Growing nasturtiums with the GROW Project, May report

Yet another late report ... Did I ever mention I have ADHD? (I do. Really.)

My Spitfire nasturtiums, an  exclusive from seed suppliers Renee's Garden, began struggling in May. We had record breaking heat, not to mention horrible humidity, and that took a toll on most of the annuals. I'm not sure whether the Spitfires will even make it into July. The GROW project sent them out in March, which is really too late for this climate; ideally, I would have planted in October or November.

The photos illustrate that these sweet little plants are not really thriving.

Very late Project GROW April report

My bad. 'nuff said.

OK, my Spitfire nasturtiums from Renee's Garden are flowering and some of them are beginning to trail.

The first pic is of one growing in a large pot along with some rather sad Turnera subulata, but the leaves compliment each other nicely.

The flower color is what I consider to be "traditional" nasturtium orange, not the scarlet-orange of the description, which is a bit disappointing. (I love yellows, such as Whirlybird Cream, and deep reds, like Cobra, which also has grey/green leaves.) Perhaps Spitfire will get redder as she grows.

The second pic shows one of three plants, in a different location, beginning to wander off. These are in the toughest spot; the soil is poor; it doesn't get watered often, and I suspect that, since it's close to the street, a dog is using the heavy wrought iron screen I "planted" as a place to pee. But nasturtiums are tough plants, which makes them such assets for a chaotic gardener like me.

Growing nasturtiums with the GROW Project, March report

One of the many reasons nasturtiums are on my top-five list of annuals is for the saucer-like shape of the leaves; in a mixed planting, they set off other foliage beautifully.

As you can see from the first photo, the Spitfire seedlings are doing nicely. I think everything I planted germinated, but, my bad, I'm such a sloppy record-keeper... I've got about 25 seeds in various locations, in containers as well as the ground, where they can trail or climb. One location will suffer from more neglect than others, so that will be a test. Traditionally, the more they are neglected, the more they bloom.

With a bit of luck, I'll get the first flowers by late April.

I'm hoping that Spitfire will hold its blooms above the foliage. One fault in older varieties of these otherwise splendid plants is that you have to hunt for the (edible) flowers. The second photo shows a trailing nasturtium snaking along but its lovely yellow blossoms tend to stay out of sight.

Growing nasturtiums with the GROW project, first report

I'm one of 40+ garden bloggers around the country participating in GardenBloggers.com's GROW project, which seeks to promote "a sense of community among garden bloggers who may only know each other online by simultaneously growing the same plants."

We have all been sent a packet of nasturtium 'Spitfire' by Renee's Garden, the project's sponsors. If you're not familiar with the company, check the website and do note the artwork for each seed description and packet.

I love nasturtiums and have lots already, but this winter's exceptionally cold weather has resulted in very slow growth. I planted most of the Spitfires on March 1, saving some for later in the year to see how they cope with Miami's heat. The majority are in assorted containers, with seven sown in the ground. (I should also have posted the day I sowed them -- my bad -- but ...) Anyway, the first seedlings appeared last Friday, March 12, and the remainder have also poked their heads up into sunlight. My next post for the project will be April 1. Stay tuned.