In real life, they are mean things that deserve to be put in paella.

Yesterday, I had 6 beautiful, unopened crocus buds. We were looking forward to taking pictures and sketching them this morning.

Today, I have 3 crocus blooms, and 3 bitten-off purple stumps. I [...]]]> …. are really only lovely and adorable in books.

In real life, they are mean things that deserve to be put in paella.

Yesterday, I had 6 beautiful, unopened crocus buds. We were looking forward to taking pictures and sketching them this morning.

Today, I have 3 crocus blooms, and 3 bitten-off purple stumps. I am not amused. Maybe there’s a lesson out there somewhere that incorporates art, science and revenge. Maybe I’ll put cayenne pepper in the crocuses. Maybe I’ll put a picture of Mr. McGregor, large and menacing, beside those crocuses. Or maybe I’ll put a picture of the Fierce, Bad Rabbit with its tail cut off as a warning sign.

I don’t know what these are (yet) or I’ve forgotten; they’re right in the front yard welcoming guests

Playing with photo editing software

The first part are all companies I’ve shopped from before; Renee’s Garden I ordered from when it was still “Shepherd’s Garden Seeds” which was bought by White Flower Farm. Papa Geno’s I haven’t [...]]]> Ongoing attempt to reduce the clutter around here…. getting rid of all my favorite gardening catalogs; yes, I have quite the pile.

The first part are all companies I’ve shopped from before; Renee’s Garden I ordered from when it was still “Shepherd’s Garden Seeds” which was bought by White Flower Farm. Papa Geno’s I haven’t ordered from in years but there were 3 years in a row back in the ’90′s when I was ordering from them and I was always very happy with the service and plants. I’ve included links to Garden Watchdog Reviews, which I always check before ordering from a company unknown to me — though sometimes if the deals are too good to pass up I’ll go ahead and order even if they’ve received a bad review before, e.g., Gilbert’s and Sons from whom I ordered some really nice peonies back ‘in ’04.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds | Garden Watchdog Review
The Natural Gardening Company | Garden Watchdog Review — this company’s great to order from if you’ve tried to raise organic tomatoes and other plants from seed and failed, or you ran out of time, etc. — I ordered from them last year.
Kitazawa Seed Company | Garden Watchdog Review – the best source for Asian seeds
Pinetree Garden Seeds | Garden Watchdog Review
J.L. Hudson, Seedsman | Garden Watchdog Review – THE source for unusual, hard-to-find, rare seeds; you get quite an education just from the catalog.
Gardener’s Supply Company | Garden Watchdog Review — this is an okay company if you’ve got money to spend on their gardening landscaping supplies, etc. I look mainly for inspiration, though they did have a bargain on a cold frame I’d been wanting last fall, so I went ahead and got it. Thinking of getting their tomato, eggplant and flower supports this year.
Fedco Seeds | Garden Watchdog Review – if you’re looking for bargain organic seeds, this is the place. Love the old-time illustrations on the black and white (or I should say, black and grey) catalog. The seed packets aren’t pretty but they serve the purpose, hey.
Territorial Seed Company | Garden Watchdog Review – I believe this is the company from whom I ordered my asparagus crowns in ’04. They did well except we left the house before we could harvest anything significant.
Brent and Becky’s Bulbs | Garden Watchdog Review – no complaints here, love this company.
Gourmet Seed International | Garden Watchdog Review – has good bargains from time to time.
Gardens Alive | Garden Watchdog Review – like this company for its coupons (hee) and its natural pest control, fertilizer stuff, etc.
Wood Prairie Farm | Garden Watchdog Review – I got salad mixes from and Egyptian walking onions from this one, and potatoes which I’m going to try this year.
Specialty Perennials | Garden Watchdog Review – another purveyor of hard-to-find seeds, love their flowers; I got the prettiest lupines in ’04.
Seeds of Change | Garden Watchdog Review – the very first company I ordered organic seed from, back in ’98-’02 (?) — some were still viable last year!
The Cook’s Garden | Garden Watchdog Review – good source for herbs and other veggie seeds. Love that their catalog is illustrated by Mary Azarian, one of our favorite artists — she illustrated Snowflake Bentley.
ValueSeeds | Garden Watchdog Review – the bargains!
Swallowtail Garden Seeds | Garden Watchdog Review – pretty seed packets, again, some unusual seeds.
Botanical Interests | Garden Watchdog Review – how one would be able to resist these lovely seed packet artworks, I have no idea.
Renee’s Garden | Garden Watchdog Review
Papa Geno’s Herb Farm | Garden Watchdog Review
American Meadows | Garden Watchdog Review
The Butchart Gardens | Garden Watchdog Review — some of the hard-to-find seeds that Jefferson was growing at Monticello, I found here.
Raintree Nursery | Garden Watchdog Review — ordered raspberry and blueberry canes from them in ’04. They did okay but I don’t know how they are now at our previous home.

