Planting This-n-That

I'm supposed to be working on the front containers today, but I haven't fully given up on the frame/bottom of the washtub, so don't want to get that planted until I figure out what to do.  In the meantime, I had a couple of things that needed to be re-potted, so decided to get that out of the way first.

The sedum a friend gave me needed to go into a larger pot, so I tackled that first.  It was root-bound and STUCK in that little clay pot, and even watering it well wouldn't get it to budge.  After saturating it, I had to dig around the edges with a teaspoon to get it to loosen even a little to where I could yank it out.  Good thing it's a sturdy succulent ... a more fragile plant would have disintegrated.

This sucker was stuck in that little pot

Since this sedum (which I believe is Autumn Joy) does better in full sun, I don't think I'll put it in the containers in front of the house after all, as they only get late afternoon sun.  I settled it in a larger pot for now and we'll see how it goes, and maybe later I'll put it in the little circular flower bed in the middle of the front yard that does get sun pretty much all day.  Today it's enjoying the company of the flowers in my old fire pit in the back yard.

Next were tomato seedlings that have shot up out of their eggshell cribs.  I planted one of them by cracking the bottom of the shell and planting the whole thing in a pot where I could put it deeper and put soil higher up around the leggy stalk, like I explained in this other post.  I still haven't seen any true leaves on them yet, but they should be starting to show up soon.

The other egg had two seedlings in it, and it was a bit more challenging to get them both into a new pot.  They're still very fragile at this stage and I would have liked to have had them be a little stronger before potting up, but there was no room left in the shell to put more dirt around to strengthen them, so it needed to be done.  I managed to bust open the eggshell, but the two seedlings were so close together, I couldn't nudge them apart without damaging them both.  I set the tiny clump with both of them into the new soil, then added a little more around each of the stalks, gently moving them to opposite sides as I did so.  That seemed to work to separate them on the surface a bit, but the initial roots at the bottom are still right next to each other.  I'm hoping that as new, sturdier roots grow just under the new soil, that that will be enough to keep them safely separated until I transplant again later, even if the initial roots end up tangled.  Time will tell.

I also did a thing ... I cut two small pieces of strawberry from the grocery store and stuck it in some dirt.  I did some searching the other day and while most 'real' gardeners will tell you that planting a strawberry isn't a good way to grow new plants, there are many people who have done just that and ended up with nice strawberry plants, so who knows?  If I don't get anything from doing it, no big deal.  If I get one or a couple of strawberry plants that come up, I'll stick them in bucket - maybe a hanging basket that I have on hand - and see what happens.

Oh, while playing with the tomato seedlings, I had a visitor.  I was scooping soil from the bag into the pot when I saw a tiny flash of something wiggling.  It was a tail and it was moving to scoot deeper into the dirt.  Since I didn't want to plant a lizard in the pot, I dumped all of it it into a larger container to scoot him out of there.  A couple different types of lizards have always loved that particular spot alongside my house, even before I had my potting supplies there.

I knew I saw something shiny flashing

He buried himself good!

But I found him!  (and of course set him free)

I'm sure I'll be seeing him, or some of his family members, another day.

~ Marie Anne