Bunch of Plants Purchased and Potted Up…

It started to rain last night and for some reason I felt the need to buy some leafy winter vegetable starts, so I visited Mid City Nursery this afternoon. I didn’t find any leafy vegetables, but I got a six-pack of Walla Walla Sweet Onions which contained about 17 seedlings. I haven’t grew big Onions, so this will be good experience.

I also looked for different colored Carrots and found Blend of Colors Carrot seeds which contains 4 varieties: Cosmic Purple, Lunar White, Solar Yellow and Atomic Red.

I also wanted to try Parsnips, so I got a packet of seeds, but when I got home, I discovered they were not Parnips, but Parsley… actually Hamburg Root Parsley ‘Piestruska’ which seems similar to Parsnips, so these will do. I’m interested in trying them out.

Hmm… This just popped into my head… I just realized that Parsnips kinda sounds like a combination or Parsley and Turnips. I wonder if that’s how it got the name. Although, I think they are from two different families. I’ll have to look that up.

I then visited our local Lowe’s to get some potting soil. I also purchased:
Wallflower sp. (six-pack)
Calendula ‘Calypso’ (yellow with black centers)
Spinach ‘Bonnie’ (2 four-packs)
Collard ‘Georgia Hybrid’ (four-pack)
Asparagus ‘Jersey Giant’ (3 bare roots)

When I got home I potted up a bunch of seedlings (grown from seeds indoor under grow lights) into newspaper pots. These include:
Mustard ‘Crimson Red’
Pak Choi ‘Purple Choi’
California Poppy ‘Mission Belle’
Japanese Chard ‘Umaina’
Swiss Chard ‘Witerbi Mangold’

The Snap Pea ‘Sugar Ann’ seeds that I soaked are just starting to sprout roots, so I planted those into about 22 newspaper pots.

Lots of Gardening Done Today…

Went to a couple nurseries and big-box home improvement stores looking for 1/4 inch drip irrigation tubing with emitters spaced 6 inches apart. I didn’t find any but got a couple of plants.

New Plants from Mid City Nursery

I got the following from Mid City Nursery:
Celery Folia 6 cell-pack (I’ve never grown Celery, except for the Asian Leaf types)
Red Russian Kale Folia 6 cell-pack
Tree Collard Folia 4 inch pot with 2 plants which I later divided into two pots Flickr
Coleus ‘Dark Star’ Folia
Coleus ‘Big Chief’ Folia

I also bought a bag of Bonsai Mix which I will try making some String Balls planters with.

As I putting things away in the patio, I found a box that contained Gladiolus, Dahlia and Asiatic Lily bulb/tuber/corms that my brother bought at clearance a month or two ago. They were not in good condition, but I thought I would go ahead and plant them just incase I can save them.

Asiatic Lily 'Stargazer'

The plants included:
Asiatic Lily ‘Stargazer’ Folia
Dahlia ‘Heat Wave’ Folia
Gladiolus ‘Wigs Sensation’ Folia
Gladiolus ‘Pastel Mixed’ Folia

New Kitazawa Seed Co. Seeds…

I recently purchased five new seed packets from Kitazawa Seed Co., which is where I got my Bok Choy ‘Joi Choi’ Folia seeds that I have been planting for about 8 years now. They include:

Bok Choy ‘Golden Yellow’ Folia a bright yellowish-green Bok Choy
Bok Choy ‘Purple Choi’ Folia a dark purple leaf Bok Choy
Chard ‘Umaina’ Folia a Japanese Chard that I think is similar to the Swiss Chard ‘Green’ I have been buying
Usui Folia edible Pea shoots
Kabocha ‘Sweet Mama’ Folia a Japanese Pumpkin/Winter Squash that has a bush-like growth habit (like Zucchini)

Today, I sowed the three leaf veggies: Bok Choi ‘Golden Yellow’  Folia , Bok Choy ‘Purple Choi’  Folia  and Chard ‘Umaina’  Folia . I hope they turn out as well like my plantings of Joi Choi Bok Choy.

