Monday, February 26, 2018

New Flower and Veggetable Seed Packets

I usually start my garden season on March therefore I think it's a time to look at my wish list. This season my wish list is to sow flowers and veggies, grow seedlings at home and then to plant them in the garden. 
A week ago visiting the Garden center I purchased packets of Saxifraga arendsii seed, variety 'Mantel' (right). These are perennial herbaceous plants with a height of 5 cm to 70 cm, forming dense or loose sods. Flowers are five-lobed, star-shaped, white, yellow or pinkish. I decided they will go to the new pond bed, between hostas.


Other my purchase is a packet of Verbena hybrida seed, variety 'Pomegranate star' (left). I always liked seeing these flowers at the neighbor's garden. This year I'll sow them on a windowsill and in May plant seedlings in the garden. These plants are annual, flowers are small, carnation-shaped and of various colors, with a pleasant fragrance.
In autumn when the most of summery flowers fade China aster (Callistephus chinensis) is in bloom. I've bought    2 packets of China aster, one is in light lime colour and another is a mix of varieties (left, center). 


Asters are annual, inflorescence is a basket consisting of tubular flowers, bloom from July until late autumn. On the right is a packet of my favorite Cineraria maritima, with silvery-colored leaves.
My wish list is also to grow more greens as coriander, parsley, green onion, dill and celery. I need a lot of dill and horseradish leaves to do pickles. Fortunately horseradish grows as a weed everywhere in the garden. Moreover I'd like to do more dried parsley and celery to have my own spices used in cooking.  
I should look at the pantry where I store all my veggie seed packets. Although the shelf is overfilled I'm fond of buying new veggie and flower seed.



I've bought new packets of  beet, dill and celery seeds. Dill is fragrant and goes well to green salad, hot borsch, fish. When I make pickles I put dill flowers and seed in a jar with cucumbers. Celery seeds easily sprout, seedlings always are healthy. I add fresh celery leaves in my cooking every day harvesting in raised beds. 
Last summer I liked eating Patty pan squash (Cucurbita pepo), especially white one. Patty pan squash comes in yellow, green, and white varieties. I've purchased 2 packets of Cucurbita pepo variety 'White UFO'. Ha,ha!


I've noticed an interesting thing: there are colorful seed packets and simple white ones. Modest packets are in 6 times cheaper than colorful ones. In my experience the quality of seed is the equal. How do you suppose?


Above seeds of Zucchini (on the left) and Sorrel variety 'Champion' are in small simple packets, they are in good quality and germination. The colorful pack is Tomato seed variety 'Gardener's delight'. It's my favorite tasty tomato cherry.
I've also bought a lettuce seed variety 'Grenoble'. I liked the colorful packet :-)


It's all for now. Do you love buying seed or seedlings? What packets would you choose - colorful or simple? 

33 comments:

  1. Me encantan todos, yo estuve plantando rosales y varias cosas más. Buena semana.

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    1. Parece tu jardin sera muy precioso en este año, Teresa.

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  2. Querida amiga me encanta comprar semillas y plantas, tantas que no tengo espacio. Hoy planté una hermosa Hosta de hojas blancas, espero que resista el frío, también una Malva oscura y un Lilium. Tus compras estupendas, tú jardín estará lleno de color y tú huerto con ricas verduras. Espero tus fotos. Feliz semana. Besos.

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    1. Tengo el problema con espacio tambien Lola :-)
      Malva oscura - pienso que es muy linda, voy a leer sobre esta. Todavia la tierra esta cubierta con la nieve aqui, hay que esperar la primavera.

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  3. Nadezda, many beautiful flowers will grow from those seeds, I am sure! I'd love to have a vegetables garden but unfortunately my garden is too small and between flowers and vegetables I choose the former. Have a wonderful week!

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    1. Your rose garden is beautiful, MDN Thank you!

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  4. Надежда,я тоже уже закупила почти все к новому сезону.
    Часть семян использую свои.Семена укропа,петрушки собираю свои,,сколько не брала разные,сортовые,,не прижились.
    Пакеты беру и красочные и очень простые и дешевые.
    Саженцы покупаю.Прикупила лаванду ,,кустик(сорт уточну,,для себя),посеянная взошла плохо.
    Дружных всходов!

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    1. Я тоже хочу лаванду, Надежда, смотрела уже на нее в горшочке в садовом центре. Хорошо, что у вас свои семена, к сожалению у меня они не каждое лето созревают.

