On the windowsill, October 2021

There is now just one of the three cosmos Sonata White plants still budding and flowering.

This picture was taken earlier in the month and as of today has four each buds and flowers, but very little foliage.

 

 

 

The second small flower on the sunflower Musicbox had opened by mid September and lasted  a couple of weeks.

Sadly since then this plant has finished, with all the leaves having died back.

 

I’ve previously mentioned that I’ve been looking for an alternative pot marigold to grow instead of the Oopsy Daisy.  I’ve decided to try Fruit Twist, a dwarf  variety which only grows to around 6 in/15 cm.  The picture on the seed packet and this webpage shows both orange and yellow flowers, all with light coloured centres.

Next year I’m also going to try Candytuft Fairy Mixed Colours which only grows to around 8 in/20 cm on the plot, and maybe some Cornflowers Polka Dot which are a few inches taller.

Among a few 5 in/12.5 cm pots I’ve recently acquired to use is an old terracotta one in remarkably good condition.  I’ve not yet decided which of the above I’ll be growing in it.

It’s been fun growing plot flowers like this and I hope to do even better next year. Please note that there probably won’t be any more On the windowsill posts until next March.

Take care, and have a good weekend!

On the windowsill, September 2021

These are the last of the pot marigold Oopsy Daisy flowers as there are no more buds showing and the leaves are now steadily dying back further down.

As I mentioned last month I’ve been looking for a different variety to try next next year and have now found a proper dwarf variety which only grows to 6 in/15 cm.  Details about these next month.

I haven’t sown any Winter Sun, which I also mentioned last month, as I haven’t been able to find where I put the seeds despite looking a few times.

The cosmos Sonata White continue to flower, and there’s still a few more buds showing.

I only realised recently that these are fragrant, which given my poor sense of smell I was surprised to scent.

 

 

Further to my post This year the sunflowers…  the sunflower Musicbox lasted over two weeks, and I’m going to see if I can save any of the seeds.

I was pleased to see a further three flower buds appear, two of which I’ve since pinched out in the hope that the remaining one will flower.

Take care, and have a good weekend!

This year the sunflowers…

haven’t been as good as I had hoped due mostly to numerous slugs and snails taking their toll.

Thankfully the ones that did survive and flower have been buzzing with bees most days.

 

 

Still to come are two self-sown ones which are by far the tallest ones this year.  One is over 7 ft/2 mt  and is multi-headed with around twenty flower stems and buds for much of the way down the main stem.

The other one is over 8 ft/2.5 mt with just one bud at the top of the stem, and I

 

wonder how big this flower will be.  This sunflower has grown nestling against the side of the dogwood.

Following on from last Thursday’s On the windowsill post the 12 in/30 cm tall sunflower in a 5 in pot flowered at the weekend.

I have been really delighted with this plant and especially the flower.

Take care, and have a good weekend!

On the windowsill, August 2021

The three cosmos Sonata White have now been flowering continuously for over three months and there has been as many as ten flowers at one time.

The larger flowers are over 2″/ 5 cm across and on long stems whilst the small ones, less than 1″/2.5 cm, have  mostly nestled on the top of the foliage.

 

The pot marigold Oopsy Daisy has grown much too tall and is now approaching 24″/60 cm. Since the initial three flowers there have only been two more despite dead-heading and pinching out.

Next year I think that I’ll try a different variety,  perhaps Candyman Orange, to see if I get a shorter, compact plant with more flowers.

Yesterday I received some pot marigold Winter Sun seeds some of which I’ll be sowing this month in a container on the plot to flower from late autumn onwards. I’ll also be sowing one or two in small pots to keep at home on the windowsill to hopefully give some colour when we head into winter.

The sunflower Music Box is now almost 12″/ 30 cm tall and the single flower bud is getting bigger.

Even if the flower doesn’t come to much this has been a compact, pleasing plant .

 

Unfortunately a couple of weeks ago I dropped the tomato plant and broke the stem in a couple of places. It had grown much too tall and there wasn’t any fruit forming so I wasn’t too dismayed.  I won’t bother trying again next year and will grow more flowers instead.

Take care, and have a good weekend!

On the windowsill, July 2021

All three annual flowers – the cosmos Sonata White, pot marigold Oopsy Daisy and sunflower Music Box are doing really in their 5 in/12.5 cm pots on the windowsill.

 

 

 

The three cosmos Sonata White have been flowering continuously since last month and presently have five flowers showing, with several more buds on the way. Given that the plants are only around 6 in/15 cm tall it’s not surprising that the flowers are small, ranging from less than 1 in/2.5 cm to 2.5 in/6 cm across.

 

The first pot marigold Oospy Daisy flower appeared over the weekend, and there are two more on the way. The plant is now around 15 in/38 cm tall but thankfully doesn’t look leggy as it has plenty of leaves all the way down the stem.

 

The sunflower Music Box shows no sign of a flower bud as yet but has grown ten pairs of leaves despite being less than 6 in/15 cm tall.

The tomato Red Robin has grown taller and is now approaching 15 in/38 cm.  It’s lost a couple of the bottom leaves after they’d gone brown and died.  Looking closely at the top leaves and stems I think that some fruit is just starting to form.  I’ll show a photo next month, when hopefully, they’ll be more visible.

Take care, and have a good weekend!

On the windowsill, June 2021

On the windowsill I’ve now got just four 5″/12.5 cm pots containing a tomato, three cosmos, a pot marigold and a sunflower.

The tomato Red Robin is about 6″/15 cm tall and is growing in sieved grow bag, rather than multi-purpose, compost.

 

I will put a thin 12″/30 cm cane in the pot not only to support the plant but so I can easily check how tall it is.

 

 

 

I showed the three cosmos Sonata White here recently and they’re still doing well, are around 6″/15 cm tall and continuing to flower.

 

The pot marigold Oopsy Daisy has reached 8″/ 20cm  so I’ve pinched it out as I want it to be bushy rather than leggy.

I accidently knocked a lower leaf off a few weeks ago and I’m pleased to see that new leaves have already regrown.

 

 

 

I started some sunflower Music Box off in pots on the windowsill which are now all planted out on the plot except the smallest one which I repotted  to keep at home.

It’s barely 3″/7.5 cm tall but has already grown five pairs of leaves.

 

Take care, and have a good week!

Windowsill cosmos

I’ll be doing a windowsill post later this month but wanted to mention and show the cosmos which have been flowering for at least the past couple of weeks.

There are five Sonata White in 3″/7.5 cm square pots which are all about 6″/15 cm tall and are flowering at the moment so I won’t be taking them to the plot to plant out just yet.  This photo was taken last weekend.

 

Another three, slightly shorter plants I’ve repotted into a 5″/12.5 cm round pot, which I’ll be keeping on the windowsill, have at least six buds showing on them.

I’ve been delighted with these flowers, but find it slightly bemusing that they’ve done so well indoors and already had to dead-head some of them.

Take care, and have a good week!