Seedy Little Seedling

Just a quick little update on my sowing adventures.  The last time I wrote of the seeds I had a couple Lupins sprouting.  That quickly turned to six sprouts.  Yesterday I mixed some garden soil with Keefer's Soil Energizer and filled Six small pots I had under the back stairs.

  I used a pen to loosen the soil and remove the sprouts from their original pot and into their new individual ones.

Some of the sprouts where up to two inches tall and the all had much longer roots already.  

Here they are all in row.

Last time I mentioned I started some seeds in re-used cardboard egg cartons, but the cardboard was absorbing all the water from the soil.  I have since place both of them onto a cookie sheet.  I will now pour water into the pan and keep the egg cartons nice and wet so the seeds will get the water that they need as well.

I'm not growing Pimps, its sort form for Pink Impatiens 

Yesterday I made a brief visit to VanDusen for Seedy Saturday.  Lots of local seed gatherers selling their wares, including VanDusen themselves.  I was on my own and had a sleepy two year old in tow, plus we only had a short time before we had to meet with Suzanne.  I rushed around the very crowded Floral Room and managed to get out with only four seed packs from two venders.  In short I pick up some Red Columbine (Aquilegia Formosa), and Chocolate Fritillary (Fritillaria lanceolata) from Twining Vine Gardens and from Crafty Gardener I got Strawberry Foxglove (Digitalis Mertonensis) and Allium Ivory Queen.

Today I planted them in row in a shallow pan 3/4 with straight Keefer's soil energizer, labeling each row on the pan.  The Columbine and Foxglove I pressed into the soil leaving them exposed to the light needed for germination.  The Fritillary I sunk into the soil about a 1/4 inch and the Allium I have put into a dish to soak for 24 hours and will add them to the pan.  The pan sits with the others sprouts in the kitchen window.

Now I am experimenting with rose seeds.  I've been hesitant to move ahead with this project as I understand it can be a lot of work.  I have been following another blogger and she had a blog last week called "The Great Pea Rebellion."  Although hers was a story of adventurous pea planting it inspired me to go ahead with my roses.

Earlier in the week I removed two hips from a rose bush in my backyard.  Today I cut open the hips and removed the seeds.

I planted the seeds in a shallow pan in a grid pattern about 2 inches apart.  I will keep them in a dark place for one month and then move them into the south facing kitchen window.