Hooray For More Bulbs!

Well, I wasn't really having the best day a few days ago, and to cheer myself up decided to wander around the garden section at Walmart and Lowe's. For a gardening addict who is trying to save money, this is a dangerous thing. It's bulb season! I've been contemplating ordering some Lilies of the Valley for a few weeks now from a company online, but low and behold Walmart had them for less than half the cost they would have been. I really hate that store (it's taking over the world one crappy product at a time), but how can I deny that price difference, especially when I was distraught?

So, that night, I purchased plumtart gladiolus, mixed color ranunculus, white lilies of the valley, and pink and white bleeding hearts. They were all so pretty, I could have gone completely wild and bought a bunch more, but I restrained myself especially since I'm not sure where I will be living in a month. As it is, if I end up in an apartment, my place will look like a jungle. I'm hoping to find a house to rent, but that still waits to be seen.

Anyway... tangent sorry. I planted those bulbs today (all in pots so they can move with me - like the rest of my garden). I can't wait to see them. Hopefully it's no too long of a wait.

I Have Some Catching Up To Do

Wow, it has really been a long time since I last blogged. I apologize for the lapse in time. That does not, however, mean that I was not gardening. Quite the contrary. In the last few months, I have started many plants as well as lost many plants. Firstly, I started several Amarylis bulbs and paperwhites for the holiday season. All but one bloomed and came out great, I even gave one Red Lion as a gift to my grammy for Christmas. I'm still hoping on the other bulb that didn't bloom.
The picture is of my Apple Blossom Amarylis, which came out the prettiest I think.

The bad news in the last few months was the deep freeze that came a few weeks ago. I knew it was coming, I covered everything really well, etc, but it just couldn't be stopped. All of my vegetables that had held on so long finally kicked the bucket. All my tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers, eggplants, etc. All gone, and dearly missed. Oh well, I'll get 'em going again this spring (this time a lot earlier) so they have time to grow and give me results :)

Back to good news! I was pleasantly surprised about a week ago when my bulbs I planted in the fall began to sprout. I won't lie, I was beginning to get worried that I had done something wrong, but low and behold, they are sprouting now: daffodils, muscari hyacinths, freesias, ranunculus and spring star flowers. I've decided that grape hyacinth is the coolest looking sprout. I can't pass by without stopping to look at them.

Also, about two weeks ago, I was visiting New Smyrna Beach and I came across a very neat little nursery in the middle of the downtown area. I was pleasantly surprised by the fucshia he was growing, being that I had thought it was too hot here for it. So, I had to take some home with me. Now I have a big bushy plant with fucshia and royal purple flowers as well as a small plant with fucshia and white flowers. I love this plant, they are so exotic looking.

Also, right after Christmas, I was going grocery shopping and I found a really nice Shooting Star Hydrangea they had on sale to get rid of, which has now been adding color to my yard.

Well, I promise that I will be better at keeping my blog updated (New Year's Resolutions) :) So, check back for more gardening news later on.

Wedding Flowers!

Yay! Today I started planting my Ranunculus bulbs for my wedding.

For those who my not be familiar with this lovely flower, it is very similar to a rose that has 5 times the amount of petals . Also, Martha Stewart Weddings (the magazine) seems to be very fond of them, as that is where I was first introduced to them.

I have 3 varieties:
Flamenco Ranunculus, Gold Ranunculus, and White Ranunculus. The Flamenco colored ones are actually just because I thought they were pretty, they will not be used in my wedding. My colors are yellow, green, white and black. So, to add a bit of variety I also ordered White Freesias (which I planted today as well) and Minnow Daffodils as well as Tête-à-Tête Daffodils (which I will be planting on Saturday).

I was looking up information about growing ranunculus on google and I found I highly informative site: How To Grow Ranunculuses

This was incredibly helpful, especially with giving a time table. I have found that getting a more solid estimate of how long a certain plant will take to grow fully is near impossible, so this site is an absolute gem! I was starting to think there was no hope for me growing my own flowers, worrying that my flowers would bloom too early or too late. Now I feel much more confident.

I can't wait to show the results!