I don't grow much from seed. It's not for lack of trying. I've planted seeds of some kind most years since we moved to our current location. Inadequate water accounts for some failures and raccoon rampages account for most of the rest. (I've had better luck with bulbs but, with the exception of those that are deeply planted, the raccoons tend to mess with those too.) Some of my sweet pea seedlings made it this year but not all. I've also had a bit of luck with self-seeding this past year. But the California poppies I sowed at repeated intervals have made a paltry showing, even this year with much more regular winter rain.
But I've gotten off-track. In contrast to me, my brother structures his garden in one of Southern California's inland valleys around wildflower seeds. He and his girlfriend scattered about 2 pounds of seed this fall, half of it collected from last spring's plants. Germination wasn't great - until the rains arrived in December. I think he's probably looking at a banner year. I offer this photo of the front of his house as my Wednesday Vignette.
Most of that green mass is comprised of seedlings. There are some shrubs mixed in - Eremophila divaricata in front of the windows; Lavatera maritima, Tecoma stans, and an immature Chilopsis in front of the garage; and Echium candicans and Tecoma capensis on the right side. Prostrate rosemary, Agapanthus and Stipa tenuissima are scattered about, partially engulfed by seedlings and some weeds, which they generally ignore.
If this winter rain thing becomes a regular event, maybe I'll try seeding more wildflowers of my own.
Visit Anna at Flutter & Hum for more Wednesday Vignettes.
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
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| This wasn't the worst of the raccoon rampages, only the most recent I bothered to photograph. Some mornings I spent a good half-hour replanting and filling furrows with the dirt they've dug out in search of grubs. Their friends, the skunks, fill in now and then. Both critters leave distinctive calling cards. |
But I've gotten off-track. In contrast to me, my brother structures his garden in one of Southern California's inland valleys around wildflower seeds. He and his girlfriend scattered about 2 pounds of seed this fall, half of it collected from last spring's plants. Germination wasn't great - until the rains arrived in December. I think he's probably looking at a banner year. I offer this photo of the front of his house as my Wednesday Vignette.
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| Photo courtesy of ericnp.net. (You can find close-ups of flowers from his 2015 wildflower garden here and photos taken on his nature-focused walks on his blog here.) |
Most of that green mass is comprised of seedlings. There are some shrubs mixed in - Eremophila divaricata in front of the windows; Lavatera maritima, Tecoma stans, and an immature Chilopsis in front of the garage; and Echium candicans and Tecoma capensis on the right side. Prostrate rosemary, Agapanthus and Stipa tenuissima are scattered about, partially engulfed by seedlings and some weeds, which they generally ignore.
If this winter rain thing becomes a regular event, maybe I'll try seeding more wildflowers of my own.
Visit Anna at Flutter & Hum for more Wednesday Vignettes.
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party