Lettuce Combos help gardeners get some of everything from Renee's Garden Seeds

Renee's Garden Seeds is one of my favorites. I have high standards for germination rate and information on successful growing. If there isn't an explanation of how to grow the plants and if the seeds don't germinate, I stop ordering. No doubt you do the same thing.

Another reason I enjoy using Renee's is that the website is easy to navigate and stuffed with useful information.

Since I spent the afternoon transplanting lettuce seedlings, I have lettuce on the brain and explored Renee's combination packs for future planting.

So, here are the combo lettuce packs they are offering this year. Consider the wisdom of a variety pack to get a colorful salad bowl without buying 3 different envelopes of seeds.

The photos are from the website - there is no print catalog. Use the link above to access the details on each blend.

Baby Mesclum Cut and Come Again

Heirloom Cutting Mix Italian Misticanza Farmer's Market BlendAsian Baby Leaf Mix Ruby Emerald Duet Container Lettuce French Blush Batavian Trio Summer Bouquet Mesclun Monet's Garden Mesclun Paris Market Mix Lettuce: Romaine - Caesar Duo

Phacelia tanacetifolia - Purple Tansy

The Bountiful Gardens 2010 catalog lists Phacelia tanacetifolia - 1250 seeds for $2.25. Lavender flowers, forms dense carpet, helps soil hold moisture, prevents weeds between plants and rows AND attracts beneficial insects. Plus, makes good compost.

Anything to attract pollinators gets my eye. I ordered the seeds this morning. Do you grow Phacelia Purple Tansy? I'm asking because the cultivation information is contradictory from site to site.

Small Farm Success says it is planted widely in California vineyards.
Grows quickly, one of the top 20 bee attracting plants, high quality nectar for a long period with abundant flowers.
It's native to the southwest U.S. and Mexico, needs dark and cool soil - 37 to 68-degrees to germinate, spring planted seeds flower 6 to 8 weeks after germination, and requires 13 hours of light to flower.
AND - if you want your crops pollinated, plant purple tansy to bloom at a different time because pollinators will avoid your crop in favor of tansy's nectar.

Photo from TAMU Aggie Hort

Their advice is to plant in 60-70-degree soil at 1-16th of an inch deep. Germinates in 15 to 30 days, grows to a foot tall. Blooms April - July. "Produces an abundant quantity of nectar which butterflies and bees find hard to resist."

U.C. Berkeley News has an interesting read about bee supporting plantings that is worth the read if you are one of us who care about bees. The article is about entomologist, Gordon Frankie, who runs tests on what bees will be attracted to in urban settings.
Purple tansy is one of the plants they use - the bees get purple legs from eating the pollen.
AND they have a website called Urban Bee Gardens that has more interesting and amusing reading.

There are dozens of pictures at Cal Photos

Larner Seeds - a California native seed supplier has a photo here.

Their site says Phacelia tanacetifolia or Tansy-leaf Phacelia
Annual with bright-blue flowers gives a fuzzy effect. Good in sun or shade, it grows 1-4' high. Fragrant. Good cut flower. In agriculture, used as a cover crop and interplanted with field crops to attract beneficial insects.

Venidium fastuosum

Fedco Seeds listed Venidium fastuosum in their 2009 catalog. Have you heard of it? Its common name is Namaqualand Daisy or Monarch of the Veldt.


The USDA Plants Profile indicates that it grows as a native only in Calfornia.

Fedco says it is
Daisy-like flowers close up in dreary weather, but will open in ten minutes if cut and brought indoors. Lloyd says their large center disks shine black like a healthy dog’s nose. Glorious creamy-white 4" flowers have vivid black centers. With multibranching habit and deep-cut fuzzy leaves, Venidium sprawls 2-1/2' and needs a dry sunny location to remain upright. Intolerant of wet feet, keels over when saturated. Start indoors, transplant out after danger of frost. Keep deadheaded for long bloom production. Space at least 2 feet apart. Unless sales pick up, this is the last year we will offer. ~500 seeds/g.

