If you haven't yet ordered your garden seeds there's still time!
The process of ordering through seed catalogs and web sites can be daunting, but it also provides many advantages, such as being able to choose seeds based on how they are grown and how they are treated. One can also find seeds for more unusual and hard-to-find flowers, herbs, and vegetables. Every year, I plant trays of seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company - it's one of my favorite sources. Started in 1998 as a hobby, it has since grown into North America’s largest heirloom seed establishment.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is my flower garden when so many of the flowers are in bloom. I start a number of them from seed in my greenhouse every year.
Some of the flowers I start include dianthus. Dianthus flowers belong to a family of plants that includes carnations and are characterized by their spicy fragrance. Dianthus plants may be found as a hardy annual, biennial, or perennial and most often used in borders or potted displays. There are numerous types of dianthus – most have pink, red, or white flowers with notched petals.
Achillea millefolium, commonly known as yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a hardy perennial with fernlike leaves and colorful blooms. The large, flat-topped flower clusters are perfect for cutting and drying.
And this dainty perennial is the sweet pea or everlasting pea flower. The sweet pea is a herbaceous climbing vine with beautiful bright flowers that grow up to 10 feet long.
Baker Creek in Mansfield, Missouri, offers one of the largest selections of 19th century heirloom seeds from Europe and Asia, and now features more than 1,000 different seeds in its catalog.
I plant many Baker Creek seeds every year and love how they grow. Each of the colorful packets shows how the flowers look when in bloom or how the vegetables look when mature and ready to harvest.
Baker Creek also carries so many different and sometimes hard-to-find vegetable seed varieties. And, the seed packets have helpful information on how to grow a particular type.
I test what grows best in my garden and what I should plant the next season… or not.
Basil is a big crop here at my farm – I always grow lots of basil. I enjoy using it in my cooking and try as many different varieties as I can.
We begin ordering seeds in January and February. It is important to get seed orders in as promptly as possible so one is not disappointed when popular or rare selections sell out.
My garden is filled with poppies, another wonderful perennial. Poppies are those papery, tissue-like blossoms that look stunning both in the garden and in the vase.
Sweet pea seeds can be sown into small pots of compost in autumn and overwintered indoors, or planted directly into the ground come spring.
Here are some of the snapdragons I’ll plant this year. Snapdragons are available in most colors except blue and coordinate well with other garden bloomers. Snapdragons are known for wispy jaw-like upper and lower petals. A single stem averages 10 to 15 of these unique blooms, grouped closely together.
The head house counters are stacked high with seed starting trays ready for the next batch.
Ryan fills seed trays every day this time of year. These are Aster seeds. Aster seeds range from light to dark brown, and are long with pointed ends. They’re also fairly large and easy to see and handle.
As with all the seeds, Ryan drops one to three seeds into each cell. It’s always a good idea to keep a record of when seeds are sown, when they germinate, and when they are transplanted. These observations will help organize a schedule for the following year.
Every tray is well-marked. Ryan places a label at one end of each row indicating the variety of seeds that are planted.
And then after each tray is filled, it is covered with more Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix, watered and left in a warm location to germinate. Even when it’s blistery cold outside, it’s busy inside getting ready for the next exciting growing season.
Sometimes business trips take one to interesting and exotic countries filled with culture.
Last month, our own Kevin Sharkey traveled to Mumbai, India, to attend the milestone event celebrating designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee's 25th year in fashion. Although his time there was brief, Kevin also had the opportunity to tour a bit of Mumbai - he walked through the bustling flower and vegetable markets, visited the historic open air laundry called Dhobi Ghat, saw the detailed architecture of the Chhatrapati Shivali Terminus Railway Station, and learned about the city's rich history and diverse population.
Here are some of his photos, enjoy.
Kevin stayed at the famous Taj Mahal Hotel. Built in the Indo-Saracenic style, it opened in 1903 and has often been known simply as “The Taj”. The hotel is located in the heart of the city and overlooks the majestic Gateway of India monument.
The Taj is grand with more than 540 rooms and 44 suites. Here is a view from one of the floors.
The Taj is an architectural landmark. Here, Kevin captured one of the many arched entrances to the interior balcony.
Mumbai is also home to bustling markets. This is the Dadar Flower Market.
The best time to visit the market is early before sunrise, when vendors are setting up their stalls for the day.
Through the aisles are bags and piles of colorful flowers – roses, marigolds, chrysanthemums, lilies, etc.
Flowers are used for many events in India such as festivals, celebrations, weddings and religious ceremonies. Visitors often buy garlands for temple offerings and home decorations.
Garlands are made all day long from fresh cut flowers. These flowers come from local farms as well as distant nurseries.
Here are some cut flowers also for sale.
Other stalls, or booths, at the market include supplies for making one’s own decorations.
Here is a stall filled with skeins of string.
Indian street vendors are very adept. Many are seen carrying dozens of crates at a time.
This is a stall in the vegetable market. Baskets are displayed early in the morning filled with fresh greens.
Some are wrapped, some are sold loose, and some vegetables are tied neatly in bunches.
Fish is also popular in the market. Many of the common fish types are from the Arabian Sea.
Kevin captured this car as it pulled out of the market with the day’s purchase on the roof and supported by the passengers inside – where there is a will, there is a way.
