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This is sunrise at Still House Cove, just around the corner from my house. Photo by Michael St. Jean |
We were very lucky this week and just got grazed by a major storm. We had strong winds but barely a dusting of snow. Today is cool but the sun is shining and it feels right to be thinking about all things green!
As I shared in my last post, a big rethink has happened
concerning the redesign of my front yard. I was never really happy with the
original plan I came up with (you can see it here). My vision for these beds is
using edible plants to create an attractive but useful landscape and I feel I
have achieved that better with this redesign.
As you can see, I have divided the beds up into four zones according
to the height of the plants: zone 1 being the shortest and zone 4 being the
tallest. The yard slopes slightly towards the street so I plan to plant perennial
edible ground cover plants (strawberries and cranberries) along the stone wall
to help prevent soil erosion.
This is the list of plants I will have to work with,
separated into zones by height:
Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4
Under 1 ft. 1ft-2ft 2ft-3ft over 3ft
strawberries (p) chives (p) rhubarb (p) hollyhocks (p)
cranberries (p) lemon balm (p) blacked eyed susans(p) bee balm (p)
violas (p) oregano (p) lavender (p) sunflowers
thyme (p) asters sage (p) vine nasturtiums
marigolds dwarf batchelor's buttons blue boy batch. buttons morning glories
border nasturtiums sweet peppers poppies
geraniums zinnias calendula
lettuce zucchini (patio) eggplant
red cabbage peppermint swiss chard tuscany kale
basil
broccoli
new zealand spinach
shisho
camomile
(p) perennial
Rosemary and mint - containers
Rosemary and mint - containers
I plan to add visual interest by using trellises and ceramic
planters. The planters are practical as well as a design feature. Herbs, such
as mint, will spread and take over the beds if not grown in a pot and
rosemary must be brought inside over winter so container gardening is the way
to go here, too. Originally I planned to plant a lot of lavender. After more
research, I decided that lavender’s sandy soil requirements make it a hard
plant to mix into a free form design. I have two beautiful pots I can use for lavender and then mix up the soil just as they like it.
Rhubarb continues to be one of the few signs of life in the garden. So far I only see new growth in four of my eight plants. |
As I hope to pack the plants in, I will place stepping
stones throughout the beds to prevent my big feet causing compacted soil!
Almost all of the plants I plan to use are edible, including the flowers, and will
be grown from seed. I’m
hoping I can strike the right balance between formal garden and country cottage
by creating a design that looks unintentional rather than just messy! Most of all I
hope the incorporation of edibles will spark conversation with neighbors and
maybe encourage some of them to try growing some of their own food.
Wish me luck as I join the less lawns, more food movement!
Sue
Wish me luck as I join the less lawns, more food movement!
Sue
Great list
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ken!
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