Monday Morning Garden Blogging

The delphiniums are growing apace. They were started last spring and a few of them actually matured enough to bloom last fall. The blooms were paltry and few, probably because it was already October and very cold, but they were there. They over wintered well and are stocky hardy looking little plants. Can't wait to see what colors they are.


The lupins too are happy little plants. They were also grown from seed last spring and didn't look like much by fall. I didn't think they'd make it through the winter, but here they are, growing like weeds. I think they're pretty much all blue ones because the store bought seed didn't germinate nearly as well as the seed I collected from my own plant. Because I didn't think they'd survive the winter, I set some fresh seed in the cold frame over winter and those appear to have all germinated as well, so I'll be having plenty of lupins going forward.


The magnolias are in full bud as well. I always worry that they won't bloom, and they always prove me wrong. Its well worth the trouble of wrapping them for the winter to protect from the weight of the snow and from the winter sun. There wasn't much worry this winter about sun damage. Both the pink and the white magnolia disappeared under snow banks shortly after Christmas, and didn't reappear till mid April. I think the snow helped to protect them. I just hope we don't get a heavy frost so that all the buds get a chance to develop. I collected some seed last fall from the pink and I'm hoping to start a new one. Don't know what the chance of success is, but I'll try anyway.