I think being in "full bloom" myself (pregnant) has given me a strange attraction to growing things this spring. I went crazy with annuals, perennials and our garden this May! I just planted the garden this afternoon; Memorial Day Weekend is the typical time to plant here in West Michigan. We DID have frost last week! But I'm hoping that my plants will be safe now.
Of course, being a designer, I couldn't have a standard rectangular garden with straight rows of vegetables. I am stuck with a rectangular garden, and too small of one in my opinion, but I've never let constraints like that hamper my creativity before! So this year I laid out a formal diamond shaped garden with a triangular bed in each corner. The very center will be a tall spray of pink gladioli, surrounded by yellow bush beans then marigolds defining the diamond center. Around the diamond is a narrow walkway to allow access to the corner beds: one for herbs, one for climbing green beans, another for zucchini and the fourth for 2 tomato plants and some green peppers. All of this will be enclosed with a chicken wire fence laced with morning glories, sweet peas, and perhaps some more climbing beans (love beans). A huge climbing rose is the backdrop set up against our shed.
I also have several perennial beds, my favorite of which features all purple and yellow blooms. This year will be the first time my hollyhocks should bloom - I'm hoping for good 10-footers! Last year we had 9 o'clocks given to us, which opened up around 9:40 pm each night. No sign of them poking up yet. They are some of the strangest, if not coolest, flowers ever created by God. From bud to bloom in about 5 seconds! We invited friends and family over just to watch them open!
With all these flowers to care for, I'm hoping my back holds out until baby arrives. I have already started training my gardening staff (aka children) on how to water and weed the beds and containers. They are very effective, if not a bit overly exuberant in their work.
Any interesting plants or flowers that have been tried by YOU?
interesting reading about your gardens. I have to admit...I don't plan them out like you do. I like haphazard looks in gardens though....
ReplyDeleteThis year I"m trying some new perennials. Some I don't know the names of.. my dad pulled them out of his garden for me. Some I picked up the local garden stand. Have you ever grown a "balloon flower" or "red hot poker"? These are both new to me. Will be interesting seeing what they add to the gardens. (I have five just for flower gardens and the we have six raised veggie gardens)