MONTICELLO SEEDS TO SOW

It was a little warmer over the last couple days, and due to be really nice by Friday. Impatient as I am to get my garden going, I wanted to plant the seeds from Monticello. I'm sure there are ten times more seeds in those packs than this little garden can handle. But I also know that only a few strong ones really make it past the infant stage. So, rather than just scattering the seeds around and hoping for the best, I made little "plots" of the same kind of seed, saved the envelopes they came in, covered the envelopes in plastic, and stuck them in the ground to remind me where I put them all. Let's hope for some really pretty Thomas Jefferson plants. and flowers... it's fun to think that the guy actually walked around this neighborhood! The growing season was so short up North- it's still snow covered there now. But everyone here has allergies. We were told that if you never had allergies before you moved here, you will definitely have them within 5 years. Everything does grow beautifully here, but there is a price to pay.

Hoping for a 10-20 foot vine out of this one!
(back there by the fence)

BULBS AND MONTICELLO SEEDS

Today was wonderfully sunny and bright. The bulbs I put in when we first moved here are beginning to pop. We planted hyacinths, and some tulips/daffodils. It makes me want to start sowing the seeds we got at Monticello last summer. I'm planning to throw the whole bunch in a very random fashion and see what comes up. The pack we got is called "Monticello's Birds, Bees & Butterflies Sampler," and includes Hollyhocks, Bloodflower, Butterfly Weed, Foxglove, Spider Flower, Purple Coneflower, and Blanket Flower. I had several large gardens in my northern homestead, and tended to them from the first sign of spring to fall- but the season was soooooo short. It was also a lot of work! This little patio garden is obviously much smaller, but every year it's feeling lot a lot of work, but at least it lasts sooooooo much longer! I probably have enough seeds for a much bigger space, but let's hope some of them take. I absolutely love Monticello, and have been there three times in the last 30 years- once in the dead of winter, the heat of summer, and the early fall. And every time was a memorable experience.

Hoping for a green thumb this year

The hyacinths have never failed me!

The beautiful Monticello gardens