Even at 74, I learned some new words tonight.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

Seen while shopping for seed starter trays on Amazoo.com.

I've heard of dribblers and widgets but never knew about dibbers and widgers......



Still trying to figure out what lables are. Must be a French contraption......

KY

[keithbvadu2]

1. Lables are plural lady parts. Crafty bunch, those French.

[SergeStorms]

2. Chinese companies on Amazon.

Sometimes their listings are unreadable.

Yeah, translating to English can be problematic. You got the gist though, right?

I try to buy from domestic companies on Amazon. Shipping from China can be time consuming.

[ItsjustMe]

3. Plant Parenthood

[Crazyleftie]

4. what are thigamajigs??????

[bluecollar2]

5. Usually they're in the same aisle

As the whatsits and chingaderas.

[NJCher]

6. I have those tools

Only in stainless steel. I just used them to do around 30 coleus transplants and seed another 10 purple basil.

I now have around 200 seedlings growing—and I’m just getting started!

[KY_EnviroGuy]

7. There's perhaps no better mental escape for humans than gardening.

I was raised in the country but transplanted to bid city life in the 70s but never got to do much gardening due to traveling in my work. In honor of my wonderful plain-folk country ancestors, I'm trying to help my daughter the elementary school teacher to develop her green thumb and to share that with my teenage granddaughter.

I recently bought her one of the large EasyGrow domed seed starter setups and she loves it. I also send it with a warmer pad and a nice grow light. Hopefully, she can improve the soil in her little garden plot using soil testing and have better luck than last year.

My mom was big into flowers and did all the arrangements from local-grown flowers for our church each Sunday. I vaguely recall the Coleus plants around the border plots around people's homes. Are yours the ones with the bright red heart in each leaf, surrounded with a cream pattern and then green border around that?

Thanks for bringing it up because I want to establish some colorful plants in my small decorative plot. I already have Knockouts, an azalea and two Lilac bushes, so some Coleus would be a nice addition. I see the seeds are inexpensive on eBay and with free shipping! I've also been looking at Cuphea cigar and candy corn bushes to attract bees and hummers.

Please excuse the long-winded post and best of luck with your gardening this year!

KY.......

[NJCher]

8. Coleus gives color all season long which is why I like it

Are yours the ones with the bright red heart in each leaf, surrounded with a cream pattern and then green border around that?

I looked for these photos from '21 gardening season to post back to your question. The first one might be the one you mean:




This was one of my favorites from last season.


Here is how I used coleus in a container garden. Frankly, I think it needs MORE coleus, which is why this year I've more than doubled the seedlings from my seed packets. Plus I will just buy any that appeal to me, as I find the seed packets don't always give me the more interesting coleus. I did take cuttings from some really good ones last fall, but only one survived the winter season in the house.

There is a book by a friend of mine you might consider checking out. It's Judy Glattstein's Consider the Leaf. Her premise for that book is that gardeners really ought to take a closer look at the more interesting leaf shapes and colors because they last all season long while flowers, sadly, only give us their burst of blooms for a few weeks. See if your library has it!

Happy Gardening, KY_EnviroGuy!

[KY_EnviroGuy]

9. Thanks so much for those photos and for your encouragement.....

and yes, those are some types I remember from childhood. I especially like the ones near the right-hand edge of your last photos with pink tree-like veins and dark surroundings. Should I start mine in pots and then transplant later into my plot, or do they take hold well straight from seedling into the ground? I live in Hardiness Zone 6b in north-central KY.



What a coincidence! I see you are using the firecracker/candy corn plants (cuphea?). I want to start some this year for bees and hummers as perennials in my little plot. I don't have much in there now because the water company came through around three years ago and totally destroyed my established plot and left me with very poor soil. So, when I plant I have to do a lot of soil remediation.

I see coleus seed available in mixed packets. Is that the best way to start out or is it better to get specific types? I've found several good seed vendors on eBay but would prefer to buy from established companies with their own web site.

I am very lucky to have some local support in that my next door neighbors are two ladies with big green thumbs and my daughter across the county is getting into gardening big time this year. She sent me a pix of the EarlyGrow seed starter I bought her and she already has it full.



Thanks for the recommendation on your friend's book and I'll try to find it. It feels good for this 74 year-old retired country boy to get back into dirt under my nails!

KY........