Of Dirt and Flower Petals

A gardening blog of things that bloom about the garden. What to grow next?

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Hi there! This side-blog is dedicated to my garden, which likes to surprise me every year with beautiful blooms and new things. I hope it brings a little whimsy to others, too!

There are two important things to note:

I update every few days because a garden is always in motion. The ecosystem around here likes to live. We have bunnies, lots of rain, and sun! So, things are always popping out of the ground; I don't want to flood feeds.

This is a seasonal blog. So, I won't be updating much in the later months of Fall/December as things prepare to go dormant and we start our seedlings in the spring, but I think it's fun to go through the journey of sprouting our seeds together until they're placed in the ground.

divider by uzmacchiato

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Garden Update! 8/5/2026

Hi! I'm back! I was gone for a while because I was focused on a family vacation, and so I finally returned home a few days ago to find things exploding! This was how I had left my indoor sproutlings before heading on vacation. The sunflower greed is insane!

This is what I came home to!

The sunflower is on something, but my lavender is also finally growing 🤗 yay! Also, I looked outside at the potted plants, and they are still doing great! The strawflower bloomed. It's standing just about as tall as me. I'm 5ft. I think using a tall planter was not the best idea, since it towers over everything else, like the Tower of Orthanc, but you know what? This is fine because it's still very beautiful 🌸. The petals do feel like straw, and the color is beautiful! I did notice some mushrooms growing at the base, though, so I think I might need to place my planter on wheels to move it out of the way on rainy days. The forget-me-not continues to bloom; the daisies are growing very, very slowly but are still okay. 🤗

I've been focused on clearing a portion of our backyard for a veggie garden, too. What would be the easiest to start, you think? 🤔

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

I bought more flower seeds. Snapdragons, marigolds, lavender, sunflowers… I also got herbs and veggies. I know my backyard hates to see my coming 😏

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Update, 6/17

Hello there, sunshine ☀️🥹🌻

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Updates, 6/14 🌻

Today, Kaoru the sunflower, is showing more of his openness. Yellow in his petals is becoming more noticeable. You can kind of peek inside a little. 👀

Kyouka, the forget-me-not, is still blooming! I didn't think she would add more little flowers, but the stems keep blooming. The strawflower is growing taller, and the daisies are... dilly-dallying. I think, collectively, the daisies must have 1 brain cell between them, because there aren't really any updates other than that they haven't browned lol. So they are alive, just taking time to grow and appear.

The little rose bush is doing fine! Yes, it's brown, but as long as its stems remain green, it can bloom more roses! Just need to chop the dead rose bulbs, and you'll find more sprouting like the bigger rose bush!

Additionally, my Hibiscus are happy! They are finally opening up and showing more of their pretty colors. The white and lavender petals are so beautiful and very soft. In the words of my littlest, "It smells so good!"

[chaoticgoblin99]

I couldn’t comment on your post ☹️ buttttt

🥰🥰🥰🥰 a lot of my flowers are coming in and I’m so happy with them 🥰🥰

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Oh my gosh, look at those COLORS!!! So bright and lively! Whoa, this is definitely the most wonderful time of the year :)

Gosh, those lilies are so beautiful. I can't take my peepers off them. I bet they smell amazing! The poppies are so CUTE! Thank you for sharing them with me 🤗

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Updates, 6/14 🌻

Today, Kaoru the sunflower, is showing more of his openness. Yellow in his petals is becoming more noticeable. You can kind of peek inside a little. 👀

Kyouka, the forget-me-not, is still blooming! I didn't think she would add more little flowers, but the stems keep blooming. The strawflower is growing taller, and the daisies are... dilly-dallying. I think, collectively, the daisies must have 1 brain cell between them, because there aren't really any updates other than that they haven't browned lol. So they are alive, just taking time to grow and appear.

The little rose bush is doing fine! Yes, it's brown, but as long as its stems remain green, it can bloom more roses! Just need to chop the dead rose bulbs, and you'll find more sprouting like the bigger rose bush!

Additionally, my Hibiscus are happy! They are finally opening up and showing more of their pretty colors. The white and lavender petals are so beautiful and very soft. In the words of my littlest, "It smells so good!"

