Week 14: March 30 - Apr. 5, 2025
Week 14 was a busy one here. Last week our spring order arrived from Van Noort, which included shrubs, dahlia tubers, lilies and perennials. Most of those perennials were bareroot and needed to be potted up. At the same time some of the tomatoes and eucalyptus had outgrown their 128 cells, so those were potted up as well. Dahlia tubers needed to be inspected and divided. My own Cornel Brons dahlia from 2024 stored extremely well this winter - better than any other year - and most were already sprouting in the bin of wood chips and also needed to be “woken up.”
Everyone has a method for both storing and tending to the tubers in spring that works for them. If tubers have already sprouted (like the one in the photo below) I place them in a large shallow bin, with a bit of potting soil on the bottom, and cover them with another light layer of soil and keep them in a warm place. This is just to give the tubers a bit of a head start, so that when they’re planted out in early May there's already a good, healthy root system and foliage started. On the other hand, if there are just eyes showing, I usually leave those stored in the wood chips a bit longer, just to buy some time. Those ones typically go right into the soil in early May, without any pre-sprouting.
Other tasks of week 14:
Fertilize all seedlings (I alternate between seaweed and fish fertilizer)
Fertilize ranunculus in greenhouse (this sounds easy but without outdoor running water at this time of year means multiple trips to and from the house, carrying two large watering cans weighing 20+ lbs. each. Daily workout, done!)
More seed sowing, including:
‘Terracotta’ Celosia, as well as more of the ‘Shimmer’ variety
Marigold, ‘White Swan,’ ‘Tangerine Gem’ and ‘Strawberry Blonde’ for my sunroom planters.
Ammobium. I grew this two years ago and loved it but because I didn’t provide support it sprawled all over the place and was a bit of a mess. We learn as we go….
More strawflower! I want so much strawflower this year….
Potted up:
‘Brandywine’ and rainbow blend peppers
‘Buttered rum’ Heuchera, Physotegia ‘Miss Manners’, Phlomis ‘Amazone & Geum ‘Totally Tangerine,’ which I have been trying to get my hands on for the last couple of years. All of these bareroot perennials are for our front landscaping project, but they’ll also make great back-up cut flowers & foliage.
‘Thunderbolt’ Lonicera and ‘Lucky Marble’ Ilex. Again, more additions for the landscaping. I’m thinking the Ilex will be great for seasonal wreaths, as well.
Spread leaf mulch over the ranunculus in greenhouse to retain moisture. Once the greenhouse really warms up in late April the soil completely dries out. We all know that dry soil is dead soil, so it had to be covered up. I’m hoping to see a difference in stem quality with the ranunculus as a result. Fingers crossed!
Lastly, I managed to squeeze in a custom dried flower wreath order, as well as a donation request by the public library to beautify ‘Hecate.” (I don’t know much about Greek mythology but I think the design of this planter might be a nod to the “Goddess of Magic” so that’s what I’m calling her.) If you find yourself at the main branch (James L. McIntyre Centennial) of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library take a peek - she’s hanging out near the circulation desk for the month of April. :)
Well, that’s it for week 14, folks, This week sees more of the same plus I have to tackle the dreaded income tax day, where I spend hours pouring over receipts and numbers, vying to “do things differently” next year. 🤔
See you next week!
~ Liisa
