13 February 2008
[Garden Journal 2. Apologies for the recycled photo, but everything outside happens to be dead at the moment.]
It seems strange to start talking about flowers so early on in my garden journal, since flowers are so low on my list of priorities. But the spring (did I say spring? I meant the deepest deep of winter) is the time for planning, for choosing what will go where in your plot of land. So, flowers.
It's hard for me to want to give over any space for a plant that doesn't earn its keep – and by that, I mean 'feed me.' Gardens are a lot of work, after all. Last summer was filled with unbelievably hot spells and marked by a distinct lack of rain. Getting out with the hose every day, usually more than once, was necessary to keep everything alive, and I'm not sure I would have been as dedicated if it weren't for all the vegetables clinging to life. They were like my tiny children that I had to cherish and tend to (and then pick and devour).
The previous owners of my house planted quite a few perennials in the front yard and in the back garden (which was one teensy triangle at the very rear of the yard when I moved in). There are various bog-standard lilies, a lot of hostas, and a whole host of plants which produce tiny, delicate flowers (but nothing edible). Lucky for those plants, they withstand direct sunlight and drought very well, or they wouldn't have survived the summer. It's just hard for me to get excited about them.
And yet I'm planning on putting in a flower garden this spring. Why? Well, I do enjoy cutting flowers and bringing them indoors, and I love seeing the flower gardens in other people's yards, so I figure I might as well have one filled with my favourites. Also, there's a strip of grass along the fence that’s almost impossible to mow, so it might as well make itself pretty.
I also feel like a flower garden makes pretty good economical sense. Annual flower seeds are cheap, and perennials are a one-time investment. There’s less of a return on flowers (as compared to a $3 four-pack of broccoli seedlings feeding me for five months straight), but they are nice to look at.
So I'm planning on planting poppies and snapdragons, marigolds and pansies. Easy flowers, the kind you'd plant in a child's garden. And maybe that's why I'm drawn to the idea of a flower garden, as useless as they are. I have fond memories of being given a little plot of ground for my garden when I was growing up. I don’t remember my involvement ever extending beyond choosing the plants (and perhaps overseeing their installment), because gardens are full of dirt, and worms live in dirt. Thank goodness I never saw the June bug larvae that live under my current lawn. They DEFINITELY aren’t worth battling just for the sake of flowers.
So let's put my flower garden dreams down to nostalgia and sentimentality. Not that strip of lawn I'm tired of mowing. And definitely not paranoia about tomato-snatching neighbours.
Hey Anna,
A good reason to plant flowers near your vegetable garden is that the flowers attract pollinators which ultimately benefit your veggies. And you get pretty blooms to enjoy while your at it.
posted by jean at February 14, 2008 01:41 AM
no no, it's never too early start "flower talk" :)
here, in Denmark, flowers already blooming... just too bad that's not in my garden! Only on windowsill and in the lawn... but that makes my heart sing!
I hope your plan to have a flower garden will work just perfect!
posted by ievute at February 14, 2008 03:24 PM
Thanks for the Zipper Bag Tutorial from 2006. I have posted today pictures of
two I made using your instructions. I also gave the link to your tutorial. Good job on the instructions!
Debbie J.
posted by Debbie J. at February 15, 2008 04:21 PM