A Jungle Under the Lights

Winter may continue to fiercely hug the landscape here in central Wisconsin; but indoors, in my grow room I have a tiny jungle. Impatiens, gerbera, and nicotiana are blooming. The brightly-colored coleus are growing cheerily. The transplants for the family garden are germinating and will soon demand their own space.



From this picture of my cleome seedlings you can see the uneven germination and growth rate that makes them problematic for commercial growers. This is a problem with cleome started from seed, and nicotiana and petunia, too. Probably why so much of this stuff is actually a single clone. And we wonder why a fungus can threaten to wipe out an entire crop like impatiens.








So, Spring, whenever you decide to make you way here, I'm ready for you!

Under the Lights

Coleus, from cuttings.


Gerbera, repotted.

Today, as promised I am posting pictures from my grow room. This grow room is an unused space under the eaves in my loft bedroom. Originally, it was planned as a possible half or three-quarter bath, time, money, energy, and easy way to plumb it eluding me. Electricity, it's got. Someday when I have a greenhouse and a viable plan (I have a stack of unfeasible ones...), it'll happen. Until then? Lemonade.


Impatiens and fuschia, from cuttings.


White 4 o'clocks and agrostemma, from seed.


Cleomes, from seed.


Fuschia, from cuttings, blooming already.


Lime green nicotiana and variegated Swedish ivy, both repotted.

Laurentia, from seed, and the poorest germinator of all the seed so far, about 50%. (Pink and blue.)


Blue ageratum, from seed.


Most exciting germination so far, cobaea scandens alba, from seed. (Look right in the center, it's coming!)It's a white cup and saucer. Again st my brown fence and arbors I think this will be a gorgeous climber!


That perennial seed mix growing strong!

Another picture of the mirablis jalapa alba.


And lastly, nasturtium 'Vesuvius'.

Rush to Spring?

The seedlings are coming!

The germination rate of these seeds has me surprised. This packet of perennial flower mix has been laying around for 2-3 years. It was one of those freebies you get with purchase so I really don't expect anything too exciting, but the germination rate has me a bit excited. So far, most of the 50-60 seedlings have not grown true leaves so identification is still a bit problematic.

To germinate I sprinkled the seed on a wet coffee filter, wrapped it up and sealed it in a Ziplock bag and put it into the fridge for two weeks. After that, I sprinkled the seed across a couple dozen soil-filled cells on a plastic seed tray. Germination was nearly instantaneous.



Out in my garden is a forsythia. If I would walk out and clip out a few branches and place them in a heavy lead vase with warm water, in a week or so I will have forsythia blooming in my dining room.

Reading a blog that posited the question, "Do you force any bulbs?" I remembered the dozen or so pots with yellow tulips and handfuls of muscari layered on top. The yellow and blue would be so cheery. Theoretically, I could dig one out and bring it in and it should bloom in my south window. Theoretically, because that is if I can knock it loose from the ground, the same ground to which my plastics recycle bin is firmly frozen.

Instead, I will garden indoors, perhaps making more cuttings from my colorful coleus.



I am starting seeds nearly every day, mirablis, cilantro, verbena. My delphiniums have their third leaves.



The silver sage salvia are starting to develop their furry, silvery scalloped true leaves which are so unique to them.


And finally, these fuschia cuttings have grown tiny leaves telling me that root development has also taken place. Plants are cool like that!

Update on the Seedlings

Pictures tell a 1,000 words, so here are the pictures from the growing rack!


Great germination for the onion 'Ringmaster' from Botanical Interests.


Celery seedlings, their color is really much better than that!


Those pepper seedlings from an OP hybrid, sweet red poblano type pepper germinated like hair on a dog!


Ah tomatoes!


On the right side, in the middle you can see the celery core growing new stalks, one of my "garden investigations".

So NOAA has released their Annual Spring Weather Forecast. Wetter, cooler with a chance of flooding increasing through April. Okay. I was sorta getting that impression myself. Right now I can hear the wind sorta howling around the house, too.

Checking the 10-day forecast though, after tonight, I don't see freezing temperatures listed. Close to that, but no freezing temperatures are listed for the next 10 day cycle!

There are lots of periods of drizzly rain.

That will slow me down.

I haven't checked with the village Snow Witch, but I am hopeful. I am sure it will get chilly again next full moon. I will have to check when that is, but I am cautiously optimistic that Spring will eventually make an appearance, that my crocus will pop out from beneath their snow cover on the north side of my house, that the forsythia will bloom, that those inch-tall tulips will grow.

I think the planet can take a collective sign. This has been a rough winter. Spring is coming.