The photo above was on FortuneCity and it's the only one on the 'net.

Have you grown this? I'm going to order the seeds and see what happens.

Garden Writer Tovah Martin - author of The New Terrarium - speaking in Tulsa Feb 13 at 7 p.m. for OK Horticultural Society

Terrarium gardening is creating a small indoor garden using closed or partially closed clear containers. Their appeal is that they bring nature indoors while keeping the maintenance low. And, terrarium plants such as ferns and mosses thrive with the low light in most homes and offices.

Tovah Martin, author of The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature, will demonstrate this simple art during her talk in Tulsa on Feb 13.

DETAILS IF YOU WANT TO GO
Tovah Martin
Terrariums & You – how to used recycled containers to make indoor gardens
Tulsa Garden Center - Saturday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m.
Free and open to the public
Martin's books will be available for purchase and autographs after her talk

In a phone interview, Martin said, I've been doing these for decades. At any given moment I have 20 or more on display in my home.

Terrarium plantings can be as simple as a single plant in a covered jar or as complex as a variety of plants in a large container with rocks, moss and miniature features like the ones seen in doll houses.

In the closed environment of a terrarium the plants water themselves. As they transpire, the moisture remains in the container, almost eliminating the need for additional watering.

Martin's book is overflowing with beautifully photographed ideas. Some are as simple as a vacation memory of a seashell in a glass block. Others are collections of plants.

All but two of the terrariums in the book are ones I designed, Martin said. I make them at workshops and then I can't part with them.

Other books by Tovah Martin include: Tasha Tudor's Garden, The Ways of Flowers and A Time to Blossom: Mothers, Daughters and Flowers.

The plants that are suited to a terrarium include mosses, ferns, baby tears, Saxifraga (strawberry geranium), Venus flytrap, African violet, Heuchera, creeping Charlie or miniature impatiens.

In open bowl-type terrariums choose pitcher plant, air plant, Ajuga, ivy, creeping fig, maidenhair vine, flame violet, herbs, or ornamental grasses such as fiber-optic grass.

Terrariums can be made on a budget, Martin said. Begin with ferns and mosses. The high humidity of the terrarium is just right for them.

A cloche is a clear glass bell shaped plant topper that was originally used to protect early spring plants outside. Today, a glass cloche is primarily used to top terrariums.

In her talk, Martin is going to demonstrate how to create terrariums. Here's what you will need -

- Container - jar, aquarium, vase, glass block, candy dish.
- Charcoal - purchase at aquarium supply store or garden center
- Pebbles, gravel, marbles, seashells
- Sterile potting mix (Orchid mix contains charcoal)
- Optional moss and decorative items for the top

Start by putting on gloves and placing sheet moss and decorative stones on the bottom of the container to help with drainage. Top with about one-fourth inch charcoal.

Add some soil or orchid mix.

Check the plants for insects, dead leaves or spent flowers and prune. Plants from the store often have a few inches of roots. Feel free to root prune them. Untangle the roots and trim them by half their length.

Arrange the plants in the container. Martin suggested using a barbeque skewer with a cork stuck on the end to help tamp soil around plants in deep containers.

Fill in with potting soil or orchid mix to the top of the plant's soil line, completely covering the roots. Top with moss and decorative items.

Water with a spray bottle, letting the water wash down the inside of the container to remove any soil.

Glasshouseworks.com has a wide variety of terrarium plants, including a sampler of 10 plants for $25. If you want something specific, try www.terrariumplants.net for links to several providers.

The New Terrarium by Tovah Martin, 176 pages, published 2009 by Crown Publishing – Clarkson Potter. $25 retail or $17 online.

Klehm Song Sparrow Farm and Nursery- Non Vining Clematis

One of the wonders of this time of year is receiving so many dreamy and exciting catalogs.

Take a look at this dreamy and exciting non-vining clematis in the
Klehm Song Sparrow catalog that arrived yesterday.


It needs a much more glamorous name. Clematis integrifolia Rosea really doesn't make it for me.

