I now have exactly 40 containers of winter-sown seed. And I’m not nearly done. I only hope the city doesn’t come around and declare my yard a nuisance (though to be honest, I would have to ask them what took them so long).

A portion of the seed pan collection.

Next batch:

• Blue flax (Linum perenne)
• Mammoth dill (Anethum graveolens)
• California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), white variety
• Prairie smoke (Geum triflorum)
• Sharpwing monkey flower (Mimulus alatus)

I’ll be giddy if I can get the flax to thrive. I’m not sure how I’ll do with the Mimulus. The seeds are so tiny, and the little glassine envelope in which they arrived was taped well shut. Getting into the envelope without spilling all the seed was nearly beyond my skills, but I managed to salvage enough to make perhaps two sowings’ worth.  Now, whether we will have the moisture required to sustain such lovelies throughout our summer is anyone’s guess.

The Geum, I think, may do well in my front slope garden, which is coming along nicely. It’s not much to look at this time of year, but it perks up well in the spring and looks fine in the dead of summer.  I think the purple-pink flowers of the Geum may provide the right contrast amongst the blue foliage that predominates there, and the texture is quite different from the other plants in that bed.