Not giving up on flowers...

This past Sunday I made a trip to home depot to put my gift card to use. I purchased a great little wooden basket that I will use to plant a mix of flowers and herbs. I tried finding a garden table for the basket, but nothing captured my attention. I considered buying material to build my own table, but on second thought I decided to stick with learning to garden before moving on to carpentry. In addition to the basket, I also purchased more seeds. I told myself I wouldn't let the failure of my powderpuffs deter me from growing flowers so I decided on the Heirloom Sweet William seeds, which appear to be a mixture of various flowers. Other than the artistic rendering of what the flowers will allegedly look like once grown, I don't really know much about this variety of flowers. One thing, however, immediately sold me on these seeds: the words 'GUARANTEED TO GROW' right there on the label. I'm sure that what they really mean is, "guaranteed to grow....if you know what you're doing" but I'll take my chances.



In addition to the flowers, I also picked up a packet of oregano seeds to use in the wooden basket. I figured I've had good luck with herbs so far, and if I can't get the flowers to grow I can at least have some oregano plants and their cool looking purple flowers in my wooden basket.


When I returned home, I immediately went to work on planting my new seeds. I used the wooden basket to plant the sweet william flower mix, the oregano AND I am giving the powderpuff asters another shot. Perhaps the smaller container will help the seeds germinate this time around. I should also note that before filling the basket with potting mix, I lined it with plastic bags to prevent the wood from rotting (a tip from my friendly neighbor).



In addition to my new basket, I planted 3 squash seeds in the container I originally used for the powderpuffs. First though, I mixed in some fresh soil and this time I added enough potting mix to bring it to about half inch from the top. (This is a tip I received from a member at the Blossom Swap forum). The thinking behind this is that when the seeds are closer to the surface they receive more direct sunlight and water which should facilitate germination. I used this same technique in the wooden basket. Below is a picture of basket, the newly planted squash seeds, spinach and the basil and thyme.