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  5. I love to buy seeds as well! But I prefer the ones with pictures on it! These Russins words I cannot read!! Reading your post, I think I buy some dill and Sellers too! I like the dill for its flowers beautiful . Groetjes Hetty

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    1. I love dill as well, Hetty. I use its seeds making marinated veggies. I also love celery, its scent goes well to many dishes.
      Love your humor, dear!

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  6. It's so many lovely seeds that you have, Nadezda!
    Stay warm!
    Hugs!

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  7. I’ve never heard of using horseradish leaves. I want to grow more coriander this year. It quickly goes to seed so I froze some last year and that proved successful so I have some to use now in the depths of winter.

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    1. Horseradish leaves are natural antiseptic and in Russia are always used in preserved dishes as marinated or salted veggies. I put its leaf on a bottom of a jar. This year I'd freeze more greenness as well, Sue.

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  8. Si nos gusta comprar semillas Nadezda,también comparmos plantas pequeñas ya nacidas. Ahora por aquí es muy pronto, hasta mayo no suele sembrar Paco el huert, no tenemos invernadero. Suerte con tus semillas.
    Besos.

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    1. Claro que es muy pronto, Laura. Aqui mi jardin esta cubierto con la nieve, pero mirando a las plantas, semillas me gustaria comprarles y esperar a la primavera.

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  9. You already have a stock of seeds. I like kwaitki and lettuce. I do not have seeds yet and I do not buy too much. I do not plant vegetables for the garden, because the soil is not clean. I live in Silesia. Tomatoes soot to the boxes on the balcony. Regards.

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    1. It's a good idea to grow tomatoes on a balcony Giga. Of course the soil isn't suitable for vegetable gardening in Silesia. I wish you a good harvest!

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  10. Hello dear Nadezda!
    You have so many and interesting seeds !
    Here you can buy small plants of tomatoes ,paprika ,cucumber etc and grow in your garden.
    I have seeds of dill and parsley to grow in pots!
    My winter vegetable garden had lettuce,cauliflower,onions,spinach,carrots and celery!
    Wishing you a lovely week!
    Dimi...

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    1. Wow, Dimi, your winter garden is wonderful. I'd like to have something like yours! Great idea to grow cauliflower and carrots in winter garden, thank you.

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  11. In my experience the cheaper seeds are just as good as the expensive ones but the choice is usually more limited for cheaper seeds and novelties are always more expensive.

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    1. Oh, yes, I agree Alain. Novelties are always expensive. I don't risk to grow some novelties because weather is unpredictable now and one can lose flowers or veggies.

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  12. Good that I read your post! It reminded me that I also had to go to the garden center. I fly out to Japan again this week and the last weeks I had only my trip in my head. Yesterday I immediatetly ran into the garden center that I can sow tomatoes when I'm back. I also took the last package of herb coriander! Strange?! Coriander is not that popular in Germany. But I use it when cooking Mexican food. I also found seeds of different coloured beets. Never had them.
    Last year I also had the same white squash as you. It's called "Custard White". I planted it on my compost and the plant got huge!
    I found calendula seeds in white. Ever heard of that, Nadezda?
    As you see, when I'm back a lot of garden work waits for me, too.

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    1. How interesting Sigrid! Of course I've never heard about colored beet and white calendula, I'll obligatory find them in my next visit to Garden center :-) Thanks for advice!
      I love coriander as well and want to freeze it for the next winter.
      Wish you a nice trip to Japan!

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  13. I hope you will take photos and show us as these come along. I am sure that your plants will be like the ones on the packets, mine are often rather inferior... it would be wonderful to have such ability in gardening and this is one reason I enjoy your blog.

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    1. Dear Jenny, I have to confess that my veggies and flowers aren't often as good as on the packet picture. Sometimes I do wrong with seedlings, sometimes I plant them when the weather is too cold and they die. As you see I'm learning every gardening season :-)

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  14. Looks like you will have lots of delicious things growing in your garden this year!

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  15. Hello Nadezda, What a great variety of seeds you have there. Lots of work for you, but the best and least expensive way of growing plants.
    I have been chopping up parsley and freezing with a little water in ice-block trays. Handy to put in soups and some other meals during winter.
    Enjoy your preparations for Summer. Hope it will not be too long until your garden comes alive with new life and colour. We have seen on TV about the blizzard affecting Europe. Hope you are able to move around outside now.
    Take care.
    Betty

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    1. You're absolutely right Betty, it's the cheapest way to grow seedlings and plants for summer. I love my own frozen or dried species for cooking as well.
      The extraordinary frosty week we have had here too, so I tried to stay at home if I idin't need something. Thanks God we overwintered and now I'm thinking about coming spring.

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  16. How exciting to anticipate What wonders your garden will produce this summer!

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