April Showers

“April showers bring May flowers.” Which sort of means I don’t have any outdoor photos to show you. I am getting actual flower buds on some of my daffodils, though, so I’m hoping it won’t be long before there is something worth seeing. The little honeysuckle I planted in front of the porch last year is getting some green buds, too.

Tomato Plants



For photos I will have to stick to my indoor garden. I’ve been concentrating the news on the daylilies recently, because there are always new sprouts to count. (Current number as of this morning is an even 50.)

Two Daylily Sprouts Among the Sunflowers



However, my tomato plants are going strong, and the sunflowers are getting tall enough to topple over. The recycler in me has found a use for the wooden take-out chopsticks my husband and I would normally just throw away after using: they have become miniature plant stakes. They don't always work, but they help a bit.

Used Wooden Chopsticks Recycled as Plant Stakes



The petunias have all sprouted, too, and will soon need thinning. The expensive ones that came in a plastic vial (similar to a perfume sample container) I placed painstakingly using the saucer and toothpick method.

Petunia Sprouts



But the cheap ones that came in a foil packet I sprinkled liberally over the top of the peat pellets, resulting in a miniature forest of petunia sprouts. Luckily these don’t need staking. I don’t think my husband and I can eat that much Chinese, Japanese, and Thai food in such a short time—though it might be fun to try.

Sunflowers and Petunias: The Big Picture



And finally, this is for Dana in New Mexico: the hesperaloe (Pink Texas Yucca) sprouts are healthy. They reached a height of about 3 inches (8 cm) and seemed to stop growing—at least compared to the rate of growth I see with the daylily sprouts, the earliest of which are about 8 inches (20 cm) tall now.

Hesperaloe (Pink Texas Yucca)



And speaking of daylilies sprouting from seed...

Dana's second-year daylily seedlings (grown from seed I sent her in Fall 2005) were planted outdoors in Spring 2006. They have returned this year and are growing, but they seem to have turned yellow despite getting adequate water. I've said to check for insects (I've had problems with thrips before). Does anyone else have any ideas of what to look for with second-year daylily seedlings that have leaves turning yellow?