Sunday, February 05, 2012

A Super Sunday!

What a way to spend a day. Plants and birds. 

Cass is being recruited by a few schools as a prospective athlete, playing volleyball. We were treated to "official visits". This means we are guests of the school and we really didn't pay for anything! There are NCAA rules and we certainly abide by those, but the school showers a lot of attention on her, taking her to nice places to eat and soaking up the university's atmosphere. My only problem with this entire thing is that it is exhausting! Hopefully, she's close to choosing her preference and we can be done with that for a while!

After spending a frantic week on the road with Cass for college visits, I so much looked forward to today. I wanted to start my winter sowing!
The folks in the winter sowing community talk about it being almost fool-proof. Well, I didn't have a whole lot of success with it. My lids blew off. My containers dried out. My containers blew away. Lots of trouble with wind. I mentioned my issues to Sue, of Sue's Garden Journal, and she sent me some of the trays she uses. This was before Thanksgiving and I tucked the box away, so it wouldn't get wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree. (hey, it has happened!)
Today, I got the box out and began to sow the seeds for wintersowing. (Thank you, Sue, for the SEEDS, too!)
Guess what? 
Sue's trays blew away. 
I chased them down and began to think I am not cut out for wintersowing. 
I stacked up the containers I'd saved and Sue's trays and realized the containers I'd saved fit right into Sue's trays. I fit the containers in and filled the room around them with rocks. 
Problem solved.
I had to deal with the wind blowing the lids off. I pierced the top and bottom and slipped a zip tie thru the hole. 

Close up of zip tie solution. 
Containers ready for seeds. 

Getting ready for a busy transplanting season!
Today I sowed Goat's Beard, Pink Joe Pye, Cardinal Lobelia, Great Blue Lobelia, Northern Lights Snapdragons, Majestic Giants Pansy, Scarlet Flax, Tall Blue Flax, Pink Malva, and English Daisy. 
In March, I will sow the tender annuals. 
I covered the dining room table with paper and worked at my own pace, left alone all day. I was able to keep an eye on my feeders and what a wonderful reward I got today!

This makes me so happy, it's not right.

Hello, sir!
I truly was beginning to believe I would not see anything but the little finches. Now, I'm more inspired to lure more birds to my yard! This guy came back a few times today. 
I wish he'd invite his friends!
Photobucket

13 comments:

  1. Those zip ties come in handy for lots of things. You got some many seeds going. Wow!

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  2. What a wonderful visitor to your feeder. It takes awhile, but you'll get more and more as time goes on. It helps if you have some cover nearby.

    You must really have some winds at your place. Good thinking with the rocks. Enjoy!

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  3. Ah, problem solving, the most rewarding part of gardening. You found innovative ways to anchor your blow-away seed sowers, and when they bloom beautifully in the summer you will remember what you had to do to get them started.

    A lot like the reward you get from college recruiters, when you remember how you didn't strangle your toddler when she was having a tantrum. You dealt. And now, such a reward! Just like the winter sown seeds will be.

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  4. Sissy - Sounds like a peaceful day compared to the hectic schedule of the previous week. Good luck in your daughter's decision. Pretty bird, and your rewards will be great from all those seeds!

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  5. Beautiful reward at the feeder. I believe it is the Downy Woodpecker. We are getting them too. And I think because she does not have a patch of red on the back of her head, it is a girl.

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  6. Great solutions to the wind! I can't wait to see the results of your sowing. And I hope your girl makes a happy choice for her new school.

    Thanks a bunch for stopping by. Yep, I still have silks from the days when I ran a flower/garden shop. I seem to have trouble getting rid of good stuff! Thanks for the recipe site too. I haven't made a decision but I'm sure I'll be cooking several times during and after Valentine's for a house full of guests. One of our guests is a chef! I'm lost.....LOL!

    When you decide to come to a warmer clime, SW Fl is a great area. We moved here after Husband changed one too many tires in the icy rain of an NC December. This area isn't without weather-related problems. We have two seasons with several names: Rainy/Hurricane/Muddy (especially on our dirt road) and Dry/Dusty/Fire (especially in the country where we don't have water service, just a well run by electricity that might not work and a pond that goes shallow in the dry season.) Challenges, of one kind or another, everywhere!

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  7. There's a lot of great ideas in this post! I love, love, love your feeder, as does the downy woodpecker :)I'm guessing you made it?? What do you fill it with? I have terrible trouble with squirrels ruining my feeders. This wouldn't keep them from the seed, but, at least they might not ruin it ;)

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  8. That was a great solution. Darn wind always trying to steal stuff.
    Good luck with your flax!

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  9. Sounds as if you had the perfect Sunday. Glad you time to relax after the College interviews. It can be a stressful time! Jx

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  10. What, no Super Bowl?? I watched the game and rooted for the Giants, but it would have been a real party at our house if the Bears had been in it:)

    The Downy woodpeckers have been visiting my feeders, too, just this past week. I've been wondering all winter where they were and was just as excited to see them as you.

    I chuckled at your winter sowing experiences, Sissy. I've had lids fly away, but not the whole container:) I've found duct tape is another good way to seal them, though once it gets warmer, it's a pain to open up the container and reseal it during sunny days. Some years I don't have much luck with my winter sowing attempts, but it's definitely a fun way to get in a gardening fix during the dead of winter.

    Good luck to Cass as she makes her final decision. I know the trips must be exhausting, but how proud you must be of her!

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  11. Ah, looks like a Downy woodpecker at your feeder.

    I applaud your winter sowing efforts. I will be watching your posts to see how it turns out. I have read a bit about it, but never tried it myself. Putting the rocks in was a great idea.

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  12. I tried seeds like this once...they looked like long spaghetti plants with leaves. I am so intrigued by this feeder? Did you make it...and the seed mixture too?

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  13. Just scrolled down and read about your log feeder...I'm making one TODAY!

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