Swallowtail Garden Seeds Blog - page 3

Here at SGS, we all get a close look at the seeds packed daily from each day's orders. Here are some of our favorite seeds, shown in close-up form so you can get a good peek. Ruby Moon Hyacinth Vine seeds look like...penguins! They're very distinguished. Four O'Clock seeds resemble little grenades. Calendula seeds vary in size. This set of seeds is from Flashback Mix calendula, which resemble weapons from science fiction movies! Scarlet Runner Bean seeds are gray-black with a beautifully speckled...

Tomato hornworms are very large caterpillars that can grow up to four inches long. Adult caterpillars are bright green with white stripes and dark eye-like spots on each section of their abdomens. Coloration on young caterpillars is typically lighter but with similar patterns. They’re fairly easy to identify but not always easy to find as they blend in with the foliage of their favorite food, the tomato plants in our gardens. You’ll likely find evidence of tomato hornworms in the form of dark green or...

What's good to plant right now? If you're in the northern hemisphere, it's a GREAT time to plant ZINNIAS! Zinnias, native to the Southwest US, Mexico, and Central and South America, are consistently some of our most popular annuals and bestsellers, and for good reason. Zinnias are easy to grow from seed and, if planted now, will be blooming for a long fall season. Zinnias are facultative short-day plants, which means that they will flower faster and more copiously when growing in the progressively...

I consider myself lucky to live in a part of the world that makes gardening immensely rewarding without having to work very hard. Western Sonoma County northern California has a relatively short, mild winter, a warm summer moderated by proximity to the coast, and a long autumn which extends the harvest time of heat-loving crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melons and peppers. My husband and I always plant vegetables in the part of the back yard that has a seasonal creek run through it in the winter...

It was unseasonably hot here in Sonoma County last week. We had many days in the high 90s, and one day was a record 106 degrees. The gardener (yours truly) certainly suffered during the heat wave, but fortunately the garden did not. Let’s look at one plant in particular that not only made it through the heat wave, but thrived for it. Cosmos Rubinato Above is Rubinato cosmos as it appeared on June 8th of this year. I sowed the seeds in mid April, and by early June, plants were shapely but not fully...

Garden Pests: Slugs and Snails Ways to control slugs and snails in your garden: Water in the morning, not in the evening. Watering in the morning allows the soil surface to dry out before nighttime when slugs and snails are most active. Slugs and snails prefer to travel on moist surfaces. Dry surfaces will slow down their activity and limit the subsequent damage to your plants. Share a beer with the slugs and snails. Fill a shallow dish with beer and place it in your garden. Slugs and snails are...

If you have a garden bed or area that gets a full day of sun, combine gaillardia, verbascum and lavender for a long-blooming, richly-colored display that delights the eyes and is easy on the water bill. Bees, butterflies, and other garden-friendly pollinators will thank you for adding to their food supply. Plant one of each in a large pot (18 inches or larger), or multiples of each flower in a garden bed. This trio provides varying yet complimentary color, height and texture to add dimension to your...

Are your basil plants looking beautiful and ready to use? Want some new ideas for how to enjoy the basil in your herb garden or patio pot? Here are three recipe ideas for you to try! What do you like to do with the basil from your yard? Basil Recipes Watermelon, feta, and basil salad Ingredients: 4 cups watermelon (cubed) ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (substitute cotija cheese for a different flavor profile!) ¼ cup Italian basil leaves, cut in chiffonade Seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, drizzle of balsamic...

Garden Pests: Cucumber Beetles The Pest: There are two types of cucumber beetles, striped (Acalymma vittatum) and spotted (Diabrotica undecimpunctata). Both types are about 1/4 inch long and yellowish-green in color (sometimes orangish-green), one with black lengthwise stripes and the other with black spots. Both types of cucumber beetles are found throughout North America. The Problems: Both types of cucumber beetles love to feed on cucumber plants and other plants in the cucurbit family such as...

Something I love about arranging flowers for weddings is incorporating native plants and herbs into my creations. Not many of my events pass by without snippets of rosemary, olive branches, or bay laurel foliage. I also love to cut herbs to use in cooking and baking or to bring a fresh scent into the house. In my yard, I have oregano and rosemary growing year-round, and sage and mint that thrive during wetter times of the year. I’ve also had gardens where I grew chocolate mint, lemon thyme, basil, and...