugmansia seeds have germinated. Originally, I had placed one per 4" pot using Christmas lights for bottom heat. Four of the seeds rotted. Six others survived, so I wrapped them in a damp coffee filter and put them in a plastic bag. They're laying directly over the ballast of one of the lights. I've already transplanted the three sprouting seeds into a single container filled with sterilized soil.



Yesterday, when I came home for lunch, there was a box on the front porch. Someone baked me brownies. She was so happy with the seeds she received in the swap, that she wanted to thank me. They were delicious. Were. Thanks Carol!

Not much planned for today. I'm doing laundry, need to sort a few seeds for someone in Colorado, and will head to work again at 11am. I'm hoping today doesn't last as long as yesterday. It was freezing cold out there when the sun went down.

10:31am - It's 27 degrees and partly sunny. The hoophouse is at 41 degrees. I spent some time this morning potting a few rooted cuttings from the cloner. I potted three Miss Huff lantana, two cotoneaster, a Mystic Spires salvia, and one of the rose knockout cuttings. I still don't know what I intend to do with that thing. I can't sell it. I don't want more of them. It's really just a test to see how to root roses.

I also took cuttings from Miss Sarah's brugmansias. These were bare cuttings she brought to me at the store this fall. She says they are yellow and pink. I have no idea which is which, so I'll just call them Miss Sarah's Brugs. They're in the cloner now.

Heading to work. Still not above freezing. The water hose is in the basement thawing. The water barrel is empty after the marathon sowing session this weekend.

Progress in the cloner

Last night, I cleaned the cloner. All the cuttings were removed and set aside. The white top allows me to see when it's time to clean. Small areas of green algae and black mold-like spots were visible. The humid environment is ripe for the growth of mold and algae.



One of the rose cuttings has developed nice firm roots. Unfortunately, they were growing through the foam material I use to hold them in place. One snapped off while gently trying to remove it. Along with all the others, it was placed back into the cloner to grow more roots.



Two other cuttings have developed large calluses, but no visible roots. If the wood heater wasn't in use, I'd pot them up now and use a plastic bag to keep them moist. I'd rather leave them in the cloner for now to see if they will actually root. I've gotten to this stage with roses many times only to have them start to rot from above.



Christmas Day, I snipped the pods from Gomphocarpus. I've rooted a single cutting in the cloner, so I figured I had little to lose. After drying, the seeds are smaller than most milkweeds. I'm not sure if this is normal or if the seeds are not viable. I might do a paper towel test soon.



This morning, I've got to cut and split more firewood. I have three pieces left in the basement. It's currently 30 degrees and clear. The high today should reach the mid 40s. I'm going to need a lot more wood.

Regarding the cloner.

It's been nearly a year since I built my homemade cloner. I've learned a few things. Green, new growth from almost any plant will root in a matter of weeks. Hardwood cuttings fail. Always.

The last time I cleaned the cloner, I nearly filled it up with late fall cuttings of buddleia, knockout roses, salvias, and lantana. A few cuttings turned brown and died, probably due to lack of sterility than the method overall. Many more rooted and have been potted up into small containers destined to spend the winter under lights in the basement. The lantana previously known as Miss Huff has done the best. It's actively growing under lights. Cotoneaster and buddleia are just sitting there. If they survive til spring, they should become strong, healthy plants with a little care in hardening them off.

I've still got a few things that need to be potted, mostly lantana taken just before the hard, killing frost.



As a test for rooting roses, I took several Knockout rose cuttings. I don't plan to keep these cuttings as I don't need more of these plants. I just wanted to see if the cloner would help to root them. I seem to lose more rose cuttings than anything else using soil. Again, the sterility of the medium is my biggest obstacle. The knockouts have formed large calluses. No roots are visible yet. I'll give them another week to impress me.



Overall, I've been fairly successful with this contraption. In a few weeks, I'll trim the tender new growth from the overwintering brugmansias. It roots in only two weeks in the cloner. I'm also going to try Confederate Rose. The cuttings I rooted in water have been potted up for a few weeks. They've put out some firm growth, but are getting too large under the lights. Pruning them back will keep them in check for the next 3 months.

But before that, I'll need to sterilize everything again. I use a 1:10 bleach solution. The rollers soak overnight in the same mixture. The foam often has algae in the cells after a successful cutting is done. I wish I had a closed cell foam to use for the holders. Maybe I'll take another trip to the dollar store this weekend.

It's currently 27 degrees with a heavy frost covering the yard. The forecast calls for a high of 54. It's 66 degrees in the basement and rising slowly. When I went to bed, it was 81. Upstairs, it was 68 with no electric heat. I'm pleased.

12:02pm - 46 degrees and sunny. It doesn't feel that warm out, even in the sun. There's a definite chill in the air. I've got an hour before I leave for work. I've sorted and printed my wintersowing labels for the first round. I have 116 varieties I'm planning to sow next week. I need 20 more two-liter containers prepared by then.

Another foggy day

Day 3 of feeling like I'm living in Stephen King's "The Mist". Hopefully it will rain this afternoon. This humidity is really getting on my last nerve. Where's the sun?



Inside, where I'll stay until I leave for work, new roots are appearing in the cloner. Knockout Roses are being tested. A couple have developed decent calluses. Others have done nothing. I've tried straight cuts above a node, just below a node, with and without rooting hormone, and nicking the skin to expose the white underbelly. Those with rooting hormone just below a node are the ones forming calluses. If they root, I'll start thinking about taking more rose cuttings from my other plants this spring.



