Chop!

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It was time for the first onion seedling haircut . . .



Snip!



The second container got their greeness shortened, too. They grow so fast that it won't be long before it's time for haircut number two.

Happy (ouch!) Growing!
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Impatience

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Spring seems to have sprung everywhere around the country except for here.
Fine! I'll just have to give it a little push . . .



I think Mr. Cardinal agrees with me. Hurry up Spring!



Happy (impatient for spring) Growing!
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Caladiums - Ready . . . Go!

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It's time to start those caladiums.
Yes, I save everything. Yes, it's a problem.
I still have pansies going from last fall, for Pete sake!

But, overwintered properly, caladiums can be saved for years.
These (a pot of pink leaved and one of white) got a grand soak in a nice warm water bath and were promptly placed in the warmest room in the house.



Nope, nothing to see . . . yet.
These puppies want heat before they'll even think of budging from their slumber. Lots and lots of heat.
And, even then, it will take them eons to decide it's time to actually DO something - like show a smidgen of a sign that they didn't give up the ghost through their long sleep.
Eventually, they will. It just takes lots of waiting. And patience. And waiting. I've had them take up to 2 months to show any returning growth.

Hey, I waited all winter for some small sign of spring (no, I haven't seen one yet), I can wait a bit more. Gardeners do a lot of waiting.

Happy (sleepy plant) Growing!

The Tuesday Chuckle

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Today's Chuckle is a total time waster and completely silly, but good fun.

Click HERE. Be careful, don't break her.
:)
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Name That Blog!

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In all the years I've been blogging, I've come across some very interesting blog names.
Some make you think. Some make you chuckle. Some make you nod your head in agreement that it was the perfect name for a garden blog and you wish you'd thought of it first.
And some make you really wonder.

Mine is pretty easy to figure out - I have tons of hobbies, which have become more habit than hobby, and they make me happy.
For instance, I can't sit and watch tv without a sewing needle, quilt piece, book or yarn in my fingers. If I'm outside I'm messing with plants, soil or fish. If my hands aren't moving I'm wasting time. Of course, it could just be the result of my Grandmother's constant conditioning - "Idle hands are the devils tools." Happy Hobby Habit fit my blog perfectly.

Take Amy's blog, for example: Go Away I'm Gardening!
Now, seriously, I must think that 5 times a day in the summer! Perfect blog name.

Or, how about David's: Leave me Alone, I'm Digging.
Exactly! Perfect.

Kerri's Colors Of The Garden is rather self explanatory, yet very creative, don't you think? You know what you're going to read about before you even click. (although I secretly covet her container design skill. Shhh! Don't tell!)

How did those three decide on those interesting names for their garden blogs? Did they think long and hard or did those just pop into their heads?

Now, something like Herself's Houston Garden makes you wonder. Who's Herself? She's obviously gardening in Houston, but why use Herself? Intrigue!

Or, Lisa's Millertime. Why did she pick that? Is there some secret meaning we're all not privy to? Don't keep us in the dark!

Then there's Benjamin's Deep Middle. Interesting. Deep middle of what? Life, country, education, mountains? Do tell!

And Hanna's This Garden Is Illegal. It is? Cool! Why did she choose that name for her blog? Hmmmm . . . makes you wonder!

Occasionally, I think about a name change, but then I let the thought fall by the wayside. I like it and it fits for now. Maybe it'll be something to worry about in the future.

So, how did you decide on the name for your blog? Did you think about it for a while or was it just a spur-of-the moment thing? Did you want it to be something easy for people to remember? Have you come across one and wish you'd chosen something like it?

If you thought of something you liked better, would you be willing to change it? If you started a new one, would you think more about what it's name should be?

Maybe do a post on your own blog and tell us all about why it's named what it is - We want to know!
Well, at least I do. I'm a nosy gardener :)

Happy (naming) Growing!
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Blotanical News Update

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For those of you that are still wondering about Blotanical and what Stuart has been up to, he has a new post up at the 'News' tab - just go to the front page and click on the tab or click here.
Some appreciative comments (which also don't seem to be working at the moment - just maybe keep it in the back of your mind for a future date) might be nice since he's managed to tip-toe through quite a mess recently and still kept trying to keep everyone happy.
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Stop! Thief!

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I am so disappointed!
I had to remove all the pictures of my pressed flower cards because they were being stolen and used by Polyvore.
I found them here and here.
If they had just emailed me and asked to use them, I probably wouldn't have had a problem with it, but to just rip them off, use them in a collage and post them up for thousands of people to use as clip art just makes me so . . . PISSED!!

The hoops I have to jump through to get them removed aren't worth it. Check this out:

To file a copyright infringement notification with us, you will need to send a written communication that includes substantially the following (please consult your legal counsel or see Section 512(c)(3) of the Copyright Act to confirm these requirements):

1. Identify in sufficient detail the copyrighted work that you believe has been infringed upon.
2. Identify the material that you claim is infringing the copyrighted work listed in item. You must include URLs for the material you want taken down.
3. Provide your full name, address, telephone number, and email address, so that Polyvore can contact you.
4. Include the following statement: "I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law."
5. Include the following statement: "I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed."
6. Sign the notice, proving that you are a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Really!? ARGGHH!
Ok, I'm going to go plant something and cool off.
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The Grow Project 1

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It's the first Sunday of the month and although I can't really do anything with the seeds for the 2010 GROW Project yet, I can outline my plans for those seeds, so this will be the first official post.

This is what came in the mail last week:



I've always loved her seed packets. They're A work of art. The other thing I like - all the extra info added on a separate flap on the back of the packets:



I opened the packet and counted the seed amount because I wanted to give these a try in four separate ways: Winter Sown (that'll be next month's post), started inside, sown in containers outside and sown directly into the soil.



There were 39 seeds in the packet, so I'll split three trials into 10 seeds each, 9 for starting inside since that is where I'll have the least amount of room.

This is going to be fun!

Happy (nasturtium) Growing!
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"I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project, thanks to ReneesGarden.com for the seeds."