The one thing in this Financial Post article - Forget oil, the new global crisis is food - that scares me the most? The very last line:
[crop yields around the world need to increase] "That will be done with more fertilizer, with genetically modified seeds, and with advanced machinery and technology," he [Coxe] said.
Oh, boy...
Sounds like some peeping Tom weirdo slithering around a certain area.
Very interesting video on what's happening to our zone dependant plants:
Zone Creep
My poinsettia are setting seed! Unbelievable! They have the cutest little seed pods. I wonder how long I have to wait for them to mature? Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it sometimes rewards the gardener! Guess my hand pollinating experiment worked. I just can't remember whether I crossed the salmon with the white or the red. Ut-oh! Knowing me - it was both. Heh.
And I have a lavender sprout! Yay! Only one, and you want to bet something happens to it? Poor lonely little thing. I'm knocking wood and crossing my fingers. Maybe third time was the charm.
Oh, and the peacock orchids that I thought wouldn't do all that great (because I forgot to plant them last year. Yeah, I know - I already slapped my patties) are starting to poke out of the soil. So, doing pretty good.
I haven't started winter sowing yet. I'm such a slacker! I just can't seem to get myself motivated to start. Maybe it's just that this year started out so depressing. Geesh, pretty soon it'll be time to put up the light stand and get bell peppers started. I've never been behind enough that I've had my peppers started before I've had my winter sowing containers half done!
The Martagon lily seed I started back in December are bulbing out nicely. Come March they'll be hitting the fridge for their 'cool' period until plant out time in June. The ones I did last year looked pretty healthy last fall, so hopefully my 'halvesies' problem turned out to be a good thing with these - successive years of bloom. :) We'll see.
I tried starting Lavender 'Lady' seed again. Third try. I'm a little peeved that I don't have any problems starting those supposedly hard germinators, yet, can't get easy-peasy lavender to germinate! What's up with that?
Walgreen's has their .10 cent sale going and I found some Hungarian Wax peppers to start for youngest son. I don't think they had as much of a selection of seed as they did last year. Of course, the first store we stopped at didn't have them and the manager was insistent that all the stores in that area get the exact same deliveries, so if they didn't have them in yet, the rest wouldn't. The hubs decided we needed to check anyway (cause who trusts most of what these employees say?) and sure enough - the other stores had seeds! Now, you would think that if there's a coupon online and in their papers that they'd have the advertised product, right? Heh. Anyway, they're getting the paper towel germ treatment so I can stick them in the big pots with the purple potato vine for the patio.
And, while we were out and about, we just had to stop at Lowe's. The hubs spotted $40 pots of Dracaena Massangeana/Dracaena Marginata/Schefflera arboricola for 5 bucks. Yes, one absolutely had to come home with us. The poor things were not happy. With a little care they'll be fine, and I'll have no more floor space. :) I think I'll repot them all in containers of their own come spring.
I finally got the guts to dig out my peacock orchid bulbs. ~sigh~ Poor things were already sprouting in their mesh bag, but didn't look too good. No way would they have made it any longer out of soil, so they got potted up and I'll see what happens.
The rhododendron and azaleas sprouts are still looking pretty darn good! I'll get them transplanted to separate cells when I get the light stand up to get the peppers started. I haven't counted, but I bet there are at least 50 still going good. Hopefully I can get at least a few to make it through until planting out in spring 09. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll eventually get some blooms so I can get a pic with the daughters cell and send it off to Sharon at The Willow Garden and let her know something came of her generosity!
I also found some Moon and Stars watermelon seed. How sad is it to be just about jumping up and down in the store because you found a freaking package of seed?! People must think I'm nuts.
I really, really want to try Dahlia seed this year. I'm going to have to haunt Walmart for them because I figure there's no way the Dollar store will have them, or that Lowe's will have them at a price I can afford. I'd order them, but with the shipping cost, no way. Man, I hate skimming the seed and plant catalogs and drooling over things I'll never have. It's like some kind of self-punishment/torture!
And, finally, I think hell has frozen over - my sister-in-law brought home some poinsettias that someone threw away and is doing very, very well at keeping them alive and healthy! Will wonders never cease?!
