Spring Growing Plan

I love the time of the end of winter, when I plan what to grow to decorate the garden. This year is no exception, I've already received the first order, these are packs with flower seeds. 

This spring I decided to grow seedlings of Brachykoma (above), because it turns out much cheaper than buying an already grown plant. Brachykoma is a very graceful, highly branched, annual plant of 15-25 cm tall. 

It blooms profusely from mid-June about 75-90 days with numerous small inflorescence. I bought the seeds of white and blue Brachykoma. I hope I could grow seedlings, although seeds are small.

Many of you know well these Sunflowers (Helianthus). I've never planted them in the garden, I’m still not sure that they will like the garden soil.

Although on the Internet they say that Sunflowers are undemanding flowers. These are two varieties: Teddy Bear and Ice Cream. Teddy is yellow and fluffy, and Ice Cream has a dark center.

I used to grow seedlings of my favorite Chinese Asters (Callistephus) every year, plant them in large tubs in May. Asters wonderfully bloomed in different colors from mid-July to autumn last summer. 

I've bought a pack of a mixture of Aster varieties. It’s a pity that I can’t have my own seeds of Aster because the summer is short and they don't have time to ripen.
A package of Garden Impatiens is next to Asters. This is a variety of high Impatiens with a pyramidal shape and many double flowers. I have not planted this Impatiens for about 10 years. 
I want to plant them near the patio between Golden globe thujas. 
Do you plan new flowers for your garden or a balcony? What are they?

Clivia Has Bloomed

When Clivia begins to bloom this means that spring is coming. Warm days will come soon and the snow will melt.

This makes me to look more often at catalogs of flowers and seeds, choose new varieties for tubs and hanging pots.
I also want to grow new varieties of tomatoes and peppers, a lot of greens for salad.
These plans appeared when Clivia had bloomed.
What are your plans for spring? 

Saint Petesburg at Night: Academy of Fine Arts. Sphinxes

I'd like to continue our strolls along the river Neva and today I tell you about the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts that was founded by the Russian empress Catherine the Great. She named it the “Academy of the Three Most Noble Arts” and chose a place for building at the bank of the river Neva. The empress herself laid the foundation stone of the building. One of the earliest neoclassical buildings in St. Petersburg was completed in 1788. 

 

There are some superbly decorated interiors, particularly the Raphael Hall and the Titian Hall.
The main architect of the project was Jean-Baptiste Wallin de la Mothe, who was invited from France to become the first professor of architecture at the Academy. De la Mothe and the two Russians artists Felten and Kokorinov became the first professors to teach at the Academy.

Two Egyptian sphinxes dating from the reign of Amenhotep III (about 3,500 years ago) are considered one of the best examples of the ancient Egyptian colossal sculpture stored outside of Egypt. Once they stood on the Avenue of the Sphinxes in front of the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

 
They were bought in France in 1832, on behalf of the Russian emperor and sent to St. Petersburg. A granite quay became their permanent home and they are among the most famous statues in St. Petersburg. 

Yesterday was my birthday, lilies on my table: