Laughing Ravens

Seeds are another gateway drug. Heck, I'd put dahlias into that category too. Seeds are definitely the Doritos of the plant world. You can't plant just one. Seeds are relatively cheap, easy to store, last a while, and when they grow, they make you feel awesome. I wish antidepressants made me feel as good. (Maybe you have to add water and warm soil to make antidepressants work?) Seeds are cool. For less than $5.00, you can get a pinch of seeds that let you attempt to grow a real plant. No guarantees. Chances are, you'll kill more than you grow. At least at first you will. In a perfect world, all those dead seedlings will teach you something. Either you should have stuck with accounting, or maybe you need to learn some basics about plant biology. I love folks who think gardening is easy.  Seeds come in so many flavors, shapes and sizes! I had a conversation with a friend the other day and we were talking about 'kid seeds'. Things that young kids (and newbies to garden...

  Seeds of various irises, from SIGNA, from friends on Facebook, and from fellow hybridizers I have been waiting for the SIGNA seed exchange to open since 2023. They cancelled the seed exchange last year due to low participation numbers. Not enough folks were excited enough to send seeds. This year, I kept checking the SIGNA website with baited breath.  For other seed loving, iris growing enthusiasts, here is the link: http://www.signa.org/index.pl?Membership So why am I so excited? I guess it helps to understand what SIGNA is. "Species Iris Group of North America is devoted to studying the Iris family in the wild as well as enjoying them in the garden. We're equally interested in species and hybrids. We promote them through our seed exchange while supporting their conservation in the wild. We disseminate scientific and cultural information about them through our members-only publications and to the public at large via this website." - from the SIGNA website. What this re...

Attempting to create order Sorting of seeds last year was a melange of the best of intentions meeting with the stark reality of not having enough time or resources to do it right. Luckily, the outcome of last year's attempt informed the changes I made this year. I am not sure if hording of seed is a trauma response or simply what happens to everyone who starts saving seed thinking that "next year I'll use it all". Last month, I sat down and resolved to sort through boxes and bags of seed packets, envelopes, etc.  One of the things I learned about saving seed: I don't need to save pounds of bean seeds. Even a nice wide row (over-planted in the extreme) of bean seeds couldn't consume 1/100th the amount of seeds I had saved. Luckily, bean seeds are mighty tasty after an hour in the Instant Pot.  The grocery bag full of lupine seed was a whole different issue. In early November, most of the pods were still tightly clamped around their tiny black seeds....

And just what are we starting again? Everything, I suppose.  I decided to start writing again, after a lengthy hiatus. In the past, I would write about goings on in the pottery studio or in the photography studio. With both of those endeavors in the rear view mirror now, it felt like a good time to turn my eyes forward to what we are exploring in the garden. I always love reading garden blogs, especially those written by those actually understand the value of good writing. All too often nowadays, "content" boils down to whatever can be monetized or will increase readership. I would wager that a year from now, the majority of those sites will be entirely written by AI. For all I know, it might even result in better writing.  Which begs the question: Why return to writing now? I would argue that it is a sign of defiance. After the election, I fell into an abyss of angst and despair. Rather than give in to the feelings of helplessness and desperation, I thought about the nature ...