How about Clematis Pink Butterflies? Clematis Vivid Pink Origami? Don't those flowers look like origami swans? Look at these on Sparkling Sweet Origami.

Iowa State Extension Service has the scoop on successful growing here.

The highlights of the article are:
Some non-vining clematis bloom in summer.
They act more like perennials with upright, bush-like growth habits.
Solitary clematis (Clematis integrifolia) is 18-24 inches tall and wide with small, nodding, flowers.
Each stem is topped with a single flower.
It blooms for a long time, from June into August. (I bet it wouldn't bloom until August in our zone 7 heat though I would love to try it.)

Most clematis, regardless of bloom time or habit, prefer sunny sites.(There's a myth busted.)
Clematis prefer neutral to slightly alkaline and well-drained soil.

Under 2-feet tall and wide, sun loving....sounds like a front of the bed beauty. I think I need 6.

If you have another click's worth of time, check out the Polish nursery that has dozens of Clematis in their catalog and wonderful photos. Clematis - Container Nursery

Lavatera

Lavatera is in all the seed catalogs.

Fedco Seeds' catalog describes L. trimestris thusly, " Every stalk is covered with single funnel-shaped blossoms....Cut when flowers are unfurling or have just begun to bloom. Vase life is one week...Botanical name honors the 16th century Swiss naturalist brothers Lavater, and the three-month bloom time in warmer climes. (150 seeds costs 90-cents).

Lavatera is a mallow or Malvaceae. A website dedicated to this plant family, www.malvaceae.info, introduces it with these comments, "Malvaceae is known as the mallow family in English; as les Malvacées in French; as Malvengewächse in German; as Le Malvacee in Italian; as Kaasjeskruidfamilie in Dutch; as Malvaväxter in Swedish; as Katost-familien in Danish, as Kattostfamilien in Norwegian; as Malvakasvit in Finnish, as kassinaerilised in Estonian; as Mályvafélék in Hungarian; and as Slazowate in Polish. Tiliaceae is known as the lime family in England, as les Tiliacées in French; and Lindengewächse in German; as lehmuskasvit in Finnish; as pärnalised in Estonian; and as Hársfafélék in Hungarian.. Bombacaceae is known as Wollbaumgewächse in German."

Ivy Garth Seeds offers several varieties
L cashmeriana - clear pink
L thuringiaca - pink
L trimestris Beauty Mix - pink to white shades
L trimestris Mont Blanc - white
L trimestris Novella - veined pink 3-inch flowers
L trimestris Silver Cup Beauty Pink - silver pink with rose veins
L trimestris Twins Cool White
L trimestris Twins Hot Pink - satin pink, blooms all summer, fast crop

The Lavatera page of the Malvaceae site is here
Then, here is a link to photos of Mont Blanc, Novella, Silver Cup, Pink Beauty, etc.

Of course, Lavatera and all the Mallows are favorites of anyone who wants to bring hummingbirds and butterflies into their garden. They are easy to grow from seed and provide a plentiful supply of nectar. Plus, some butterflies lay their eggs on the plants because the caterpillars are adapted to eating the leaves.

Do you grow any of these flowers?

Central Ohio Home and Garden Show will be Feb 27 to Mar 7 - Free Tickets

The Central Ohio Home & Garden Show, Feb. 27 to March 7, has given me 10 free tickets to give away. Email me if you would like to receive some.

Here is the lineup

-TALENT: Shane Tallant, host of HGTV Designed to Sell,on Saturday, Feb. 27.

-Amateur Cake Decorating Contest on Sunday, Feb. 28 and A Professional Cake Decorating Contest will occur Sunday, March 7. Special guest judges for the professional contest will include Food Network's Ace of Cakes stars Geof Manthorne and Mary Alice Yeskey.

-GARDENS: Home & Garden show will include 14 large-sized gardens with the Art in Bloom theme, with garden themes ranging from Monet-style, French Riviera Architecture, Art Nouveau etc.

-KIDS DAY, Sunday, Feb. 28: with Kids Korner activities (from 11a.m.-1 p.m. with mascot; Columbus Zoo animals from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.