A little color can be found in the dining room. Extra ornaments and a piece of pottery I've owned since 2003 sit in the center of my tiny table. Rosemary cuttings fill the air with the fragrance of Christmas.



It's 50 degrees and foggy. It was 45 when I went to bed last night.

The sun made a rare appearance today.

It seems that lately, as soon as I walk outside, the sun disappears behind thick clouds. I know it's just my imagination, but with all the rain and even more in the forecast, I miss my shadow's company in the yard. I got a short chance to see my shadow for a few minutes during my lunch break today. I snapped some images as I walked around the yard surveying the damage.



Wine & Roses wigela with the found canna lily. Surrounding it, the purple lantana is still blooming.



Nicotiana



A red knockout is still blooming. More to come.



Sedum and sedum passed.



Next spring's red clover with Bunny Larkspur donated by Janie, the Obsessive/Compulsive Plant Collector.



I spread the love of althea all over the back edge of the perennial bed.



Alstroemeria from the Gaudy Garden's Jim with grape hyacinths



The butterfly weed finally died down. I got no seeds from these plants, but Cameron at Defining Your Home Garden sent me a few and other varieties.



Kris from The Gardens at Melissa Majora will appreciate these perennial aster seeds. I'll collect them in the morning to add to her growing pile.



Nell, the Seedscatterer, had butterfly ginger that bloomed, but mine didn't. Next year, they'll be moved in the spring to a sunnier spot.



Catherine from A Gardener in Progress grows these too. Veronica speedwell. Still blooming. Slowly spreading.



The lantana formerly known as Miss Huff.





That's about it for what's still going in the yard. It's 34 degrees and clear according to AccuWeather. My thermometer reads 42 degrees. It's been saying that for nearly a week. So much for digital accuracy. Tomorrow, I have plans.

A Good Morning.

It's been raining now for more than 36 hours. It's just a light drizzle mostly so there hasn't been much in the way of accumulation. It's in the low 70s and cloudy, of course. Tomorrow, we should see some sun.

In the "meadow", I tossed out lots of chaff from various collected seeds. The red clover I scattered a couple days ago is starting to germinate.



I started the morning by having a cup of coffee. Then I headed to the north side of the house. I dug out three of the Leyland Cypress trees I had planted last year. They'll get way too large for this area. I moved them to behind the future patio space. I want to block a few yard lights that shine into my bedroom windows.



When I move established plants, I use my Dad's method. He taught me how to plant tomatoes this way. Dig a hole. Fill it with water. Dig another hole. Fill it with water, repeat and refill all the holes with water at least twice. Even though we've had two days of rain, the soil is dry a couple inches down. I did the same thing when I planted the 16 Carolina cherry laurels along the wall. I staggered them a bit and didn't get a straight line. They'll need a good bit of pruning in a couple years to keep them in check, but they bloom in spring and provide food for birds. Plus, they're evergreen. Hopefully they'll block the nosy bitty and the duplex next door.



You can barely see them. I wintersowed the seeds last October.



Next, I worked on some of the things at the end of the driveway, including more $1 clearance plants. Most of this was planted in the perennial bed. I'm more interested in collecting seeds than what they look like this year.



I dug up three knockout roses from the shrub island. I planted them on the slope behind the tomato patch, just in front of my new blueberry bushes. I cut them back hard and will not be disappointed if they don't make it. Consider this my ode to freeway on-ramps.



I gathered 3 butterfly bushes from the edges of the woods, mainly those that had blooms I really liked, and put them where I had the roses. They got cut back hard too. Next spring, I'll cut them all back to the ground to regrow at the same rate.



Around the other side of the fig, I planted several Turn of the Century hibiscus cuttings that were rooted several months ago. A couple of white ones were tossed into the mix as well. I can't wait for next spring.



I planted out three rooted vitex cuttings too. A couple went into the crape myrtle bed where lots of tiny echinacea seedlings have popped up. Another went on the slope just down from the blueberries.



Yesterday, I cleaned the cloning machine and refilled it. It was back up to the right temperature this morning, so I made 7 cuttings of pineapple salvia. Over the winter, I'll turn those 7 cuttings into about 35 more. I have a plan.



I dumped the soil from the sweet potato vine planter by the basement door. Not a bad harvest. I'll dry and store these tubers to create new plants next year. The white ones are from the black plants. The red ones are from the green plants. It's the opposite of what I would expect.



Yesterday on my way back from the library, I collected a few seed pods from the datura I got my original seeds from. They're drying in the basement too.



And finally. Yes, finally...the laminate for the kitchen counters arrived. Kim called me yesterday to let me know I could pick it up as soon as they checked it in. I brought it home at lunch and laid it face down on the dining room floor. I know my cat, but more importantly, I don't want to ruin the surprise.



Wednesday and Thursday are my days off this week. I'm planning to work in the kitchen, mostly. The plan is to finish the beadboard and as much of the molding as possible. I'd like to be ready to install the laminate by the weekend. If the rain continues overnight, I'll probably plant a few more things from the end of the driveway. I really need to get the snowball viburnums in the ground this week if I expect them to survive the winter.

I almost forgot the white crape myrtle I planted too. It's very close to the fig, but I have an idea to move the fig in the spring. I think it would do better with more sun.

In case you haven't figured it out, the leg is doing fine these days. It's a little stiff in the mornings, and late at night if I've been on it for a while. I'd say it's at least 97%.