This is just a short post because I have something exciting to share! My dear echinacea plant (mentioned in my first Garden Chronicles post because it had recently grown a startling amount), has finally opened one of its buds! This is the second spring I have had this plant, and last year it never put on a single bud, much less actually bloomed. This plant has been finicky from the beginning and I am so happy to see it finally thriving! Granted, if it gets much taller, I don’t know if I will be able to keep it inside. It grew nearly another foot this week alone. But I’m not going to borrow trouble from the future; for now, I just want to showcase this lovely flower and be happy that it is doing so well.
I had to stand on my blanket chest to be tall enough to take this picture, so it’s a few days old. Since this picture, the off-white petals have developed a light purple tint. The center is also now entirely yellow with pollen.
Yesterday, I thought it might appreciate being outside for a little while, so I took it on a field trip to my backyard. The soil has a hard time draining sometimes, and I’m a little concerned about root rot developing, so I thought the direct sunlight would be a benefit. Unfortunately, after about 30 minutes all of the leaves were shriveling up and drooping! It was in the mid-70s, so not too hot, and there was a definite breeze; apparently this combination was still too much for my pampered indoor plant. It’ has since completely recovered and is again happily installed in my south-facing window. I’m glad I did this on a day when I was able to hang out with it outside; in more typical times, I might have set it outside before going to work and not brought it back inside until the evening.
And a short update on my vegetable pots: a few seeds are sprouting! They are still so small and don’t show up well in pictures, but if you look closely at the picture to the right, you might be able to pick out my 4 new sprouts! We had heavy rain during the week after planting, and I was afraid some of my seeds might have been washed away, but these few are giving me hope that the rest will come up soon as well. This is the pot that has carrot and marigold seeds, in addition to the tomato plant.
That’s all for today! I’m working through Henry James’Â The Portrait of the Lady, which is more fitting than I realized for this season. While it seems that getting through the story is going to be a feat of endurance, the opening descriptions of Gardencourt are thrilling! I would love to visit and wander through such a place. Now if only the plot were half as interesting…
Are there any little things you can celebrate today? Share in the comments so we can celebrate with you!
Until the next chapter,
Jana
Reviews From the Stacks 
Sprouts are so exciting! Thank you for sharing!
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