Beautiful Balsam

Last spring I started most of my garden vegetables and flower annuals from seed. We purchased a grow table from Gardeners Supply, which overall worked really well to start the seeds. I knew going into it that some of the seed experiments would be successes and some failures. I used seeds from at least 3 different companies and I also found that seeds from certain companies were more successful than others - here's one of the successes.

When we moved into our house in 2010, some beautiful purple flowers began blooming in August - they had a unique structure to them in that the blooms were nestled under the leaves. We really liked them, and my husband called them "Underflowers". I researched and found that they were Balsam. Here's a previous blog post on those pretty purple ones. Balsam is a species of Impatiens, and they are a delightful, easy to grow annual. At first I didn't realize they were an annual, because the next couple of years they appeared as well, but less each time. A number of them do reseed themselves.

Last spring I decided to plant some myself, and I chose the Balsam Camelia Flowered Heirloom Variety from Botanical Interests. These are multicolored, rather than just the purple. They began sprouting right away, and in August they were really the star of the backyard. So beautiful!! As well as the photos, I have also included a short video clip of the bees on them - watching that just brings back summer!

The video clip:

Comments

Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Cornell University's Great Backyard Bird Count is happening now! They collect data on bird species and their whereabouts from all over the country at this time each year, and you can help. It's easy to participate - just look out your window for 15 minutes each day, today through Monday, and fill out a form on their website noting what species you saw and how many. Here are some notes from their FAQ: How is the information from the GBBC used? Bird populations are constantly changing. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to keep track of the complicated patterns of movement of so many species over an entire continent. The information from GBBC participants becomes even more valuable as scientists try to learn how birds are affected by environmental changes. The information you send in can provide the first sign that individual species may be increasing or declining from year to year. It shows how a species’ range expands or shrinks over time. A big change,...

The Hope of Spring

Growing up I loved the 4 or 5 Hyacinths that grew under my parents bedroom each Spring. Their beauty so unexpected, and the scent, heavenly. As an adult I've always stopped to smell them whenever I see them each Spring, whether in someone else's garden, or at the grocery store. One Spring I was particularly sad. I bought a Hyacinth and placed it next to my bed, so I could smell it as I fell asleep and first thing when I woke up. A wonderful way to heal. Now that I have my own garden, I can plant my own Hyacinths. I had what I didn't know were overly-ambitious plans for both Tulips and Hyacinths - Tulips lining most of the front beds and Hyacinths lining the back patio. Once I calculated the cost of all, I realized I need to do this slowly, a bit each year. Of course the Hyacinths must be first. I am so excited about the colors I chose - slightly non-traditional. I ordered four colors from John Scheepers. They are: Hyacinthus orientalis L'Innocence (white) Hyacinthu...

Mary's Toad Lilies

All summer the rock garden was full of Lily stalks that didn't bloom. I knew they were some kind of Lily due to the leaf structure. There must be 30-40 stalks. I've looked at them carefully numerous times, and last time I examined them I thought maybe Cala lilies, that would bloom later in the summer. Didn't happen. I saw some budding on them a few weeks ago, and then forgot about them being so busy the last few weeks. It's been raining all day here, and I saw that the bird feeder we had wedged between some of the rocks in the rock garden fell. It's not a permanent solution, and it fell once before. We're going to have cement it or use a base pole to secure it for Spring. I went out to pick it up, and was greeted by lots and lots of blooming Toad Lilies! What a surprise. These inherited gardens keep constantly surprising me. I've been through a full year's cycle now, and thought I'd seen everything. I don't remember these last year at this time. ...

A Well-Watered Garden

Search This Blog