Planting New Strawberry Plants in Containers. 19 Apr 24

 These are some strawberry plantes I ordered on Amazon.  I tried ordering from a couple of tried and true online nurseries. but now they require all sorts of personal info, which once they have ads to spam, ads, spam calls, spam texts, spam emails.  This is part of the crappification of life.  Yes, I can go to the effort to block every spam, but companies also buy and sell that info.  Plus, if I order from them again, then I have go unblock  which means more effort on my part.  That's too much trouble for 20 strawberry plants.  I also tried ordering from a nursery I have used before, but somehow their order page didn't work.  

Amazon already has my info and doesn't appear to be selling it.  If they did, then it would go to their competitors.  I think they are too smart for that.  Plus their order page always works.

OK, that curmudgeon old man rant out of the way, these  are the Ozark Ever-bearing strawberry plants that I bought.   My phone was charging when I opened the package, so no photo of that.

The bare root plants looked pretty pathetic out of the bag.  I watered them and planted as shown.  I heeled in the  remaining plants in potting soil, and watered, for planting tomorrow.

These are in shade with no direct sunlight for now.  When (if ?)  they start growing, I'll transition them gradually to full sun.  I think they'll grow.  Even in this image they seem to have perked up a bit.

Up-Potting Snow Pea Plants For Container Culture. 19 Apr 24.

 I up-potted the four containers of snow pea plants.

I enjoy eating snow peas very much, either raw in salad or stir fried with noodles or rice.  Almost always, either birds - probably Jays - or animals -probably voles or mice - completely destroy every snow pea plant that I grow in the garden.  Regardless of how extensively I cover them with screening. 

In containers on the deck, that doesn't seem to be a problem.  They are also kind of attractive plants.  The greens are also edible (the Jays and voles can tell you that too).  So I'm trying them as deck plants this year.

In the long run, they'll need larger containers.  These have to do for now.

Up-Potting Pelargoniums (Geraniums). 19 Apr 24.

 I up- potted two established Pelargoniums (Geraniums) and one new one.  I bought the new one on impulse at the grocery store - an ultra-modern interspecific hybrid called "Big Eeze Pink Batik".  The larger floret size and variegated flowers are interesting.  From what I can find, these are hybrids between zonal and ivy type Pelargoniums.    Apparently, that's a modern trend.

I re-used potting soil from other plants' last year for these.  The texture seems good.  There are a couple more Pelargoniums to clean up, and one more to up-pot.

Now that nights are above 45 F, I'm leaving them outside day and night, but sheltered close to the house at night.  Some have new flower buds now.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Dawn Redwood, about seven years later.

 I planted this Dawn Redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, in 2017.  It's starting to leaf out now for spring.

Quite impressive.  Here is the tree when I planted it in 2017.

Considering the root pruning, I'm still amazed it grew.

Freeze Damage To Tasmanian Alpine Eucalyptus (E. subcrenulata ). 18 Apr 24.

 In 2020, I planted a Tasmanian Alpine Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus subcrenulata.    It was marked as cold hardy to this area.   Last winter had some major cold snaps.  If I remember correctly, as low as 19 F.

I haven't taken much time to examine the tree, since the freeze.   It's quite tall now, no way can I look at the top growth.

Low branches definitely had a lot of freeze.  Many are dead.

For comparison, here is new growth in 2021. 

I think the top is OK.  It seems to be maturing from juvenile oval leaves, to mature lance shaped leaves.

It would be fun if the mature growth bloomed this year. As always, time will tell.