Up-potting Pepper Seedlings. 8 March 2024.

 I up-potted the first 6 pack.  Half Anaheims and half Fresnos.

The rest need up - potting too.  They dry out too fast in those tiny six-packs and also become root-bound.

Alstroemeria Seedlings. 8 March 2024.

 In the end, they all sprouted without stratification.  Maybe the seed seller stratified them.  I up-potted them to give some root room.

The First Daffodils. 8 March 2024.

 A few blooming now.  Signs of spring.

Around a Linden tree.  These are Jetfire, descended from bulbs I planted 22 years ago.

A few by a gingko tree.  I don't know the variety.

Bathroom Remodel. 7 March 2024

 Not about gardening, but about the gardener.    With age and medical stuff, it was a worsening challenge soaking in the old bathtub.  It was hard to get into, and out of, and a fall risk.  The bathroom was crowded, dark, difficult to clean, too many corners to bump into.  The counter was too low.

I wanted a bathtub with a door, on a platform so the user would already be in a sitting position when getting out. A window, for full spectrum daylight.  Wall color that wouldn't make it dingy and eye strain, like the old beige was.  A better height, more functional sink.  Better and brighter light flooring.  A bidet toilet.  

It didn't have to be "update" per se, but it kind of works out that way.  The old bathroom was 50 years old, dark, not so safe or easy to use or clean.

Here's the result.

This is a world better.  I still have to touch up the painting.  I'm not good at edges.  It needs towel racks, and better grab bars.  Those suction cup type really don't work that well.  I want to add a nice medicine cabinet over the toilet.  The tub is not as easy to get out of as I could wish for - a wider door would help more.  But it is still a big improvement, and I think instantly makes life a bit more pleasant.  I like this new bathroom, a lot.

Most things are white, for a brighter room.   The flooring is non-slip, waterproof vinyl plank.  The vanity has storage space for towels, underneath, and foot room at the bottom.  It's similar to a buffet.  The counter is white for brightness.  

For  contrast, here's the 50 year old bathroom.

I had a contractor do most of it.  I bought the vanity and toilet at Lowes.  The bathtub was a special order, shipped across the country.  Most of the rest was via Amazon, returned items to reduce the cost.

Taking out that wall really opened up the space, got rid of corners to bump into, made cleaning easier, and brightened up the entire room.  The old vanity might have been for kids - way too low for adults.    Also, now the door opens completely, so no bumping into that.

Mini Rose Update. 7 March 2024

 Here an update on the mini rose plant (Kordana roses) that I repotted and separated last month.  On nice days, I move these outside, otherwise they are in sunroom under LEDs.  I've pruned most of the tops back a little more, once I saw them growing with some vigor.  That's to give lower branching and more bushiness.  I water with a Schultz liquid houseplant food designed to give a tiny amount of plant food with each watering.

Individual plants.  Almost all of the leaves on this one are new.

And another, more of a mix between old and new.  It got a little pruning of the top before this photo, so lost a little new growth.

They are thriving.  All of the red-ish tinge and dark green growth is new.  Most of the original leaves died off and I removed most of them.  These plants are sold to be a decoration for a while, or a gift, not for the home plant person or gardener to grow.  Their growth conditions are very different from the home.  They are grown in vast greenhouses, under LED lights at special wavelengths, in soil and fertilizer designed for their irrigation systems and shipping.  They are meant to be enjoyed for a bit, then discarded.   I'm sure they are even bred to excel and thrive in those special conditions, not the home or garden.  Still, sometimes we can adapt plants to our conditions and sometimes they do very will, so why not play?

One thing I think is absolutely key, is to get them out of their original growth medium quickly.  That's designed for greenhouse irrigations conditions, misting, travel.  Not for a home set-up.  It dries out very quickly, so the line between damp and desert - dry is very narrow.  Removing the old medium and planting them into a good quality potting soil helps even out the moisture holding capacity and better buffered against extremes.

While I was at Bi-Mart, I saw a rack of micro roses outside, full sun, marked down for sale or to be disposed of.  Most were at a crispy stage.  I found this one, wilted but not crispy.  It wasn't too bad, and had some buds.   I cut off dead flowers, soaked it, removed dead leaves.  In a week, the remaining buds began to open.

These are sold without names, so that's a wild guess.  Comparing with others on line, I think this one might be Daniela but I really don't know.  It was just a couple of dollars, something to experiment with.

Then I saw this one at Safeway.  Much richer red and more classic flower shape.  I bought it too.

I'm actually downsizing my garden. Not planning to start a new collection.  Still, it's fun to play a little and see what happens.  They may go into a patio pot, a larger container, or the garden.  Or all of the above.