Berkeley Rose Garden + Westbrae Nursery + Complete Garden Supply…

This morning, I went to the Berkeley Rose Garden to meet up with some members of the East Bay Modern Quilting Guild to take photos of some quilts. It was my first time at the Berkeley Rose Garden and they had tons of roses. I saw Cyn, Lauren with her two kids and Margaret. I didn’t have any of my own quilts but took some photos of theirs.

Afterwards, I stuck around and shot some photos of the Roses and other plants around the garden. It was a beautiful warm day… but I kept dropping my camera lenses! Argh!

I then passed by Westbrae Nursery and picked up two Coleus: Coleus ‘Mozaik Thin Mint’ Folia and Coleus ‘Mozaik Lava Red’ Folia . I also saw a pretty double Spidery Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum maximum ‘Aglaya’) Folia .

Before going back home, I also passed by Complete Garden Supply and purchased more cheap basic black pots (1, 2 and 3 galloon sizes) and some 10×10 trays.

Three New Succulents…

I got a couple new succulents today.

Found Sea Fig

Carpobrotus chilensis, Sea Fig/Ice Plant Folia
Me and my Mom went to a Filipino festival at the Vallejo waterfront. I noticed that there were Ice Plant branches near the Vallejo waterfront (parked cars ran over them), so I tore some of the healthy tips and will try to grow them.

Opuntia subulata cristata

Opuntia subulata cristata (Crested Eve’s Needle) Folia
Later, we went to Lowe’s and I found a small 2 inch crested form of Opuntia subulata, which I bought.

Cotyledon sinus-alexandri Leaves

Cotyledon sinus-alexandri Folia
Tagging along the Opuntia subulata cristata, were some broken Cotyledon sinus-alexandri leaves, which I will try to root.

Mid City Nursery Purchases…

I stopped by our local nursery, Mid City Nursery to see what Coleus they had in stock. As I was walking by, I could smell something fruity and looked around to see what it was. It was a Banana Shrub (Michelia figo). It smelled really good and as I moved close to the plant to smell it more, an employee came over to me and commented how good it smelled.

I then remembered the Strawberry Tree that I saw in the Vallejo Garden Tour and asked her if they sold it. She was really nice and showed me the ones they had. One was in the shrub section, another was in the young fruit tree and another was in the taller landscape tree. She told me it was related to the Manzanita which explained the red bark. She even showed me one that they had in the demonstration garden that was really big. I asked if she ever tasted it and she said that it didn’t really taste good; it’s kind mealy.

I then look for the Coleus and bought two more:
Coleus ‘Black Dragon’ Folia
Coleus ‘Kong Mosaic’ Folia

Coleus 'Black Dragon' Coleus 'Kong Mosaic'

I also purchased this light yellow Daisy-type flower. When I got home I realized it didn’t have a tag, so I don’t know what it is. The brand is Blooms of Glen Ellen and the bar code reads 7-81282-00002-4. I sent an email to Mid City Nursery asking if they can tell me what it is, but I haven’t gotten a response. [Update] It is a Marguerite Daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens). [Update 2] I went back to the nursery and found the tag. It’s Argyranthemum frutescens ‘Madeira Crested Primrose’ Folia.

Unlabeled Flower

More New Plants…

I went on a shopping spree and purchased a whole bunch of new plants.

From Westbrae Nursery I purchased a Apple Cider Pelargonium Folia that smells really good.

Texas Terragon

From Lowe’s in Vallejo, I purchased: Wizard Coleus, Texas Tarragon Folia and a Hydrangea Folia for my Mom.

Found Coleus Branch

I also found a unknown broken red Coleus (Unknown 2011-02)  Folia
that I will try to nurse back to health.

New Bay Laurel + 2 Coleus…

Went to Berkeley Horticultural Nursery and purchased three new plants:
Bay Laurel Folia
Coleus ‘Defiance’ Folia
Coleus (Unknown 2011-01 maybe Glennis) Folia