by Meg Lynch, Editor

I sowed seeds of cosmos, marigold, and love-in-a-puff last weekend (indoors).

I like to start my seeds in individual pots, instead of flats. I’ve found that the cardboard cases that juice and tonic bottles come in make good trays for the pots. I can easily move them all at once to the sink for watering and to a brighter position once the seedlings sprout.

The cardboard is very sturdy, since it is meant to carry glass bottles. The plastic liner that wraps around it makes it even sturdier and somewhat waterproof.

This was a 12-pack of Snapple iced tea, and 9 three-inch pots fit well in it. Last year I used a 24-pack to hold 48 one-inch pots.

3/20/2008 11:07:49 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [4] 

by Meg Lynch, Editor

First, thanks to all for the comments on my previous post about Gerard the living stone. I do have seedlings as well as Gerard, which I started last summer. I'll try to get a picture of them—but they are still really tiny, so I'm not sure how the picture will come out.

In the meantime . . . the New England Spring Flower Show is going on in Boston this week. Sara and I were at the show last night, when the theme was "Plant Geeks." (That's us, I guess—and proud of it!)

At our table, we ran the "Plant Geeks Olympics," a 10-question quiz. Halfway through the night we decided it was a bit on the too-hard side, but everybody was a great sport about it and had fun, which is really what the show, our quiz, and gardening is all about. We had a good time talking to fellow gardeners and taking in the beautiful garden displays. (And the music of the player piano stationed near our table. Will I ever get "Margaritaville" out of my head?)

Here are the questions on our quiz. Answers appear at the bottom of this post.

1.    Agapanthus is native to which country:

a.    Egypt
b.    Algeria
c.    South Africa
d.    India

2.    There are over 3,000 registered named varieties of which plant:

a.    hosta
b.    astilbe
c.    clematis
d.    daisy

3.    The genus name of flowering tobacco is _________________.

4.    Aronia arbutifolia, Fothergilla major, Itea virginica, Rhus copallina are good native alternatives for this invasive ornamental plant: __________________

5.    Cape fuchsia is the common name for:

a.    Fuchsia magellenica
b.    Phygelius capensis
c.    Oenoethera canadensis
d.    Dicentra spectabilis

6.    There is a blue impatiens. True or False?

7.    What is the new genus name for coleus? ______________

8.    How can a gardener identify a plant in the Mint family? __________________

9.    ‘Cosmic Purple’ is a cultivar of what kind of vegetable? ______________________

10.    Botanically pronounced, Cotoneaster rhymes with “Easter” or “Faster”?

ANSWERS:
1. c, South Africa
2. a, Hosta
3. Nicotiana
4. We were looking for burning bush (Euonymous alatus)
5. b, Phygelius capensis
6. True
7. Solenostemon
8. The plant has square stems
9. Carrot
10. Faster (co-tone-ee-AST-er)

3/12/2008 9:50:58 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2]