Garden Glimpses: 05.02.25
hydrangea blooms | love-in-a-mist | last seedlings
It’s May! And I can already feel summer breathing down my neck. Or maybe that’s just the sunburn. I’ve managed to get myself sunburned twice so far this season while working outside. Remember your sunscreen! A hat is not enough. I need to do better.
I’m happy to report that the Oakleaf hydrangeas are in bloom. I have no regrets having planted 4 of them around the backyard. What a joy! In fact, I’m pretty sure I have room for one more.
Spotlight: Love-in-a-Mist
If you told me that a science fiction writer designed this flower, I would believe it. Love-in-a-Mist (or Nigella) is one of the strangest looking flowers I’ve ever grown.
The flower looks like it’s framed by crackles of lightning with delicate little blue petals and a dense cluster of stamens in the middle. Every stage of this flower’s growth looks alien. I don’t have any fully developed seed pods yet, but even those are often used in flower arrangements because they are so sculptural.
As odd as it looks, Love-in-a-Mist has been commonly found in English cottage style gardens since Elizabethan times. They’re whimsical with feathery foliage and quite easy to grow; there’s a lot to like. This variety is Miss Jekyll mix, though every flower so far has been blue so far. 10/10 would grow again.
Last Seedlings
Whereas I may be good at seed starting, keeping seedlings alive until planting is another skill altogether. Eventually baby plants have to be moved outside to acclimate, or “hardened off”, before planting in the ground.
If they get too much light or heat too soon, they will become stressed and could die. If they don’t get enough light or heat before planting, they will become stressed and could die. They also need regular watering and protection from storms. It can be a lot to keep up with.
So, I consider it an accomplishment that the last of my seedlings made it into the ground successfully! These are a few raised beds in my front yard that get full, blazing sun. I’ve mostly grown veggies in this spot before, but this year it’s all flowers: zinnias, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, and lemon basil. Hoping for a lot of color!
Bouquet of the Week
Though composed of garden plants, I feel like this bouquet has the look and feel of a wildflowers gathered from a field. Maybe it’s the looseness of the arrangement or the variety of colors, but I really like it.
Last year I had an abundance of snapdragons (the pink spike flower) and calendula (yellow), but not so much this year. Not sure what happened, but that makes me appreciate the few blooms all the more.
Till next time,
Ashley
The flowers are beautiful. But I also gotta commend your photography skills, those pictures are national geographic esqu