<p>March is the last month of winter for our midwestern, zone 5b area. It's typically cold to cool, cloudy and windy, with the rare sunny day or blizzard thrown into the mix. Off again-on again snow showers mixed with ice pellets and rain, combined with our slow-draining clay soil can make outdoor gardening tasks a real challenge. A February-into-March frenzy of seed sowing keeps me busy and engages my interest while I'm waiting for the weather to settle down. </p>
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<p>I was fortunate enough to be gifted a simple 10' by 12' plastic covered green house structure by a friend who no longer had a use for it, and that's where I make my seed mess, out of the wind and wet.</p>
<p>I don't use supplemental heat in it, so I call it a SpringHouse, rather than a GreenHouse. I use the top of the water heater in my house, in conjuction with a light, instead of heat mats (to germinate seeds that need heat); and I bucket-in rain water collected from a nearby roof for moistening planting mix. I do have electricity however, because I've found that a large fan for air circulation is a must.</p>
<p>There's a lot of space yet to be filled on our property, so if it interests me, I'll generally try to grow it;-) - any overflow can usually be added to the wildflower meadow, or to the woodland gardens.</p>
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<p>Winter sown in containers so far, for this season-</p>
<p>Veronica gentianoides <br /> Alaria petiolata<br /> Papaver paeoniflorum "Candy Floss"<br /> Veronica austriaca teucrium<br /> Anemone baldensis<br /> Papaver paeoniflorum "Black Peony"<br /> Anemone patens wolfgangiana<br /> Geranium phaeum samobor<br /> Hydrophyllum virginianum - Virginia Waterleaf<br /> Gentiana crinita - Fringed Gentian<br /> Camassia scilloides - Wild Hyacinth</p>
<p>Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra - Yellow Ox-eye <br /> Geranium Jester's Jacket<br /> Hypericum androsaemum - Albury Purple<br /> Primula Japonica<br /> Penstemon barbatus - Cambridge Mix<br /> Illinois Bundleflower</p>
<p>Camassia leichtlinii - Greater Camas<br /> Gentiana Quinquefolia - Stiff Gentian<br /> Guara coccinea - Scarlet Guara<br /> Geum Triflorum - Prairie Smoke<br /> Iris Missouriensis (transferred outdoors from 3 weeks of heat treatment)</p>
<p>Geranium renardii<br /> Pandorea jasminoides - Variegated Bower Vine<br /> Hellebore - Metallic Blue Lady<br /> Poppy - Drama Queen<br /> Salvia nemerosa - Caradonna<br /> Eschscholzia CA. Poppy - White<br /> Gentiana asclepiadea - Upright Blue<br /> Geranium macrorrhizum spessart<br /> Penstemon - Electric Blue<br /> Aruncus dioicus <br /> Shirley Poppies<br /> Teucrium hircanicum<br /> Salvia coccinea - Coral Nymph with white<br /> Berlandiara lyrata - Chocolate Daisy<br /> Maximillian Sunflower<br /> Achillea ptarmica nana compacta<br /> Dactylhoriza fuchsii<br /> Prunella vulgaris - Heal All<br /> Meconopsis Lingholm - Blue Poppy<br /> Tanacetum parthenium<br /> Achillea ptarmica - The Pearl<br /> Salvia nemerosa<br /> Salvia uliginosa - Bog Sage<br /> Orlaya grandiflora - White Lace Flower</p>
<p>Geum coccineum - reddish/orange<br /> Delphinium consolida - Parisian Pink Larkspur<br /> Verbena bonariensis<br /> Muscari azureum<br /> Clematis alpina - Blue<br /> Echinacea tennessensis<br /> Verbena hastata - Alba<br /> Papaver somniferum - Danish Flag<br /> CA. poppy - Thai Silk Milkmaid<br /> CA. poppy - Thai Silk Appleblossom Bush ......Up on 2-29<br /> Corydalis Nobilis<br /> Micromeria Thymifolia<br /> Dephinium ajacis - Kingsize Scarlet<br /> Monarda punctata<br /> Stachys recta<br /> Gentiana andrewsii - Closed Gentian<br /> Papaver somniferum - Single Scarlet<br /> CA. poppy - Thai Silk Pink Champagne<br /> Papaver paeoniflorum - Flemish Antique<br /> Papaver somniferum - Pepperbox<br /> Penstemon mexicale - Sunburst Colors</p>
