Seeds. What if every seed grew?

People like me, are often dismayed when seeds we have planted, fail to germinate and become a plant. Think for a moment.....what if every seed grew? Not just on your windowsill (I told you not to do that!), but in the world? Squish this thought down for a second. Think about all the trees, shrubs and other plants that are just  in your yard, or visualize a park you frequent. Each of those plants disperse seed every year. Thousands and thousands of seeds. If they all were successful and grew, we all would be swinging from vines like Tarzan........it would be a jungle, everywhere! You may not even notice all the seeds as the wind often blows the tree seeds around the county, and you know the neighbors dandelion is now in your yard.
We are lucky that many types of seeds are complicated to germ. There are several factors that have to come together correctly under certain conditions. This is what saves us. Although evergreens drop thousands of seeds tucked in 'pine cones' each year, seldom if ever, will a random evergreen start to grow. I wish some seeds were more complicated like thistle, dandelion, lamb's quaters, rag weed etc. It would make the life of the farmer much easier!

Dephiniums....gorgeous!

 Delphiniums are tall, stately flowering plants that are perfect for back of the border. These are new for Earthworks this year and the photos are from Walter's Gardens Wholesale. Above is "Misty Mauves," with colors ranging from deep purple to light mauve. This variety gets 3-4 feet tall.

 "Blushing Brides." Absolutely love this rich mulberry pink color with the tiny green in the center. This one is a little taller, between 4-6 feet tall. Now that will make an impact. Imagine this beauty poised against a white picket fence.

"Double Innocence." Love the white for bouquet design, they go with anything. Sometimes just by themselves is elegant in it's simplicity. This gal gets 3-4 feet tall. Earthworks will have these 3 available for sale this spring at our locations: Mankato Farmers Market, St. Peter Food Co-op and at Earthworks Gardens, Cty. 21 in St. Peter.

Care of Delphiniums:
Sun; prefer full sun - 6 hrs per day, but will tolerate 4-6 hrs. The more sun, the sturdier the plant will be.
Water: 2x weekly (no more)
Staking: Some may need some staking or use a tomato cage. These beauties are worth a little extra TLC.
Bloom time: early summer, remove spent blooms for a late summer early fall re-bloom.
Uses: back of border and great for cut flowers
Soil: not fussy, but well draining

Bouquet Makers

 Soon it will be time to design gorgeous armload bouquets for my customers! A beautiful zinnia can always make me feel summer....even if it's only March! Zinnias are so easy to grow, even sown directly in the garden, and they'll pump out blooms till mid September. They come in nearly every color besides blues & black. Easy to manage, they can be susceptible to powdery mildew (whitish leaves). Good air flow will help, and using a fungicide will help to prevent issues.

Annual statice....love that blue!!! Statice is considered a 'dry' or 'everlasting' flower. We also use them as fresh cuts in bouquets. I always like to tell folks when they buy one of my bouquets, what they can pull out to dry when the bouquet declines. Statice will keep it's color for 1 or more years in a dry vase or arrangement, if kept out of the sun. Statice comes in blues, purples, white, yellow, corals/peach, & pinks. Personally not a fan of the peach. I love it but, it just fades away in a bouquet. A bunch by itself is okay. Blue and purples are the most popular. Statice is also very easy to grow, but best to start with transplants. Too early to start either for transplants, they only need to be about 4 weeks old, so mid April.