On the windowsill, May 2024

The small English Daisy (bellis perennis), in a 3.5 in//9 cm pot(shown above), has been flowering almost continuously for well over a month with a couple of flowers and several buds showing at any one time.  Apparently they’re at their best from from March through to October but can be found in flower all year round.  The seedlings I showed last month went to some one else to grow and I’ll be sowing some more.

The Common Forget-me-nots (Myosotis arvenis) I showed in this post lasted several weeks after which I replanted it out on the plot where I hope it will have self-seeded.  It’s an annual which flowers March to September unlike the Sylva White (Myosotis sylvatica) which is a perennial. This week I sowed some of the latter in a 4.25 in /11 cm pot (the smaller black one in the first picture) for the windowsill.

The Sunflower Big Smile (Helianthus annuus) I recently repotted into a 5 in/12.5 cm pot,rather than a 6 in/15 cm one, and it’s growing really well. It’s over 3 in/7.5 cm tall and now showing five pairs of leaves.

 

I also repotted the Tomato Red Robin into a 5 in/12.5 cm pot is also doing well, at around 2 in/5 cm tall.

I’m pleased with this year’s On the windowsill plants so far, and look forward to seeing how they progress through the summer.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

On the windowsill, April 2024

The first Tomato Red Robin I sowed was a no-show so I sowed another one which germinated and started growing in less than a week. It’s now over 1 in/2.5 cm tall and I’ll be replanting it into a 5 in/12.5 cm pot in a couple of weeks.   It’s shown below right, picture taken earlier in the month.

The Sunflower Big Smile (above left) is doing well and is now over 2 in/5 cm tall. It will also be replanted into a 5 in/12.5 cm pot when I do the tomato.

The English Daisies in a 3.5 in/9 cm pot, which I showed last month, have been flowering continuously with six flowers at one point.  I sowed a few seeds in a seed tray and most appeared and started growing.  I’ve repotted them in a couple of small  3 in/7.5 cm round terracotta plastic pots.

If you read last weeks Forget-me-nots post you’ll know that I’m trying both the common blue variety and a white one Snowsylva.  More about these in next months On the windowsill post.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

Forget-me-nots

I was looking round the site one day last week and noticed a lot of forget-me-nots, then wondered why I didn’t grow any. At home I browsed some gardening books, then looked at various websites and decided I should grow them both on the plot and at home.

I found this small flowering plant on an untended plot which I dug up and is now in a 3 in/7.5 cm pot on the windowsill.

I’ve bought a packet of the common Forget-me-nots, or true wild form, (Mysotis arvensis) which I’ll sow in various places.

 

Chiltern Seeds list a white one (Mysotis sylvatica Snowsylva). In the description it says these are perfect pot plants so I’m going to try some and hope to get one as good as the one in this picture (with due thanks to Chiltern Seeds).

 

For a really lovely picture of some Forget-me-nots along with some folklore about them have a look at this tweet of Venetia Jane’s.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

On the windowsill, March 2024

Last Saturday I sowed some seeds in pots most of which are plants I’ll be growing on the windowsill.  Of course the first thing I did on Sunday morning was to have a look at them even though I thought that it would be at least a week before any  germinate and start to appear.  In fact the first few were just showing by early yesterday, much to my delight and relief.

The dwarf sunflower is the variety Big Smile, which I’ve not grown before, and the tomato a Red Robin.  More details about these in next months post. Once they’re big enough I will replant them into 6 in/15 cm black plastic pots.

I’ve only dug up and brought home any English daisies I’ve grown in pots at home but I sowed some seeds which have just started appearing.  The small plant I showed last month produced a couple more flowers but then died, I think due to my over watering it.  A couple of weeks ago I dug up a couple more from one of the plot grass paths and they’re now in a 3.5 in/9 cm terracotta coloured plastic pot.  There’s been a couple of flowers, and there are more buds showing.

The other seeds are dwarf Pot Marigolds Daisy Mix and yellow flowering Viola (cornuta?), but none have appeared as yet.

Have a good Easter, and take care!

On the windowsill, February 2024

In the On the windowsill, 2024 post I wrote last November about the pots I had decided to use this year but since then I’ve mostly changed my mind.  I’ll be growing the sunflower(s) and dwarf tomato in 6 in/15 cm black plastic pots, and the daisies Tasso White and yellow violas in smaller 4.25 in/11 cm black plastic pots.  Anything else I grow I’ll decide what pots to use as I go.

I had hoped to keep the pot of English daisies I had last year going through the winter but that wasn’t to be so I’ve started again.  Last week I noticed some on one of the plot paths, and yesterday when I had a closer look found  a suitable plant which I dug up and bought home.  It’s very small so I planted it in a 2.5 in/6.5 cm terracotta pot.  As you can see it’s already got one flower, with a bud nestling in the leaves.

