The garden is completely finished and ready to grow. It was lots of work but, oh my, did I enjoy the effort. The slide show features about 25 pictures. And below are some more details:
This years garden, a list, left to right in fan formation:
Time to eat some dinner and then hit the showers! I'm a dirt filled mess. But I love it.
This is the full view of the garden. It's a smallish space but I planned and planned so I could pack in as much as possible for the summer.
This is a "keyhole" though is looks more like a champagne glass. The idea is that instead of having rows you have a fan-shaped garden with a keyhole in the middle from which to harvest/plant from. That way, you maximize the available space for planting. For more about how to make a keyhole garden, see this site from Porchside Gardening.
Detail 1: front left side. From left to right - Border: veronica. First row: Yellow, Blue, White and "Matrix Morpheus" violas. Second row: Fragrant Sumac, Calamint, Indian Carpet Dianthus, Russian Sage. Third section: wildflower seed mix from dollar section of Target (can't tell if it's just weeds growing there or actual flowers. Time will tell...), Dreams Red Petunias. Fourth section: cilantro. Shrub: ?hemlock?
Border: Sundial mix. Front: Cilantro, Kale, Parsley. Back: White Phlox, Sumac, Hosta, Primrose, Violet, Orange Viola, ?Daisies? (though they might have been drowned by the gutter run off?). Underneath (already bloomed): Mini Daffodils, Blue Hyacinths, Purple Tulips
Back wall perennials, close up
Rain collection corner. The gutter overflows. I've dug a hole in the corner and lined it with rocks so the water heads downward away from the rest of the garden area when the overflow occurs. I put a bucket and the watering can to collect the runoff. There's a little plastic white fence and these tin butterflies to protect the garden from the backsplash. That gutter has killed too many plants and it has already been "fixed" so it's just going to stay that way. Permaculture talks about working with the elements, so that's what I've done. I've also planted Lemon Balm near it, since they're resilient and really like water.
Right side of garden: Back to front - sweet peppers, basil, thyme, sage, dill, chive. Also: Grandpa Ott's Morning Glories along the fence, black dahlia up front, Clear Crystal Mix along border and veronica as ground cover.
Front to back: Welcome Frog, chive, scallion, lemon balm, in planters further back: Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
Planter: according to the mailing I got from Mahoney's Garden Center, planters are supposed to "Thrill" with something tall, "fill" with something lush, and "spill" with something that flows out of the sides of the planter. I chose sundial mix to thrill, Dreams Red Petunia to fill and Clear Crystal Mix to fill. For $5! (Total $10 for the plants but only used half of each in planter, put the rest in the garden.)
Hello Welcome Gnome. You are so cute. If I put batteries in him, he'd talk and say things like, "Some gnomes get to travel around the world. Look what I get: THIS!" and another pithy things.
THE END -- but really, THE BEGINNING
I hope harvesting is as yummy as it looks to be.
This years garden, a list, left to right in fan formation:
- veronica ground cover
- yellow violas
- blue violas
- white violas
- "Matrix Morpheus" violas
- fragrant sumac
- calamint
- Indian Carpet dianthus
- Russian sage
- wildflower mix
- butterfly and humming bird mix
- Dreams red petunias
- cilantro
- White Phlox
- mini daffodils
- blue hyacinth
- sundial mix
- kale
- purple tulip
- hosta
- parsley
- mini daffodil
- blue hyacinth
- primrose
- violet
- orange viola (per.)
- ?daisies?
- sweet red peppers
- lemon balm
- scallions
- thyme
- basil
- chive
- sage
- dill
- black dahlia
- clear crystal mix
- Grandpa Ott's Morning Glories
- veronica groundcover
- Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
Time to eat some dinner and then hit the showers! I'm a dirt filled mess. But I love it.