Gertrude's Flower Garden Weekly Diary

1/25/02 - This week we got our first snowfall of the winter. Since unseasonably warm weather is predicted for the remainder of this week, it will probably soon be melted from the garden. In the meanwhile it provides a lovely winter view. I have referred previously to snow as "the poor man's fertilizer." I'm not sure that this old saying has any validity, but it is true that snow is good for the garden, giving plants, bulbs, and bushes a slow watering and protecting them from severe freezing. When we say a "blanket" of snow, we are truly describing how snow protects the garden. I have taken some snow pictures for future use; this week we need some color.
In addition to the two flats of Star zinnias (69 white and 72 yellow), this week I transplanted 2 1/2 flats (180 plants) of mixed colors impatiens. None of the other seedlings are quite large enough to transplant--I usually wait until the seedling makes its second leaves. Next up will probably be the Periwinkle vinca. The seeds mentioned last week as being still on warming pads, lobelia, blue salvia, and nicotiania, have all germinated nicely--the blue salvia will probably be the first of these ready to transplant. I don't try to transplant lobelia or browallia as individual plants--they are just too tiny and don't like to be handled. I will let them grow in the containers that they are in, and, eventually, put clumps into pots. Good news on the special geranium seeds that I planted last week: five of the six varities have germinated four to six plants each; seeds of the sixth are still on the warming pad and showing signs of coming up. When these geranium seedlings are big enough, I intend to transplant them to small individual pots; in spring, I will plant them in the beds or large pots.
If you have a sunny spot for them, there are no flowers more cheerful to help you through the dark winter days than bright red geraniums. This week's picture is of one of several plants in the glass room, where they provide bright, happy color on dark days. There geraniums were in the large pots on the terrace and in front of the driveway fence; I simply repotted them to bring inside before heavy frost. Actually, I think that they are blooming more profusely and more beautifully inside than they did outside during the summer. My good luck with these geraniums is one of the reasons that I wanted to try the new varieties now in the basement garden. Also, don't forget that geraniums are easily propagated by cutting slips and putting them in water--another advantage of this versitile, old time flower. I made some cuttings from last year's plants that are now growing nicely in pots in the glass room, and will be ready to plant outside in the spring.

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