New photos and updates on my plants

So a week and here are some updated pictures on my seeds that I've started. All my Celosias are growing well. And finally my Poppies and one Lupine seed is growing. They growing and changing daily makes me so happy. :)

And can you believe it...something is already munching on my plants. I believe these are my tulips I think and they are half way gone. I really need to find a way to prevent them being all chewed up this year. Any suggestion what I should do or get??

I was so surprised when looking through one of my hypertufa pots. My Chinese Dunce Cap succulent had started with its seeds. How exciting. There were only a couple. Hopefully more will start growing.

Milk Jug Starters - Poppy, Celosia, and Lupine Seeds

My kids drink lots of milk and we always have tons of milk jugs to recycle. So I decided to try to reuse them. It's the beginning of spring so I thought why not turn them into seed starters. I've seen some bloggers out there using this method and it seems like it’s a great idea.

I had a couple of different seeds to try out.  First one was the Poppy seeds that my sister had given me. Second Celosia seeds, two types to be exact. One is the cocktail version which I had collected from last year's container. The second version is the brain looking type which I've purchased at an Ocean Lot. The third type of seed was the Lupine seeds, which I've also purchased last year somewhere.

I cut all the milk jugs in half leaving a small section near the handle to keep lid in place. I punched holes on the bottom for drainage. I filled them all with potting soil and then moisten it. I lightly sprinkled seeds around. I placed a light layer of soul on top of seeds. I moisten that layer also and closed the containers and leaving the milk jug caps off. Originally I was going to place them outside but we still had tons of snow and weather has just been so close I just ended up leaving them inside. Since the jugs are now inside I uncovered them so they would get some light. Throughout the week I kept the soil lightly moist.

A week later I noticed some of my little seeds had spouted. Only my Celosia seeds though. You see the little red popping out. Aren't they cute?  I hope the pictures taken from my phone are clear enough.  The little spouts are kind of tiny.  I was so excited. I just love this Celosia. I live their textures and their vibrant colors.

I was upset how I didn't see the other two seeds spouting. Maybe I have to wait a little longer?

Well I'll keep you guys updated on my seed starting process. Maybe next week I'll post more pictures so you guys can all see how different my seeds look.  Experts out there please give me some tips on how to start seeds or other methods people out there used.  

Harvesting Zinnia Seeds

Mid-September and my Zinnias are still blooming. They are so pink andpretty. And because of them I still have some color in my garden. I want to tryto harvest the Zinnia seeds this year.

Look at all the Zinnias

I did a little research and here are the steps in harvesting these seeds.

1) You need to locate the dried seed heads from your zinnia plant. If theZinnias in your garden are mixed colors you might want to separate thedifferent seeds so next year you can plant the colors you want. The seed headsare the center of the color. Once dried, they should be brown and most of the petalshave fallen off.

2) You need to test the pod to make sure the seeds are mature. Break apartthe seed head with your fingers and the seeds should fall out easily into yourhands. The seeds should look like little arrow heads.

3) Each seed head will have hundreds of seeds. So collect as many dried seedheads as you wish and share the extras with your friends and family. Placeseeds in a bag or a container to keep them cool a dry. Don't forget to labelwhat you've collected.

4) Around 4-6 weeks before last frost you can start your seeds indoors orsow seeds outside after last frost.

I don't have much seed heads yet. So I'm going to wait for a couple moreweeks and I will then try to harvest them. I will post pictures of the processonce I get to it.

Anyone out there harvest Zinnia seeds before? Are the instructions listedabove accurate? Anything else I should be doing? If there is please let me know!

Seed head here but I don't think it's completely dried yet

 

 

Orostachys Iwarenge - Chinese Dunce Cap

I brought these succulent at my local nursery this summer. I feel in love with the small blue grey rosettes. I planted this succulent in one of my hypertufa container that I've made. It worked well in the container.

 

Early August I've noticed the middle of the roseletts started to grow outward.

 

These pictures below were taken today. After doing some research I found out this succulent is starting to flower. I believe they will start to turn into pinkish conical spires. These spires can reach up to 6 inches tall. And the flowers will be pink and white. The sad part is that after flowering the plant will die. How upsetting. Hopefully it will self-sow so I will continue to have these beautiful flowers again next year.

 

Anyone else have these succulents?  Do they really come back from seeds the following year?  Please let me know!

My Morning Glory Flowers

One of my sisters threw some morning glory seeds around the front of my house this summer. It's been growing pretty fast but at the same time it's been getting eaten pretty fast too. Now that summer is winding down, whoever been eating my plants, hasn't been returning as much. Now I can actually enjoy the flowers.

(Picture above) At first I couldn't figure out what's been eating my plants. Some said it might be insects. But can insects eat so much at a time and also make such precise cuts? I've been seeing lots of rabbits and chipmunks around. I think it might be animals eating my plants.



(Picture above) Poor plants. Bottom of my plant gets chopped off so the rest of the plant up dies with it. It took so long for it to climb up that pole too. I was really looking forward in seeing the plant bloom. Oh well...

(Picture above)  See...something is munching on my plants.

(Picture above) Finally...some made it through the feast the animals were having. So pretty! The colors of the flowers look purpler in person. I'm not sure why the camera turns it blue.

(Picture above) See how fast they grow back? They grow like weeds! Some people do consider these plants as weeds.

(Picture above) This little one never had the luck in having flowers. This one was planted away the fence so maybe that gives the animals easier access.

(Pictures above) The flowers are getting ready to bloom. I just love how they look. For those who are not familiar with Morning Glories, they unravel into full bloom early in the morning. And they start to die or fade in the afternoon. They will start to curl back. Each bud or flower blooms once.

(Picture above) Again, more munching. Anyone out there knows how to prevent animals from chewing up your garden? Please let me know!