Next month the On the windowsill post will be later in the month when I’ll  be starting to sow seeds.

Have a good week, and take care!

On the windowsill, December 2023

The pot of English daisies is the only plant on the windowsill at present, and all I’m doing is removing the occasional dead leaf and watering sparingly.

I had hoped to keep a couple of pots of pot marigolds going through the winter but I over watered them a few weeks ago and they didn’t recover.

 

I really must remember to use my small indoor plastic watering can in future.

I also found this 5.5 in/14 cm dwarf pot which I’ll use for the yellow viola cornuta I’m trying next year.

 

The Pocket House Plant Expert by Dr. D. G. Hessayon has useful chapters on plant care and troubles which I will reread.

The next On the windowsill post probably won’t be until March, when it’ll be lighter and warmer and I’ll be starting to sow seeds.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

On the windowsill, 2024

Having decided what I’m going to grow on the windowsill next year I’ve been sorting what pots I’m going to use.

The largest one is a 5.5 in/ 14 cm terracotta pot in which I’ll be growing a sunflower Bambino as that will be the biggest and tallest plant.  I’ll be growing three daisies Tasso White in the 5.5 in/14 cm chocolate coloured plastic pot, made in Denmark, which is called a Dwarf Pot as it’s only 3.5 in/9 cm tall.

The black pot in the picture is a 5 in/12.5 cm B.E.F Growers pot recognisable by the rounded top rim and pimples on the base.   I’ll be using that to grow a dwarf tomato Red Robin which only grows to 12 in/30 cm. I’ve tried growing various varieties of dwarf tomatoes in the past without much luck so didn’t try this year but have decided to have another go.

 

I’ll be using a mix of smaller pots, between 3.5 in/9 cm and 4.5 in/11.5 cm for the pot marigolds Flighty’s Favourites/Daisy Mix and yellow viola.

 

 

 

The only ordinary plastic pot I’ll be using is this 4 in/10 cm one which will be hidden as it’s a perfect fit in this white china container.

 

Have a good weekend, and take care!

 

On the windowsill, October 2023

Following on from last month there’s been no further flowers on the English Daisies.

Next year I think that I’ll try some Bellis perennis Tasso White seeds, This  is a dwarf, cultivated daisy.

(Picture credit – Benary)

 

I’ve got three Pot Marigolds on the windowsill at present, although none are showing flower buds.  They’re all less than 5 in/12.5 cm tall and I’m going to see how they do over the coming months.  For next year I’ve got some dwarf Calendula Daisy Mixed seeds including Lemon Daisy and Oopsy Daisy varieties.  I’ll be sowing a few at home and the rest on the plot.

The sunflower Music Box  flower which I showed last month lasted about three weeks before it started to drop its petals and the leaves began to die. Next year I’ll be growing a sunflower Bambino from seed again, and hopefully bringing home a suitable Music Box plant from the plot.  I was really pleased at how well these both did.

It’s been a good year, and I hope next year will be even better.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

On the windowsill, September 2023

Further to last month’s post I found a reference to English daisies which stated that they usually stopped flowering through mid-summer as mine had done.However in mid-August two flowers appeared but there have been no more since then.

I’ve no flowering Pot Marigolds Flighty’s Favourites on the windowsill at present.  All the flowers this year have been yellow and it would have been nice to have an orange one for a change.  I haven’t been able to choose the flower colour as the buds have been tightly closed when I’ve dug them up to bring home. This plant I’m keeping on the windowsill just to see how it grows, and perhaps will even flower during the autumn.

The Sunflower Music Box has done really well, reaching 15 inches/38 cm and flowering two weeks ago. As you can see it’s a yellow flower, 4 inches/10 cm across, with a dark centre.

It lost the bottom two sets of leaves as the flower bud formed and since flowering has started growing buds and leaves down the stem, but I’ll be really surprised if they come to anything.

Have a good week, and take care!

On the windowsill, August 2023

Having flowered almost continously for several months both pots of English Daisies (Bellis perennis) stopped flowering during last month and I wonder when, or even if, they’ll start again.

The dwarf sunflower Bambino which I showed flowering last month lasted over two weeks.  I dug up the sunflower below, a MusicBox, on the plot a couple of weeks ago, bought it home and replanted it.  It’s not yet even 5 in/ 12.5 cm, and I wonder how tall it will get and if it will flower.  Note the Siamese twin leaves in the top right of the picture.

All three current pot marigolds  Flighty’s Favourites have flowered, one being all yellow and the other two pale lemon-yellow with a dark centre as shown last month.

 

I’ve been well pleased with the On the windowsill plants and flowers so far this year.

Have a good weekend, and take care!