This week, I went to a few nurseries near my town to buy some plants. I got wild ginger, pansies, Angelina sedum, purple poppy mallow, and Ice n Roses Hellebore. I have already taken the pansies to the land and planted them. They were root bound so I tried to divide them up into two pieces. I didn’t do the best job with that, but hopefully they will survive. I hope to plant the hellebore the next time I go to the farm. I really like the flowers on this hellebore because there are two colors on the same plant. They start out pink but turn a light green as they mature. I also planted more seeds this week, although the time was limited. This week, I planted the following seeds: Sundial lupine, Carnival of Venice morning Glory, Mammoth sweet pea mix, Mullein, Autumn Joy sunflower. I did plant the celery, cardoon, and oregano in covered containers on my balcony. So far nothing has sprouted yet. Hope to see some seedlings soon. I was excited to receive some asparagus bean seeds this week. I have never tried them before but they look like very long green beans. Can’t wait to find out what they taste like. I have also never tried a cardoon, but I had read that it is related to the artichoke. I am hoping to start the peppers, tomatoes and tomatillo seeds indoors around Valentine’s Day. I hope to get more seeds planted this week and should have more time to work. I saw the first baby grasshopper this week. The grasshoppers feasted in my garden last year but this year it’s on. We are not fans of pesticides so trying to find some natural solutions. The temperatures have fluctuated a lot this week. I suppose it must be the Oklahoma winds that make the weather so changeable. I am from Texas, where the weather is almost always hot but predictable.
I have been reading this week about growing my own tea garden. I enjoyed the detailed information and photos of each plant in the book. It was a short book, so I finished it quickly. This week, I tried to make fancy rice with saffron. It was not bad but it was bland. I’m planning a special meal for Valentine’s Day with a prime rib roast. I love to eat out but don’t enjoy going out on Valentine’s Day when it’s super busy everywhere. I received a gift from my sister this week, a Beatrix Potter book. I have one book and this is my second. The book has great illustrations and I plan to try to draw some of the pictures from the book for fun. I studied a book this week about drawing birds and flowers in colored pencils. It was very good and detailed. The author used a different brand of pencils than mine so it was hard to follow some of the tutorials. I also picked up another book about seed saving from the library this week, but haven’t finished it yet. I want to save some of my own seeds for next year’s garden. I am really hoping for an early spring, but the groundhog has predicted another six weeks of winter. ❄️ ☃️
Lisa Ledbetter 