What's growing in your garden this season?

Who's growing what this year? Have you started any seed yet? I am starting hundreds, but only to plant out a relative's new flowerbeds in mid-May. So far, I have started:

Blue Queen Salvia (which sprouts almost overnight)

hollyhocks (which haven't done jack so far - these are the black blooms)

red hot pokers (which also haven't done jack so far and are rather Freudian)

black eyed susan 'autumn colors" (which sprout overnight if wrapped in a damp paper towel, then aluminum foil, then placed on top of the satellite receiver)

'white swan' echinacea

bee balm

butterfly milkweed (which also sprouts within 24 hours via the satellite receiver method of germination)

allysum (basket of gold - I actually put some of these down in the fall, but we need more)

black-eyed susan vine (this is for the mailbox)

blue and white columbine, as well as a dragonfly hybrid mix of columbine

the big yellow foxgloves, which are supposed to hit 6 feet

Mexican sunflowers (I heard you plant these and stand back! They should hit 7 feet tall and at least 4 feet around - will do a seasonal hedge of these)

shasta daisies 'Alaska'

moulin rouge sunflower ( EXQUISITE deep burgundy red blooms)

purple gay feather

and a very pale orange angel's trumpets (and I HOPE no one is foolish enough to eat the blooms!)

As far as herbs, it will only be thyme, basil (several different kinds) and oregano this year.

As far as tobacco, I haven't yet decided on which strains to grow this year, although I will have to make up my mind very soon on that one.

That's my list so far, what's yours?

I've been interested in seeing what in my container herb garden made it through the winter and will sprout this spring. The lavender and rosemary and thyme did very well.

gillyflower wrote:I've been interested in seeing what in my container herb garden made it through the winter and will sprout this spring. The lavender and rosemary and thyme did very well.

Is thyme easy to grow? I never have much luck with it.

Very easy, HK. Doesn't need more than a bit of compost every now and then to be happy if your climate is fairly humid.

I had good luck with it even in somewhat drier Kansas by giving it a good drenching just before the sun started to heat up the area.

It does, like many herbs, like a quite sunny spot.

Since I live in an apartment, mine is all container gardening. I just noticed that the chives are greening up nicely, and there are some leaves on the thyme that look pretty good. I cut back all the deadwood on the thyme, and it seems to be coming on.

I just got a nice cedarwood planter that's about 10" deep and should work well for my herbs opposite the front door, the only southern exposure I've got. Naturally, the patio which has plenty of room is on the north side. Only shade lovers, largely those liking deep shade, do well there, I discovered last season.

I've some columbine I started from seed last year, so this is its year to bloom. I'm looking forward to seeing what it does. It's sending up some feelers already though it's rather early here as yet. Our frost deadline is April 15.

On a different note, I was rather pleased to see that my container composting system has worked fairly well. I'm still not happy with the balance, as it doesn't give much indication of "cooking," unlike the outdoor piles I had when we lived in a house with a sizable lot. Those would get so hot that the interior was quite warm to the touch, and things broke down quickly.

It's been somewhat more difficult in this humid climate to keep the compost from being much too wet. Several times, I've had more mud than compost and with no ready access to enough decent soil to use to achieve better balance.

Guess I keep tinkering with it. What fun!