Crocus

We had about a foot of snow last weekend and now the crocuses (croci?) are just about open.
Woo Hoo!!! Spring's gotta be close!

Kales

Some of the siblings of that kale I posted a few days ago. The first one is a throwback to the 'Green Glaze' collard greens but with a more compact form. The original crosses were of 'Green Glaze' with dwarf blue scotch kale and a purple ornamental cabbage.

 

Here are four more. Two are glossy types (lower left and upper right). The other two look like outcrosses to the Tuscan kale I had flowering nearby that season. 

Three more of the fish hybrids

Went back through the old pictures [October 1995] and found these three more. The first one is from sailfin molly male with female guppy, and although blurry, you can see the red and blue spots on the tail. The second two were from a Gold-Dust Lyre-tail Molly male with a female guppy.

Dark Kale

Last Spring I tried starting some of my kale lines that I'd been working towards combining glossy foliage and purple pigment. Between damping off and a thrips infestation, I lost everything that sprouted. I didn't throw out the pots though and just let them dry out and wait a while. Later in the summer, water leaked down into the pot from something I'd set on top and a new wave of germinations started. This was the biggest of those seedlings. I planted it in the ground last Fall and caged it to protect from the rabbit population boom. It got a lot of the purple-ness but is not a glossy. There are a few glossy siblings still under lights in the basement and also two of the seedlings look like they might be from pollen of the Tuscan kale I'd also been growing. 

 

Here's a little closer picture

'Red Majesty' Gladiolus

I wanted some fire-engine red glads to try forcing for early bloom, to use for a mixed pollen experiment I've been planning. I found these 'Red Majesty' at the local Home Depot store and bought three boxes.

 

I was surprised to find that the corms are purple tinted - pretty cool looking!

 

 I wanted blooms to open late April into early May, so figuring 90-100 days back I started the first batch Jan 26. Saw the first sprouts coming above the soil line yesterday. I hope I've got it timed correctly. We'll see!