Taking the Easy Way Out

Seed-in-a-Blanket. It wasn't the name that caught my eye, but the picture on the front. As I was strolling down the aisle at Menard's, I recognized the beautiful blue bloom as one that I attempted to produce last summer and failed. Baby Blue Eyes. Nemophila menziesii. I planted the seeds, kept them watered, and got nothing. Just like with the poppies.


But I really love the delicate wildflower look that Nemophila has. Its bloom reminds me of blue flax, which I also love, and which didn't return this year after doing so well last year. I like the veining in the petals and the white eye zone. So when I saw the picture on the front of the box, I had to check it out.





Seeds are embedded in a special wood fiber mat. Germination is guaranteed. Easy peasy. A little more expensive, but if it gets me those pretty blue flowers, it would be worth it, so I bought a box. Besides, it's always fun to try something new.



I planted them today, with my ever-present garden helper Max, and it really was easy. There were six green seed mats in the box, and you could use them as they were packaged, or you could cut them into little squares.



Since I wanted to plant them with Buttercup Daisies (Sundrops - what is the botanical name for these anyway?), I cut them into eight squares each.

You lay them out however you want them, and in my case, I left enough room in between the little mats for the Sundrop seeds. Once you have them put down, you water them and the seed mat kind of disintegrates. You had better have them where you want them before you water them, because you won't be able to move them after you do. You're not supposed to cover them with soil, but I needed to cover the Sundrop seeds a little, so I scattered a bit of mulch over those.

Max gets tired just watching me work in the garden.

You have to keep the seed mat moist until they germinate, which the enclosed instruction card says is about two weeks. I think this just may work, as long as the cats leave them alone. That's the biggest problem I have when I plant seeds in the garden. All that nicely tilled soil is an invitation for them to ... um ... dig. Not a bad thing entirely, but they could at least wait until I've got plants growing. Hopefully, that will be in about two weeks!