<p>Salvia - Red, Noid</p>
<p>Phlomis russeliana<br /> Aquilegia clematifolia<br /> Scutelaria incana<br /> Trollius ledebourii<br /> Blackberry Lily<br /> Onobrychis viciifolia<br /> Lupinus agustifolius<br /> Ribes rubrum alba<br /> Callirhoe involucrata - Winecups<br /> <br /> Asclepias incarnata - Milkmaid White<br /> Mache macholong - Cornsalad<br /> Inula helenium - Elcampane<br /> Lavendula - Sancho Panza<br /> Echinacea purpurea - White Swan<br /> Hollyhock - Burgundy<br /> Anemone sylvestris - Madonna Snowdrop <br /> Clarkia Amonea - Aurora<br /> Verbena hastata rosea - Pink Vervain<br /> verbena hastata - Blue Vervain<br /> Pak Choi...................................................Up 2-29</p>
<p>Tatsoi Greens............................................Up 2-29<br /> Orach Rose Herb<br /> Lettuce - Cimmaron<br /> Kohlrabi - Early White Vienna......................Up 2-29<br /> Misticanza Mesclun....................................Up 2-29<br /> Mustard Greens - Southern Giant Curled<br /> Cabbage - Mammoth Red Rock.................Up 2-29<br /> Candytuft - Dwarf Fairy Mix<br /> Love-in-a-mist, Persian Jewels<br /> CA Poppy - Rose Chiffon Thai Silk<br /> Arugula - Eruca sativa....................................Up 2-29</p>
<p>Actinomeris alternifolia - Wingstem<br /> Heliopsis helianthoids - Early Sunflower<br /> Geum triflorum - Priarie Smoke - 2nd sowing<br /> Gentiana quinquefolia - Stiff Gent. - 2nd sowing<br /> Helianthus grosseserratus - Saw-tooth Sunflower<br /> Helianthus laetiflorus - Showy Sunflower<br /> Ribes rubrum alba - 2nd sowing - longer soak<br /> Onobrychis viciifolia - 2nd sowing - presprouted<br /> Callirhoe involucrata - 2nd sowing - longer soak<br /> Lupinus Angustifolius - 2nd sowing - presprouted</p>
<p>The following group is a double-trial. I'm not sure if they'll germinate, or rot beforehand. I'll presprout some indoors, just in case;-)</p>
<p>Teucrium chamaedris - Germander<br /> Basil - Dark Opal<br /> Aster - Perfection<br /> Aster - Princess Mixed<br /> Fringed Pinks - Double Gaiety - Mixed<br /> Phlox - Tall Grandiflora Mixed<br /> Phlox - Cecily Mixed<br /> Phlox - Twinkle Dwarf Star Mixed<br /> Clarkia elegans<br /> Hypericum perforatum - St. John's Wort</p>
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<p>Bottom heat and light.</p>
<p><br /> Salvia azurea - Pitcher Sage<br /> Impatiens - Dbl. Camellia Balsam Mix<br /> Poppy - Persian Blue<br /> Prunella - Mix<br /> Lacy Phacelia<br /> Bellis perennis - English daisy, Habanera<br /> Nemophilla menziessi - Baby Blue Eyes<br /> Lisianthus eustoma - My Blue<br /> Layia - Tidy Tips<br /> Cineraria - Mix<br /> Mimulus - Twinkle Yellow<br /> Cuphea hyssopifolia-Mexican F. Heather<br /> Salvia lyrata</p>
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<p>Bottom heat and dark (no light).</p>
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<p>Viola Tricolor, Johnny-Jump-Up<br /> Lathyrus odoratus - Sw.Pea, Sugar N Spice<br /> Viola - Brush Strokes<br /> Schizanthus Wiset. - Angel Wings<br /> Viola Witt. - Frz. Siz Yellow/blue Swirl<br /> Viola Witt. - Pansy - Chianti Mix <br /> Viola Witt. - Pansy - Tango Mix<br /> Dianthus - Carnation, King of Blacks</p>
<p>I know that this seems like I'd end up with a vast amount of plants, but it generally doesn't get too out of hand. Basically, I'm trying to get one or two plants of each early started perennial and non-edible annual, which can then reproduce itself, or a mature plant from which I can collect my own seed. The rest of them, including the hybrids, are just because I find them interesting or pretty enough to experiment with:-)</p>
<p>At least 70% of the seeds/plants listed above are entirely new to me, so we'll see what happens; at the very least I have the makings for a tasty mixed salad growing so far...</p>
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