seedlings, continued

Although I'm still not convinced that seeds are the way to go completely, it is exciting to plant the little sprouts. They're a little spindly and probably should have been planted on a couple weeks ago, but a little neglect might get them used to this garden.


The bottles contain blue violet, amaranth, nasturtium, zinnia, and some too spindly to count bells of ireland.
The peat pots are mostly tomatoes, with some very tiny coleus.


More amaranth, tomatoes (an heirloom variety), mini foxglove, black viola, and the three large seedlings are castor bean plants.
I've planted some but hope to finish up all seedlings tomorrow.

I had to include some pictures of the 'Grace' Smokebush I planted last fall to fill in the ugly chain link fence gap.
Even though it's leafing out in a really systematic manner, (top first, then bottom, maybe middle soon?) which gives it a bit of a strange look, the leaves are so delicately bronzed I'm really happy with it.
The bit of green in front belongs to the 'endless summer' hydrangea. I like the color of the new leaves, but I'm never sure about whether to cut down last season's branches. I know it's supposed to have new growth on old wood as well as basal, but I haven't seen any this year or last. It looks pretty scraggly. And I only got one bloom last year. And I have two of them.
Hmmm....

On top of its lovely bronzed leaves, the smokebush is also beginning to bud.


It's tough to see, but crammed in on either side of the smokebush is some transplanted joe pye weed that looks like it made it. This was much easier to transplant than the baptisia I wrestled with last weekend. Which is also, last I checked, still alive.