I was reflecting on the matter when I remembered that our line contains a number of pieces that have nature themes, or incorporate flora into the design in other ways.  Take for example this sterling/wood/leaf/resin pendant:

S2123 Description : Reflect nature's bounty with this Sterling Silver, Black Ebony Wood and Soursop Leaf Resin Pendant.

If you’d like more information about how to purchase this pendant, post a comment with your email address, or use the Contact Me form.

My Chrysanthemums are blooming again. They bloomed in July because I’m lazy and I didn’t pinch them back. Now they are blooming again, and they look even better now (with the exception of a little cold damage from last week). Sometimes laziness gets rewarded.

The D. Landreth Seed Company has been selling seeds to growers and gardeners since 1784, and claims the title of “Oldest Seed House in America.” Landreth brought some of our most beloved seed varieties to gardeners in the United States for the first time. If ever there was a company that could claim to be an American original, it’s Landreth Seed.

Landreth Seed may not be around much longer without your help. The company is in danger of closing because of a clerical error, and their lender isn’t willing to give them an extension on their loans. Landreth Seed Company needs to raise approximately $250,000 (short-term) to stay in business.

To help save an American icon, please consider purchasing a catalog, designed, published, and printed right here in the United States. You can purchase non-GMO seeds, gifts, and my personal favorite, the notecards.

(edited to update accurate funding needed to stay in business, per Landreth’s documentation)

The basil got a bit etiolated from being in the garage…

…but the Marigolds look fine:

I’d also started some ‘Purple Petra’ Basil, which is very interesting to grow. It’s not part of the SeedGROW project, but it was basil, so I thought I’d include it. I sowed five plants (multiple seeds) and just look at the variation:

(Plant in the middle is obvious. Plant to the right is from the same seed packet. Almost no purple at all)


And more variation (Sorry for the craptastic, picture):

Just because you have the same genetic material, doesn’t mean that you and your siblings are going to look the same. This is one of those real-life genetics lessons.

I’m growing with the SeedGROW project. Thanks to Reene’s Garden for the seeds.

I haven’t planted any of the lettuce seeds yet, because it was already too hot here in VA by the time we received the seed packets. I’ll be planting these in about a month or so. The Basil and Marigolds are doing well, I am happy to report. My pictures came out completely craptastically, so you’ll have to pretend until I can take more tonight.

When I planted the Basil ‘Cameo’, I decided I would also plant the lime basil I acquired earlier this year, and some Basil’Purple Petra’ from Botanical Interests. Mind you, we already have ‘Genovese’ and some thai basil; but you can never have too many varieties. We use it all summer long, and hopefully I can get some saved for the winter.

So far, ‘Cameo’ is doing the best of the three varieties I planted in this batch. The ‘Cameo’ seeds sprouted first and had true leaves first. They are starting to produce a third set of leaves, while the other basil sprouts’ true leaves are barely bigger than the cotyledons.

I’m debating planting some seeds of both the basil and the marigolds in the ground, just to see how they do. But a) we have bunnies who ravage plants (i.e. no Kale this year) and b) it’s to frickin’ hot right now. I may try anyway.

I’m growing with the SeedGROW project. Thanks to Reenes Garden for the seeds.

• Watering my trees: Casey Trees recommends 25 gallons of water per week during the first three years of a tree’s life. It’s important to do supplemental watering when it is this hot, and particularly when the ground is this dry. Follow Casey Trees on Facebook or Twitter, and you’ll get notifications when conditions are dry and you should water.
• Watering containers: I don’t have many containers because my gardening philosophy of “thrive or die” doesn’t really support the container lifestyle. I always try a few, but this time of the year is really tough. I try to check my containers frequently (every one or two days, depending on the weather) during the summer. If the leaves are at all droopy, it’s time to water thoroughly.

Most importantly, if you decide you need to do yard work, be safe.

• Start early and finish early. Don’t garden in the full heat of the afternoon;
• Drink lots of water and replace electrolytes with sports drinks or juice;
• Wear a hat with a large brim to keep the sun off your face; and
• Wear sunscreen

Have fun, and stay cool!

(This post will be cross-posted on Kingstowne Patch)

Ann, our instructor for the evening, had set up at table at the front of the space with all kinds of hummingbird- and butterfly-friendly plants and started by introducing herself and giving us a short preview of the class. I liked that the first thing Ann talked about after the intro was the life cycle of the butterfly and how their life cycle and body structure dictate what flowers they prefer. I’d learned much of what Ann talked about in events at other organizations, but it seemed to me that many of the people in the class were hearing this for the first time. Ann talked about a lot of different things in this class, including hummingbirds and their life cycle, the use of natural and organic fertilizers to keep your garden as healthy and safe for wildlife.

Ann also discussed the importance of using low/lower impact pesticides in your wildlife garden, and incorporating both annuals and perennials in the landscape. I grow a few annuals (Cosmos, Nasturtiums, etc.), but I forget at how many are really easy to grow from seed. Many annuals are prolific reseeders, so I won’t have to plant them again for a while.

The class is an excellent introduction to gardening for butterflies and hummingbirds and is a great choice for beginners in this type of gardening (or gardening in general). I would definitely recommend it to others if it is offered again. I’m definitely not a newbie to many of the topics discussed in the class, but I learned several new things about hummingbirds (Did you know that hummers can fly up to 60 miles an hour??) and butterflies. I also learned about some plants for increasing wildlife that I never would have expected, like impatiens and petunias. I always thought they were trash plants – who knew??

Other aspects of the class that I should mention: each attendee received a free plant related to the class (I chose Bronze Fennel, which I don’t like to eat and I will be happy to give up to the Swallowtail babies.) and a 10% discount on plant purchases that night. I believe that this is standard for Nalls classes.

There aren’t any classes listed on the Nalls website currently, but I have been told that more are in the works. You can sign up for the Nalls Produce Newsletter and you’ll find out when the classes are available. You’ll also receive the occasional coupon too; I’m just sayin’.

(It’s trying to take over the Red Twig Dogwood. They’re duking it out. Dogwood doesn’t know it yet, but he’s moving anyway, so they won’t have to fight for long.)