Haven’t bought from these, but I like to browse their catalogs for inspiration, and reference for future orders:

White Flower Farm | Garden Watchdog Review
D. Landreth Seed Company |Garden Watchdog Review
Musser Forests |Garden Watchdog Review
Dripworks | Garden Watchdog Review
Seed Savers Exchange | Garden Watchdog Review
High Country Gardens | Garden Watchdog Review
Horizon Herbs | Garden Watchdog Review
Forest Farm | Garden Watchdog Review
Mischel’s Greenhouses | Garden Watchdog Review
Wildseed Farms | Garden Watchdog Review
Kinsman Company | Garden Watchdog Review

Row 1

Mentha spicata – Spearmint – Plantation 2006
Rosmarinus officinalis – Fothergills
Marrubium vulgare – Horehound – Fedco 2004
Bellis perennis – English Daisy True Wild Type – JL Hudson 2004
Mirabilis jalapa unknown color 2005
Brassica rapa – Purple [...]]]> I finished up the last of my seeds of the ff:

Mentha spicata – Spearmint – Plantation 2006
Rosmarinus officinalis – Fothergills
Marrubium vulgare – Horehound – Fedco 2004
Bellis perennis – English Daisy True Wild Type – JL Hudson 2004
Mirabilis jalapa unknown color 2005
Brassica rapa – Purple Top White Globe Turnip – Seeds of Change 2002
Rudbeckia hirta Gloriosa daisy rustic colors from trade 2004
Wildflower Mix American Meadows 2007
Monarda didyma Panorama Red Shades Bee Balm Fedco 2004
Satureja montana – Winter savory – Fedco 2004
Inula helenium – Elecampane – Fedco 2004
Salvia officinalis – Broadleaf sage – Fedco 2004
Stachys byzantina 2004 self-gathered
Pisum sativum – Sugar Pod 2 Snow Pea – Seeds of Change 2004
Polyanthus Gold Lace – Mr. Fothergill’s 2007
Perennial oregano
Chrysanthemum maximum Alaska – Shasta Daisy – Butchart 2005
Scabiosa mix pink-purple-maroon from trade 2004
Scabiosa columbaria ‘Nana’ from Donn 2004
Penstemon strictus from trade 2005
Gaillardia Blanket Flower from trade 2004
Stokesia laevis – from Carolyn 2004

so they’re now off my exchange list, and going into my “waiting for” pile. Hopefully they’ll sprout this year so I can get more seeds.

The list of Mary’s flowers was taken from Mary’s Gardens: 100 Plants For A Larger Mary Garden. The spreadsheet includes information on each flower, i.e., by Latin name, ordering link (some are obsolete, and I’m working on updating them), [...]]]> The Mary Garden spreadsheet is now a Google spreadsheet which you can view here.

The list of Mary’s flowers was taken from Mary’s Gardens: 100 Plants For A Larger Mary Garden. The spreadsheet includes information on each flower, i.e., by Latin name, ordering link (some are obsolete, and I’m working on updating them), Type (Annual, Perennial or Biennial), Common Name, Religious Name, Height (average, or whatever I found for the seed/plant that I bought/plan to buy), Spacing required, Sun Exposure required, Color (usually the one I bought/plan to buy), Water requirement, and other info gathered from websites/catalogs/books.

On the spreadsheet, I forgot to add that PS = Partial Shade, FS = Full Sun.

ETA: 9/16/07. I’ve been reading Mary’s Flowers by Vincenzina Krymow — what a wonderful book! It even has meditations and illustrations, etc. I bought the book months ago to get free shipping at Amazon and just really read it today. I’ve started updating the spreadsheet with additional information supplied by this book. Now the only thing left is to figure out WHERE I could possibly fit all these plants that I plan to have in the garden! Mary’s waiting…. Right now all I have near here are some hostas and liatris…. I’d like to move her at some point to a permanent grotto, maybe tufa that the kids and I will make, with maidenhair fern trailing from top to bottom…. that would be nice….