It's that time of year when....

I know how you feel. Making lists, searching and ordering
gets me through the grey winter months. My first seed
delivery fell through the letterbox yesterday, and I got that
familiar adrenaline rush, especially as I knew that among
the packets inside were the dwarf sunflower "Munchkin"
and leek "Tornado" I had been searching for. Can't wait
to see what the next post may bring..............................

I've been making lists of plug plants that I want, from several catalogues. The total is scary! I haven't even started on seeds yet...I'm waiting to see if I've been lucky with my requests to the RHS seed bank, first.

Simple for me this year - just bedding plants and I'm going on a wildflower scheme. Been collecting seeds over the summer and autumn for this year - all local wildflowers.
Next year I can look at serious plant buying but in the meantime I can just enjoy all of yours!

What did we do before the internet. I have had to be very careful not to over order for my Notts garden this year as we are moving, but I have bought seeds for my daughters garden at Pre school, lots of veg and seed potatoes. I have been the task of sowing the tomatoes and lots of other plants, but with my experience of sowing seeds they are all going to be starving this year!! I always manage to germinate them then they all die, usually by shrivelling up.

Oh no! Another 27 packets of seeds dropped through the letterbox this morning! Why did so many arrive at the same time? It'll take me all day to write sowing dates and info in my diary.

"Another 27 packets of seeds dropped through the letterbox this morning!"
And I take it they weren't freebies or unsolicited samples David?

I went to the first RHS Show in London on Tuesday and came back with five things - OK, four were replacements for things I have lost over the years and the other was on my 'wants' list (honest!). Then I popped into Woolworth to buy some string and lo and behold, I passed a display of cheap bulbs and perennials. Knowing that my eryngiums had dwindled last year and that gladious callianthus often don't come through the winter, I came out with them as well.

And it's still only mid January!!

They weren't - unfortunately,lol! One of the great things
about theme gardening and looking for plants with names which fit is that I am being very strict this year - no impulse purchases. So I was actually thrilled to get all these seeds. Also, I am planning a new theme for 2009 (gasp), so I can still spend hours in the likes of Woolies, B&Q, etc - but only to jot down plant names. At the moment I will only buy, however, if it would sound at home in our "Wizard of Oz" garden. And, you, as well, were buying only to replace, so no guilt incurred.