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Updates 🌸

Kaoru the sunflower is blooming! See how the bulb is opening up, layers pulling back with yellow tips at the top? It might not be long before he's opened up fully! It's been sunny, it's been raining, it's been humid. Needless to say, he's thriving! I'm so happy and excited to see him open up!

Additionally, I went ahead and transplanted the other little guys I was growing into a larger pot because they could no longer fit in my indoor grower.

Kyouka, the forget-me-not, is still sprouting beautiful little blooms 😊 I'm still waiting for the daisies and the strawflower to show some signs of life. Strawflower is the large plant towards the middle. Very sturdy, very strong. I wonder what colors they'll be. I already forgot the seed packaging I bought, lol. The other two are daisies.

And finally, some more pop-ups! 👀 Hello there, lily.

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Kaoru (sunflower) has grown so tall! He made it through the night, not a bite from the bunnies 🫡 he's a brave lil guy

I did see a bloom in the rose of Sharon (aka as Hibiscus) earlier today 👀 I think their time to bloom is close! I have three of these flowering shrubs.

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

It’s the way they are so tiny, delicate, and resilient. 🌸

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

It’s been raining here for the past week, and for the first time today, we had some nice sunshine!

Say hello to Kaoru, Hikaru’s sunflower brother, loving the sunshine, and the tiniest, smallest little forget-me-not that bloomed overnight. What should I call it? 👀

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Forget me not has been named Kyouka 🥹🌸 Here she is with a second bloom free! A few more will sprout soon! You can see the lilac coloring on the bulbs. They may just show up tomorrow.

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

It’s been raining here for the past week, and for the first time today, we had some nice sunshine!

Say hello to Kaoru, Hikaru’s sunflower brother, loving the sunshine, and the tiniest, smallest little forget-me-not that bloomed overnight. What should I call it? 👀

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

I’ve been keeping an eye out on my roses 👀🌿🌹They are loving the sun and weather!

This was yesterday, 5/12, still in buds but ready to burst!

Today 5/13, they are in full beautiful bloom. The peach, pink coloration they have is absolutely beautiful.

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Abundance 🥹 💕 Waking up to flowers from family near and far, and I can't stop smelling them! I’m putting one in every room 💐

Happy Mother’s Day to all mom’s out there! My heart feels full.

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

every single time

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Bloom Updates

This year, my garden has gifted me lots of pretty flowers. Here are a few that have bloomed this spring thus far!

(April 14, 2026) A clematis among the periwinkle.

(April 22, 2026) Hello, Iris, sprouting among the daffodils! Such a beautiful lilac color.

(April 30, 2026) Stages of Peonies 🌸Buds to blooms

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Hikaru Updates

In my previous post, I mentioned that I named my sunflower Hikaru. I wanted to give my flowers names so I could tell them apart. So these are Hikaru's updates.

April 21, 2026

I managed to transfer the sunflower outside, but as I was fixing its roots, some of them pulled off... (I stared in disbelief at the plant, hoping it wouldn't die now.)

April 22, 2026

There is a PLUS SIDE - I walked out this morning to check on it, and it is okay. The petals are still green, Hikaru is wilted, but they might pull through. 🤞

April 23, 2026

I spoke too soon. Hikaru's top petals were eaten, and I don't know whether to be upset or fine...because a clean cut off like that feels like a bunny rabbit, and I love the bunnies. *sigh* Time to invest in some wire.

[ofdirtandflowerpetals]

Previous Seedling Updates

Hi! These are all updates on the sproutlings. I might have more to post, so I'll split them up little by little until we're all caught up to May.

(March 17, 2026) A new army of sprouts 🌿I see the sunflowers ready to come out 👀

(March 20, 2026) Never seen a sunflower hiss at me before 🐍🌻(he needed a little help so I trapped it).

(March 25, 2026) The sunflower has escaped its trap!

(March 29, 2026) Flowers are much more lively today! 🌷

(April 2, 2026) Possibly the funniest setup I've ever had.

(April 8, 2026) My sunflowers are struggling, but the daisies and forget-me-nots are happy! 🌿

(April 12, 2026) Did you know sunflowers dance in the sun? It's almost time to place the sproutlings into their beds and planters now that I think about it. Decided to name the sunflower Hikaru!