Saturday, June 12, 2010

Seed GROW Project Update: First Blooms!


I noticed the buds of the Nasturtiums were tinged with color last night as I walked through the garden after work and knew with a little sun to warm them, they'd likely be in bloom today.  Sure enough!

Tropaeolum majus 'Spitfire'

The color is so vibrant, you notice them right away, even from a distance.  I'm in love with this plant, with its reddish-orange  blooms.

I'm not generally a fan of orange flowers - it just depends on what it is - but these have enough red in them that I wouldn't really consider them to be orange flowers.  One that I do love is Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), which just happens to be next to this Nasturtium 'Spitfire.'  They blend beautifully.

'Spitfire' currently has two fully-opened blooms with several more buds.  The plants are also tall enough now for me to start guiding them to climb the teepee trellis I made.  If we continue getting the rain we have been and the warm temperatures, these plants will be covering the trellis in no time!

Planted (direct sow): April 18
First bloom: June 12
Days to bloom: 55

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"I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project.
Thanks to ReneesGarden.com for the seeds."

9 comments:

Meems said...

Hi Kylee,
Thanks so much for the nudge this afternoon. I find it difficult to keep up anymore. I've missed you, too and very much look forward to catching up with you in Buffalo. You can meet my sister. Are you bringing your mom?

I'm with you on the oranges. This first bloom of yours is a pretty one. My favorite nasturtium is a vivid red. I've only grown nasturtiums for the past two spring seasons. Never even knew about them before blogging. I mix them in with my veggies.

Unfortunately they don't last into summer here ... I guess another casualty of the humidity.
Hugs**
Meems

Ann Flowers said...

magnificent blooms - they look straight from a garden in Alice in Wonderland

F Cameron said...

Love nasturtiums! Waiting for mine to bloom. We've had no rain, then torrential rain, then no rain. Finally got a bit or gentle rain last night.

I just watched a rabbit sniff the ones in my garden and continue on his way! The rabbit also sniffed my shoes. I think he wasn't looking up to see me -- too concentrated on finding something to eat (and didn't).

Lona said...

Hi Kylee. Oh, it is a pretty one. I have never grown Nasturtiums before. It may have something to do with the orange and yellow ones, but this red looks pretty. I will save you some Blue Waterfall Campanula seeds. I just planted it last Fall after getting it from Bluestone Perennials. It is going to be a great ground cover plant. Also I have not forgotten your pink Hollyhock seeds. There are buds on them so if I can keep the deer from eating them you will get your seeds. I would love to get some of your Cherry Bells seeds. These storms are surely wrecking havoc with my gardens this year. Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE orange flowers, and your nasturtium is wonderful. So vibrant! Can't wait to see more of the blooms as they appear.

Anonymous said...

Nasturtium is my absolute favorite plant these days! So gorgeous in the garden, in a salad or as a garnishment.

The Running Garlic said...

Beautiful! This is the first bloom of the Nasturtium Spitfire I have seen from the GROW project and it is spectacular. I am anxiously waiting for my blooms to start happening!

Kristi said...

I agree with you about the orange flowers especially some of the bright orange ones. I think this is the first flower I have seen from the GROW project. Congratulations.

Nellie said...

These are seriously gorgeous. It's almost like a matte, lipstick red (in my opinion). I actually didn't plant nasturtiums this year because I already had a crazy amount of "native" ones in my yard here in Santa Cruz.

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