by Briscoe White | Apr 5, 2010 | Flowers, Growing |
Selling plants over some years, each plant develops its own unique history. Diascia is a little known plant we have grown since our beginning. Eager to please anyone willing to walk in my brand new garden center, I promised to find some Diascia for someone. In the mid- eighties, when The Growers Exchange was new, most of our potential customers wanted little more choice than geraniums in red or coral.
Finding that diascia took some looking, but we found some in Florida and added it to our houseplant order. It is strange looking back and seeing what motivated us to begin growing our own plants. What we did have was a neighborhood of gardeners ready to break with traditions and try new plants in their containers and beds. Actually container gardening had not caught on beyond two pots framing the front door, preferably with a neatly trimmed evergreen.
Twenty some years later we realize we have been riding a tidal wave of new plants. Perennials and especially flowering annual plants were bred in all shapes and sizes. That seed grown Diascia we grew years ago would look skimpy compared to the new cultivars we grow now. If you have a dry sunny spot you should try Piccadilly Baskets series Orange and Coral Red, truly beautiful colors.
Diasia ‘Piccadilly Coral Red’
by Briscoe White | Mar 31, 2010 | A Year in the Life.., Gardening, Growing |
I never thought our Year in the Life of a Garden would be raided by varmints, but it was last night. I cannot tell what it was that dug into a row of Pak Choi seedlings and buried some Arugula with their tailings. Damage was slight and what ever came rooting around did not find much of interest in our salad bed. My guess is that it was a raccoon or opossum attracted by the kelp meal fertilizer. Maybe it is better not to use fish fertilizer, as that will surely bring curious diggers.
Another little lesson we have learned in this spring garden in that using old seeds is risky. We sowed extra because the seeds were two years old, but none of the Spicy Mesculin Mix lettuce seeds germinated. Today I sowed fresh seed into that row and we should still have plenty of time to grow lettuce for cutting. I think next I will add a few herb plants around the borders, maybe a basil plant in the center. The logs surrounding the bed are impregnated with mushroom so we hope to harvest some interesting salad makings soon!
by Briscoe White | Mar 19, 2010 | Exploring, Flowers, Growing, Life on the Farm |
I have been absent from the office and everyone has been asking where I might be? Some of you readers may remember my notes and pictures about collecting wildflower seeds last fall. It is a yearly ritual I look forward to, each bag of seeds are sifted and cleaned before being stored for winter.
All that is great fun in the fall, but spring is here and those seeds need to be planted now. Timing is everything when planting seeds, and you never know the exact time until it is upon you. So this week I knew all conditions were right and the wildflowers needed to be planted this week, at least before the next rain.
All there is to show are slits cut in the ground by my seed drill. But as any gardener knows, nothing holds more promise than a well planted seed bed. Soon little annual flowering plants will be sprouting all up and down the slits. Later the perennial plants will emerge. And soon, just a month and a little more, I will be showing you fields of wildflowers waving in the wind!
Spring is here, stop planning and get planting!
by Briscoe White | Mar 17, 2010 | A Year in the Life.., Growing |
Looking at the salad patch this morning I was pleased to see we had a good stand of seedlings. Using a cold frame for early season protection, we get a month or more growing time over outside. The plants are also safe from wind and rain. A windy cold day outside is warm inside the cold frame. It is amazing the difference a sheet of plastic makes.
Finally I can begin to report on plant progress, not just winter preparations. Growing now we have most of what we need for a salad. Leafy greens come in all shapes and flavors so we have a good selection. Lettuces are represented by: Braising Mix, Wildfire Mix, Spicy Mesculin, and All Greens Mix. Check out the details on our site. Even though they are herb plants, I am adding Salad Burnet and Sorrel for their distinct flavors. Last but not least is Arugula for spicy greens.
The plants are growing so it will not be but a few weeks before we will be cutting and tasting these greens, spring is really here!! In the greenhouse this week we started four types of melons and two cucumbers, these will be planted in the cold frame beds when night temperatures are warmer. The plan is to train the vines to climb the cold frame bows, melons will be supported in little hammocks. Watch the garden grow, and let us know some of your gardening ideas.
by Kenan White | Mar 15, 2010 | Exploring, Flowers, Growing, Herbs, Life on the Farm, Miscellaneous |
Returning from vacation is usually not something one looks forward to. It marks the end of the trip that you have been waiting so long to take. All the months that you spent planning, preparing, and getting everything in place seems like a distant memory now. As sad as this idea is, all good things must come to an end. If you don’t finish one vacation, how can you take another? Surely you have been dreaming of the day you can jump on a private jet, that you have hired through a company like Jettly, and travel to the likes of New York, London, Paris, and lots of other different countries and cities? Taking trips like this is what life is all about, and just think about all of the memories and stories that you’ll come back with. That alone must be enough to persuade you to take another vacation as soon as possible.
In the meantime, adjusting to the normality of your life is something that you’re going to have to focus on for now. With that being said, leaving plants in the greenhouse does leave something worth returning to. Walking into the greenhouse this morning, I was stunned to see how much all of my herb plants and flowering annuals had grown. Just look at the picture and see that our plants are ready for spring.
The basil plant had grown a full inch and the leaf buds are popping on the bay leaf plants! Spring is almost here, whether herb gardening or growing flowers and veggies this year the time to get started in now! Besides the plants, the rest of my job was about like average. Start thinking about your garden and let The Growers- Exchange.com help get your spring started.
by Briscoe White | Mar 11, 2010 | Exploring, Flowers, Growing, Inspiration |
Greetings from Abaco! I have found the most beautiful garden on the whole island. Right next door to where I am staying is a tropical paradise; plants we use as houseplants or summer annual plants are used as landscape trees and shrubs here. It is so nice to see all the blooms after our long cold winter at home. Since I am still on vacation, I am out the door again soon. Next week I will be back at the greenhouse and soon we will begin shipping all of our customers their herb plants and flowering annuals so they can start their own tropical paradise.
I came to the Bahamas to escape the cold and see some color, after so many months of cold gray skies and brown earth I couldn’t wait for spring in Virginia. My neighbor Valdo is an expert tropical gardener and like all good gardeners has shared his garden with me, carefully explaining what it takes to grow lush plants on a rock island. The beach is calling, so I hope you enjoy the picture of Valdo and Marilyn’s beautiful bouganvillea. And remember, spring is just around the corner. It couldn’t possibly snow again? Could it?
