Drying Roses and Planting Lettuce

This week we hit a major milestone in our lives - our 25th wedding anniversary! It's been a remarkable journey and I look forward to the next 25+ years and what surprises they will bring! I did receive a dozen roses and after a few days of enjoying them in a vase on my desk, I dried them. Roses dry very nicely and I laid a few in the silica gel (stems intact) and others I set in a dixie cup surrounded with the drying agent. The dixie cup method helps retain the shape of the rose and other flowers that would benefit would be tulips, daffodils, etc. I will check them in about 7 days to see how they are doing. The entire flower needs to be covered with the material and then sealed with a cover over the container. I have dried roses in my Excalibur dehydrator also and that works just as well also.

In other garden news, the lavender is sprouting up nicely and I was surprised to find flower buds already on the small gourds that I had planted about 6 weeks ago (inside to transplant out later when it warms up).

<---- Flower buds on small gourd vines

I will be transplanting some of the lettuce seedlings outside today and will cover them with a gallon milk jug with bottoms cut off for added protection. The 4 varieties I planted are Red Romaine, Green Towers, Summer Glory Blend and (Green Ice which never germinated).