This is called Dhobi Ghat, an open-air laundry in Mumbai. It was first built in 1890.
The washers, known as dhobis, work in the open air to clean the many linens and clothes from Mumbai’s hotels, hospitals, and other large companies. Rows and rows of drying linens surround wash pens throughout the Dhobi Ghat.
Thousands of workers flog, scrub, wash, dye, press, and bleach the items each day.
And here is a photo of the ceiling inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station in South Mumbai. Its tall vaulted ceilings are decorated with elaborate carved wood.
Inside the terminal is a combination of old Victorian Gothic Revival décor and Indian traditional architecture.
And here is an empty platform. Mumbai, which was known as Bombay until 1995, is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12.5 million. It is also considered one of the largest financial, commercial and entertainment regions of South Asia – rich in culture and history. If you haven’t been, consider a trip to India and Mumbai. There is so much to see. Thanks for the photos, Kevin.
What else would one celebrate on the 25th day of the year 2025? Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee's 25th year in fashion!
Last month, our own Marquee Brands Chief Creative Officer for Home, Kevin Sharkey, traveled to Mumbai, on the Western Coast of India, to attend the monumental celebration. Held in the city's Jio Convention Center, the space featured a stately "grazing" table filled with cakes, pastries, fruits, and charcuterie, surrounded by tall statues of tigers, elephants, and birds as well as local foliage and flowers. More than 760 guests were in attendance - all wearing the requested dress code of "strictly black." The celebration included a runway show of Sabyasachi's brand core elements of couture clothing, luxe accessories, and stunning jewelry. Actress Deepika Padukone and supermodel Christy Turlington anchored the fashion presentation. It was an evening commemorating the wonderful work of Sabyasachi over a quarter-century and an occasion that will be remembered for many years to come.
Here are some of Kevin's photos, enjoy.
Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s flagship store is his biggest yet – four floors and more than 25-thousand square feet housing an extravagant collection of clothing, accessories, and jewelry.
Bridal wear is on the first floor. Many of the gowns are from his latest Hamilton Collection.
Gowns are elaborate and include traditional shades of white and ivory as well as reds and maroons.
The gowns are made with heritage and Indian craftsmanship in mind. Many of Sabyasachi’s design inspirations come from his beloved hometown of old Kolkata, previously Calcutta.
Sabyasachi is well known for his clothing – sarees, anarkalis, bridal lehengas and other traditional Indian pieces.
He is also celebrated for his striking and timeless jewelry. He uses curated gemstones such as Zambian emeralds and fine diamonds.
His choker necklace designs are exquisite and detailed.
This is the formal jacket Kevin wore to the 25th anniversary event – all black in keeping with the dress code.
Here he is wearing the jacket and an elaborate necklace. In India, a formal man’s necklace is traditionally worn by royalty and grooms.
Here is a closeup of the piece decorated with diamonds and pearls. Men’s jewelry reflects the country’s rich culture and historical heritage.
At the evening celebration, guests were greeted by classical music.
Here is Sabyasachi himself, wearing his signature Bengal tiger design on his black sweater welcoming everyone to his celebratory affair.
Various Indian artifacts and decorative porcelain urns were also styled in vignettes around the space.
The venue was dimly lit to showcase all the décor.
The buffet was so beautifully arranged. This platter includes mixed, berries, olives, a variety of cheeses and salted nuts, pitted prunes, and other dried and fresh fruits.
Salamis, hams, smoked salmon, spiced chicken loaves, gravlax, and tomato and garlic croute were also on the menu.
Desserts were everywhere including colorful chocolate filled macarons served in giant bowls.
Smaller treats such as chocolate truffles and chocolate covered fruits adorned another area.
This is a decadent Belgian dark chocolate cake embellished with fresh fruits.
A traditional “grandmother style” Christmas cake with whisky, candied orange, figs, macadamia nuts, and ginger.
Beautifully decorated cakes lined the tables – there was enough for everyone to have seconds and even thirds.
It was so nice to see all these guests gather for the momentous affair – it was standing room only!
Wait staff dressed in traditional pink turbans served Dom Perignon to hundreds of guests.
The evening continued with a runway show of Sabyasachi’s designs. Deepika Padukone opened with a monochromatic and elegant white ensemble, a flowing trench coat, several necklaces, and a cross pendant.
Another model presented this luxurious gold floor length coat.
At the end of the show, supermodel Christy Turlington appeared in a black sweater, baggy trousers, and necklaces.
Here is Kevin with Sabyasachi.
The next day, Kevin attended a Sabyasachi Luncheon at the Taj Mahal Palace Ballroom in Mumbai. Here is a musician playing a traditional sitar.
The dress code for this event was tropical whites and other neutrals. In this photo, Kevin is joined by Saks Fifth Avenue Fashion Director, Roopal Patel, fashion entrepreneur Kalyani Chawla, and Bergdorf Goodman Senior VP of Fashion Linda Fargo.
Here is a snapshot of Sabyasachi, lifestyle journalist Bandana Tewari, business entrepreneur Tony Brand, and journalist Fern Mallis.
And here is Kevin with Sabyasachi and Fern. It was a brief and very full travel week for Kevin, but one he’d never miss. Congratulations Sabyasachi! Here’s to many more years of your exquisite designs and successes.
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