in the garden with cake; april 26

as we prepare for the urban gardening festival, lots of new exhibits are taking shape.  due to the continuing issues with root knot nematodes, we are experimenting with methods of vertical gardening.  even better is that this method repurposes milk jugs that would otherwise have gone into the trash.

 the rain garden has gotten a lot of attention this spring.  the basin has been weeded and aerated.  the grasses and sedums on the berm have been thinned and we are preparing to dig out some of the excess plants for sale at the festival.

 the square foot garden is shaping up nicely.  if you would like to garden and have little space, you should consider this method because it really works.

 the herb garden has gotten a new fence and it looks like a whole different place!  we are experimenting with hugelkultur in the herb garden so keep visiting the blog to see the progress of the plants.

 this little block garden is already producing large amounts of herbs!

 the seeds i planted in the keyhole garden are sprouting-i cannot wait to start picking lettuce and greens.

 want to learn about composting?  let us help you, we have several methods in use at the garden.

 tiarella, the current rock star in the shade garden

 i love this combination; golden creeping jenny, blue spruce sedum and dragon's blood stonecrop.

 beans are ready to grow up!  climb the vertical garden, climb!!!

 before you know it, the false blue indigo in the rain garden will be the star of the show

and of course, the nematode remediation plot.  the mustard and rape seed have sprouted, just waiting for the marigolds to get going.  we hope this works!!!

catching up with the garden!

 summer is here!  just look at how the rain garden has exploded!  the yucca has put on its show and several other plants are too.

we aren't the only ones loving the yucca, leaf footed bugs seem to like it too.  i spent some time catching them and dropping them into a bucket of soapy water to kill them.

soldier beetles are always welcome-they are predatory and can eat large numbers of pests such as aphids.

 native butterfly weed and salvia in full bloom near the rain garden.

 beauty berry in the rain garden is blooming.  it won't be too long before it is covered in tiny purple berries.

 the three sisters are growing up and out!

the corn is already producing ears

 blue plate sedum, one of my favorite plants in the rain garden

 mexican oregano in bloom

 the lavender is in full bloom too and the bees are loving the nectar

a close up shot of the lavender

 we have a raised bed that if home to asparagus and potatoes.  did you ever see the blossom from a potato vine?  they are pretty and short lived.  these were gone in a day.

when you see this blossom, it is pretty obvious that potatoes are a night shade plant.

 just look at the square foot garden!  can you believe how nicely it is doing?  a big round of applause goes to shirley for such an impressive sight!

 there is so much to see in that 4x8 bed

 have you ever wondered what a carrot flower looks like?  wonder no more.  shirley let some of the carrots in the square foot garden flower.

thousands of tiny white blooms on each stem.  can you see the resemblance to queen anne's lace and poison hemlock; they are all in the same plant family.

radish blooms

 the vertical garden is finally planted and beginning to grow

 black and blue salvia in bloom

 monarda, commonly called bee balm, in the herb garden

 tarragon in bloom

 walk around the garden and you will find buckwheat growing in random places.  we just toss the seeds around so that it will grow all over.  it attracts green lacewings which are beneficial to the garden since they love to eat other insects.  it also attracts little bees.

 the next generation of buckwheat plants

 this year i have decided that thyme is one of my favorite plants in the garden.  there are so many types to choose from.  it is considered a beneficial plant because of the insects it will attract, it can be used in many dishes and some varieties, like this elfin thyme, make a great ground cover that can withstand some foot traffic.

 and i am not sure who we have here.  isn't it pretty?  this little metallic insect investigated that entire coneflower blossom-i wonder what it was looking for.

and as always, a cake.  this weeks offering was a strawberry ribbon cake with nut crumb topping.

urban garden festival, may 18, 2013

 after a frantic couple of months of planning, planting and just about anything you can think of as related to maintaining a garden, we finally had our chance to show it all off.  thankfully, the rain held off and we had some sun, especially nice since we set it all up in the rain on friday!    as you came in from the parking area, these electric pink azalea bushes greeted you.

the rose society had a lovely selection of roses for sale.

our own plant sale featuring plants from our home gardens.

the new kid on the block, the keyhole garden.  to see how we built it, be sure to look at the keyhole garden page by clicking the tab above.

 all around the outer edge are herbs and beneficial plants that will attract beneficial insects to help us control the damaging ones.

 henny penny abandoned her nest but we left it up in the arbor for another bird to use.

 the herb garden has exploded with all of the rain that has fallen.  the large plant in the left/back is a comfrey that is putting on quite a display with all of its blooms.

 beautiful iris in the herb garden

this orange thyme has become one of my favorite plants.

 so many people were intrigued by the pallet garden.  i answered many questions about building one.

 a new feature for the show, a wildlife garden.  it is easy to get your yard certified as a wildlife habitat.

 cute statue and a lovely weigela in a pot

 the coreopsis in the rain garden is showing off its color

 the rain garden had a real workout the last few weeks and it shows in the lush new growth of all of the plants.

 the square foot garden, a great way to produce large amounts of vegetables in a small space.

 the zombie garden looks a little sparse but that will change as we add more dead bodies...

 the shade garden is always one of my favorite places to be.  

 our sedum garden is filling in nicely.

sedums have become one of my favorite plant groups.  they are hardy, versatile and the number of varieties is so great that you can always find one more...

all in all, the show was a success.  we had two food trucks join us, your dish is our command  and the yum cupcake truck, the food was great!  we hope you come out again next year!