Gertrude's Flower Garden Weekly Diary

1/31/03 - We began this week with the coldest day of the year so far; we can only hope that this is the "bottom," and that from now on we will experience moderating weather as spring approaches. I can't help but wonder whether the severe cold this year is going to delay the early bulbs--Snowdrops, Crocus, Daffodils--that usually bloom in February/March. I am also beginning to worry about the Daffodils that I planted in containers on the back terrace and the front steps; will they be able to withstand this hard freeze? I knew when I planted them that I was taking a chance, but I hope that I will find the locations that are safe for this type of planting. What a difference a year makes; I began the "Weekly Diary" a year ago with the words: "The weather this week has been unbelievably spring-like." (You can look at this entry by clicking on "Last Year's" below.)
Last year's picture was of my first Amaryllis in bloom. So far this year none are in bloom, but two of them have large buds. My basement seed planting operation is moving along: I have transplanted Star Zinnias and a few Begonias and Impatiens. A number of other seedlings are up, but too small to transplant. Here are catalog descriptions of four more of the new varieties of flowers that I am going to grow for my containers. Bidens, "GoldenEye," a prostrate form of Bidens. Ideally suited for containers. The bright yellow flowers and ferny foliage will enhance the summer sunshine in any garden. Eschscholzia, "Golden Tears," a California poppy flowering in May and still smothered with wondrous golden yellow flowers in September. Semi-trailing stems naturally suiting all containers. Gypsophila, "Gypsy," transform containers with this superb, top quality annual. Neat, compact mounds absolutely smothered in semi to fully-double, pink flowers to grace your summer garden. And finally, Verbena, "Sandy Mixed," the best Verbena ever with upright, neat, compact habit. A blend of five, free flowering rich colors--excellent in containers. Well, as I wrote last week, I will report over the months ahead on how closely the results that I obtain match these descriptions.
Today, Wednesday, it has been snowing all day on top of light snow that began falling last night. All of the garden, trees, and lawns are covered with a blanket of white, but how wonderful it is for me to enjoy eating in my glass room surrounded by the bright colors of beautiful Geraniums--a winter wonderland outside, but a colorful summer garden around me! In this week's picture I have tried to show you some of the colors in which these Geraniums come: white, pink, and several shades of red. You will remember that these are the Geraniums that I grew from seeds and wrote about last week. I do recommend that you grow some of these new colors or look for them when you buy plants this spring.

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