A (Japanese morning glory) cultivar called 'Blue Picotee'. The sizeable seeds (8 pcs in the entire sachet) have to be rubbed with sand paper and kept in water overnight before sowing. I love the thin white edges; hopefully I'll manage to grow at least two or three decent seedlings to plant next to my clematis cultivars. I'll send pics in April/May when these and other seeds have germinated. I haven't been very lucky with seedlings before but that's mainly because of too little light (main windows facing north and miserable artificial lighting) and careless watering and fertilization. That's why I placed absorbing, moisture emitting floral foam underneath this time and bought authentic plant light bulbs which emit red and blue wavelengths.
My hubby and I have sown hardy perennials in pure sand at the countryside in the past. The seeds have gained the compulsory stratification (cold treatment) during the winter, germinated smoothly and grown into fine plants with little if any care, so - as most garden owners and kitchen pot growers know - growing seedlings isn't rocket science; you just have to have decent "natural" conditions with occasional rain - which is a bit hard to replicate and execute in dark, heated apartments.
SatNavSaysStraightOn has to deal with drought, thunder storms, snakes and floods down under. I have to deal with nonexistent sunlight, red-hot radiators and night frost outside (at the countryside and on the balcony) until mid-June. One can say goodbye to all seedlings if the frost bites even once, so early summer is all about covering and setting protective gauzes every other <bleeping> night. Well, plus Ƨa change, plus c'est la mĆŖme chose (the more it changes, the more it's the same thing): horticultural challenges; just different shock effects for the plants in different regions. There are a few advantages in cold climates: less pests, venomous bugs, harmful animals and plant diseases - and in the midsummer the sun shines so abundantly (nightless nights) that strawberries, potatoes and other veggies taste super sweet.
I have a good semi-cold, bright space to store seedlings and plants at the countryside but I don't want to drive dozens of kilometres in the spring just to water some plants. Four seasons is an aesthetic delight but not adorable in an agri-/horticultural sense. Still, if I get even a few home grown potatoes, carrots and cucumbers in the autumn, I'm happy. I know I could buy several boxes of local vegetables and pre-grown plants with the price of the (ridiculously overprized) seed sachets. I could start collecting or changing seeds in late season too - but the collecting, preparation, rinsing and drying of seeds takes a lot of time, so I haven't bothered so far.
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Yes, I'm nuts (but I spent four years in a gardening school as a youngster). Sometimes I'm really envious of people living in warm or moderate climate zones with plenty of sunshine.
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