A Bountiful Year

Above is a nice shot of a basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Dark Opal') being used ornamentally with some coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides). We will be selling 25 varieties of basil at our spring plant sale along with starter plants of heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers and hot peppers. We've also packaged up heirloom runner and pole bean seeds for customers as well. Mike M. just posted all the spreadsheets for our plant sale offerings (and veggie display) at http://www.rotarygardens.org/. Check it out and see if anything looks of interest. Apparently vegetable seed sales are up over 40% this year as people shift towards growing some of their own food. It should truly be a bountiful year and perhaps a good year to let your kids, grandkids and neighborhood children become involved with growing plants and vegetables. Share your love of gardening!!! Note the 'Medusa' hot pepper below (Capsicum annuum).
Good day today. Unfortunately Larry was sick today but Janice has been here all day working on signs for our spring plant sale. Jean came in to work on the library and Dr. Gredler continues to wrap up cords. Chuck S. continues to recycle all our aluminum cans and donates the money back to the gardens. Dick H. was working on one of our trucks and Vern has been in as well and is refinishing a conference table at the Parker Center. I've been working on various projects and the last of my perennial orders.
My tour around the garden yesterday at times was frustrating and hopeful. Yes the deer have done signficant damage, and some of our fish died and the pond levels are reaching flood levels, and, and, and... However, those little signs of active growth can be seen with daffodils poking up, snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) and winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) budding are all inspiring. I was distracted, however, by the number of cigarette butts that could be seen around the gardens. They were probably "flicked" during our holiday lights show and we almost always find them after a wedding reception in the visitors center when smokers go outside and flick butts everywhere. Some Monday mornings involve hand picking 500+ butts from the ground. I'm diverging from horticulture but can't contain my frustration with such mindless (or mindful?) pollution. As a side note, 4.3 trillion cigarette butts are littered each year in this world with 250 billion from the United States. Butts take up to 12 years to break down in the environment and may contain cadmium, lead and arsenic. How many forests, including all plants and animals, have been killed by a carelessly tossed cigarete butt? When you see someone roll down their car window and flick a butt, have you ever fantasized about smashing in to their car? I have. Nice close-up of our native columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). Only an 7 week wait!