Desert Willow Seedlings

This is the first time I've started desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) from seed. I've had terrific success germinating them in 4" pots by spritzing them daily with water from a mister bottle and then keeping the pots covered with a clear, upside-down drip tray (to keep the soil moist but still allow sunlight in). The seeds should be planted shallow (just barely covered with soil) as they need sunlight to germinate.

The internet tells me to overwinter them indoors in pots the first year and then plant in the ground next spring. Supposedly the seeds lose viability rather quickly. I plucked these off of the tree (select brown pods that are dry and starting to split open) and seeded them the same day.

The seedlings below are from the tree in my back yard ('Bubba') which I got 20 years ago from Garden World in Abilene. They are still displaying their cotyledons and are just starting to grow their first true leaves. I've started four pots of these, and all germinated successfully in about one week.

Desert Willow seedlings

 

Desert Willow 'Bubba'

 These are the first seeds I started back in the summer, and these came from the tree over at the park which has more white in it than the tree in my back yard. August 10, 2022; pictured with two chocolate ghost pepper plants:

 

Transplanted into 1-gallon pot today:

Desert Willow transplanted into 1-gallon pot

Chocolate Ghost (Bhut Jolokia) Heirloom Peppers

I bought these seeds on clearance back in the summer and potted them up back in July which is a bit late to get production before it freezes in about a month from now. I'm going to overwinter them in pots and transplanted them up into 1 gallon pots today.

Pictured below with a dessert willow seedling:

Chocolate Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)

Saving Sunflower Seeds

These are 2nd generation 'Mammoth' sunflowers, grown from seeds saved many years ago. I planted them along the fence line behind the rock garden to try to mitigate the reflected heat off the fence. They did okay but did show some heat scald. Nonetheless, they bloomed and put on a nice show!

Now they have gone to seed, and some have already exploded all over the planting area.

To collect seeds, cut the head of the sunflowers off and place them in a paper bag to dry. Seeds will pop off on their own and collect in the bag as they dry, and those that don't can be easily brushed loose by hand later.

Some seeds have already popped loose out of these two!

Yellow Cosmos

Yellow Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) is blooming and going to seed. It grows 18" - 24" tall, is heat and drought tolerant, self-seeding, and attracts butterflies.

Yellow Cosmos

Seed is easy to collect and save for next year or share with a friend. If uncollected, plants will reseed themselves naturally.

Yellow Cosmos going to seed

It is beautiful both up close AND from a distance!

Yellow Cosmos on both the left and the right of this frame

Hummingbird Seed Mix

A neighbor gave me this packet of hummingbird seed mix, and I'm starting to get some blooms! It has a mixture of things, some of which is new to me. So far I can identify four o'clocks, scarlet flax, cornflower, larkspur, and some kind of lupine. Some other things are coming up that I have not yet been able to identify - so surprise!

Cornflower

Scarlet Flax

Reseeding the Grass

Reseeding the grass in the back yard between the patio and the rock garden beds. Turned all the soil manually with with a shovel to dig out the weeds and loosen the soil.

Seeding with Scotts Turf Builder Bermudagrass (Highlander) WaterSmart Plus:

Seeded the back yard in two parts.

• First planting on 5/12/2021 - first signs of growth on 5/21/ 2021 (9 days)
  
• Second planting on 5/22/2021 - first signs of growth on 5/30/2021 (8 days)

4/23/2021 - partly dug

5/21/2021 - first signs of sprouting on the right, left side still needs to be dug

5/26/2021 - first seeding 14 days out

 

6/2/2021 - 21 days (3 weeks) out from first seeding (NW quadrant is second seeding, 11 days out)

 

6/11/2021 - 30 days (4 weeks) out from first seeding; (NW quadrant is 20 days out); has been really hot this weeks with temps 98 - 108.

6/13/2021 - fertilized

6/16/2021 - 35 days (5 weeks) after first seeding; (NW quadrant is 25 days out); reseeding area over by flower bed in upper right where it's not growing thick enough. Seed may have washed out with some of the heavy rains.

6/23/2021 - 42 days (6 weeks) after first seeding

6/30/2021 - 49 days (7 weeks) after first seeding

7/7/2021 - 56 days (8 weeks) after first seeding

7/14/2021 

MONEY SHOT! 6/20/2021 - Amazing at just the right angle!