Springtime in the Cottage Greenhouse…planting flower seed trays and vegetables

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

Charles Dickens

It was a delightful day to be working outside in the Cottage Greenhouse. In my cozy shelter, I was protected from the cool north wind…surrounded by smells of earth and growing things, soothed with a background of birdsong, and the greenhouse door was opened to the lake beyond.

Gloves, trowels, potting soil, seed trays, labels, markers, flower seeds, and vegetable seeds, were spread across my potting table. I worked all afternoon filling seed trays with Zinnia, Bachelor Buttons, Cosmos, Blue Salvia, and Rainbow Coleus seeds. Next, were my herbs and vegetable seeds: dill, basil, rosemary, cucumbers, squash, and radish. Every shelf in the Cottage Greenhouse was filled with seed trays!

The Zinnia seeds I used were harvested from the Zinnia’s we grew last summer. Before the first freeze, our sweet grand children helped me gather all the dried flower buds from the Zinnia’s. I showed them how to pull the dead blossom from the flower…then, how to roll it between their fingers until all the seeds separated and appeared in their hands. They were amazed to see how the dried flower blossom transformed into so many seeds…all perfect and complete, ready to be stored over winter, then planted again in the spring to grow new flowers. GOD never ceases to amaze me! His promise and planning for future flowers to come, all conveniently packaged in the flower head of each Zinnia!

Our grand children love helping Grandma in the greenhouse. Our son gave me the sweetest gardening book for Christmas, “The Mary Frances Garden Book by Jane Eayre Fryer, originally written in 1916. It is so charming and explains thoroughly, in childish ways, every aspect of gardening. I thought it would be an excellent reference whenever my helpers are with me in the greenhouse. They ask so many thought provoking questions!

The book is beautifully illustrated with pages for the children to color, and cut-out’s to make page markers. It’s a soft cover, so I can keep it in my greenhouse and not worry, if the pages get ruffly from dampness. I plan on naming and dating each page the children color…another keepsake of our special days together.

My collection of antique glass shakers, with their quaint, rusted, caps and their colors from another time…old rose pink, lime and dark greens, wheat colored yellow, bright aqua, and cobalt blue…were perfect containers for storing our seeds over winter, and looked fetching on the greenhouse shelves.

Right before nightfall I finished tucking the little seeds into their beds; all were tagged, covered with potting soil, and watered…just waiting to sprout.

Notice the rustic twig markers I used to mark each seed tray! (: I made these sweet bedding markers in the post last spring, DIY Plant Markers and Propagating Hydrangea I only had enough left to put one twig marker in each bedding tray. I need to whittle some more!

After everything was planted, seed trays lined the length of one of my potting tables. This little back room of my greenhouse has a Baker’s Rack (now repurposed into a Gardener’s Rack!) and my little ruggedy garden stool, and holds the overflow of flower and vegetable planting trays. The 2 plants against the back door are Oakleaf Hydrangea. They spent their winter in the greenhouse and they are already putting out new green leaves, almost ready to be planted!

The variety of Cosmos I planted were “Sensation Tall Mixed Cosmos” Cosmos Bipinnatus that I ordered from Everwilde Farms. Cosmos are an annual flower, but if they’re allowed to self-seed, they will produce a new crop of flowers every spring, and this variety can grow up to 60″ tall!

I was astonished when I went out into the greenhouse, 2 days later, and saw the seeds had already germinated, and were over 2″ tall!

Dainty Blue Sage, planted in a terra cotta container looks perfect in this little corner of the greenhouse.

More seedlings…Bachelor Buttons, Blue Salvia, and Cosmos.

While I was working, I kept hearing a faint, chittering coming from the front of the greenhouse and finally went to investigate. The day was full of spring time surprises! High above the greenhouse door I found a nest tucked in a funnel Richard keeps over the greenhouse door, and Momma was in it…a dear Carolina Wren that visits and hops about whenever I’m in the greenhouse, working. She darted away when I got closer to take the picture.

It’s hard to see all the fine details in the evening shadows, but it’s amazing how intricately the nest is made and lined with soft moss from our yard all made and woven with the little wren’s beak and feet…another one of God’s amazing creations!

“Jenny Wren” Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme

The day of seeds, sunshine, plantings, ponderings, and discoveries was over. The little wren burbled a goodnight to me, as I walked under the threshold and closed the door.

And today is the first day of April! Hope there’s spring weather, sunshine, and blossoms in your forecast!

Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

See! the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.”

Song of Solomon 2:11-13

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

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Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

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