Sowing Spring Flowers in the Rain

I wanted to write a story today about a guy who goes out on rainy days to garden. The sky has been dark for days. The soil feels dry, infertile, ugly, and hard beneath his feet, and he’s kind of pissed off, but also relieved to expect a soothing rain that promises winter and spring flowers. Being active, engaged in dirt, seeds, toads, and dreams of food and flowers to come, puts him in a zone he needs.

I’m not going to write a story. I know what needs to be done. This rain is the perfect condition and the perfect way for me to get out of my frustrations and thoughts and be immersed in and connected to the Earth. But it’s physically the best time to do it too. Seeds soak up rain water and begin to germinate, but they also are pressed down into the ground, so on germination, tiny roots have great soil contact.

Sometimes work during the storm brings the best results.

With drizzle on my glasses and the smell of wet grass, I’ll scatter seeds of the things pictured below. For some clients, the seeds are already in the ground, waiting. Below are photos of some of the things I’m seeding.

There are flowers, for sure. We'll have farm open days next spring and need flowers. We all need flowers to make us smile, sigh, and remember. So get yourself some flower seeds into the ground today. If you don't have any, find a real garden center or go to the grocery store and buy some raw, unprocessed flax, poppy, or coriander seeds — those from the spice aisle are not the best for germination, but some will grow. Even the most humble seed carries possibility.

There's plenty of food going in on this drizzly day, too. The price of food will jump soon, so get some food growing. I've written lots about the easiest of winter veggies. Here's another list of very cold hardy winter veggies. Now is the time to prepare for leaner seasons ahead.

Scattering seeds, not seeing far beyond smudged glasses, and smelling rain are my healing escape.

Here are the pictures of what I'll be thinking about as I wander around sowing seeds in the drizzle today.

Larkspur sown in November flowers in May.

Spurred snapdragon (aka Chinese Toadflax) sown in November flowers in April and May.

The best bang for the buck is Batchelor Button. They flower for a long time and make big, sturdy plants that cover the ground. The common old roadside one that is cobalt blue is my favorite, but seed packs often come mixed.

The easiest of winter greens, mizuna, can be scattered throughout flower gardens, shrub borders, or containers. It has lots of uses and spectacular yellow flowers in spring as seen in this video with Allium ‘Ambassador’ (Click here for Allium & other bulbs that work well with seed in flowers and veggies.)