This beautiful seedling is a King Henry Hollyhock! There are 6 other seedlings and since I took this picture, each is showing off their second set of leaves. (I also have a section of Black Hollyhocks. Only one has sprouted so I will be planting more seeds in the hopes that more will germinate.)

There's a Party Goin' On Round Here!
I planted my garden two weeks ago last Monday, and a lot's been happening out there! It's really exciting to see seedlings push their way up and out of the ground.

For germinating seeds, it's extremely crucial to keep the soil moist but not soggy, so I give them a light watering about twice a day, just enough to wet the soil. If it's hot, I may have to apply a bit more but usually it's twice.

As I mentioned in a previous post, most of the seeds I got are from Ebay, and I fully expect that some or maybe even many of them will not germinate because they're too old. I've done my best to plant them at the correct depth and am carrying for them as well as I can. I also know that the time it takes for various species to germinate is highly variable, so I'll be keeping track of this too.

A Few Baby Pictures to Share!
Say hello to some of the kids popping up around my garden!

This is a Russell Lupine just coming out of the ground!

Here is one of the many Gladiolus bulbs that's stretching towards the sky!

I love Hairy Vetch on the property but in my flower bed it's a weed, so out it goes!

Gee, what do you suppose this is?! :D I love this picture of a Common Sunflower with its black-striped seed coat hat!

Here's another Common Sunflower that's dropped its seed coat off to the side!

ACK! ALIEN! INVADER! TRESPASSER! This is a Bull Thistle seedling, and I've been yanking this little stinkers out all over the place! The flowers are pretty, but I don't want them in my garden! GET OUT! :)

This darling African Daisy seedling wants to give us a friendly hug! So cute, and already beautiful! :)

ICK! YUCK! NASTY DANDILION SPECIES!! BE GONE YOU HORRIBLE THING! Lots of these to pull out and toss. A shame because thier first pair of leaves resembles a Zinnia. Phooey...a weed instead.

I am in love with Morning Glories, and this is one of two survivors from the mass seedling death caused by Fungus Gnats in my seedling trays. I actually pulled this seedling out of the ground to look at its roots and then gently put it back into its cell. I figured it was just going to die but didn't have the heart to toss it in the trash. Hard to believe this little one and its mate are beginning to get taller now!

Another Gladiolus bulb popping up! (See the wispy things behind the Gladiolus? Those are poppy seedlings!

Poppies, poppies everywhere!! This crazy scene is common all over the 20' x 20' bed, as I sprinkled seeds over the entire space. If my ebay seeds don't germinate, it won't matter because I'm going to have poppy flowers growing like mad!

For an easy-to-grow flower from seed, I would recommend Cosmos, Zinnia, or Marigold. Here is one of the Cosmos Candystripe seedlings that survived the Fungus Gnat attack in my seedling trays. It's got secondary leaves and more right now, and is one of about half a dozen that are growing strong and fast!

Look at this happy Zinnia Carousel seedling! One of many, I have several types of Zinnias growing in my bed and most of them are exploding out of the ground like crazy!

Next: Steve Wanted an Herb Garden Too...