Nursery Garden

I think it is fun and rewarding to try something new in the garden each year. Sometimes it is a different type of configuration, such as when we added more wooden raised beds. Usually it is as simple as trying new varieties of our favorite vegetables. But this year I used two of the veggie beds as "nurseries" for some flowers. I started lots of plants from seed, and most were ready to go into the ground from the greenhouse at the proper time. But a few flowers, both perennials and annuals, were started kind of late and were not really big enough to put into my already crowed garden borders. So when the weather warmed up and got too hot in the greenhouse I put them out in two vegetable beds to continue growing.

Most of the perennials were ones I was already familiar with such as red valarian, English daisies, and hollyhocks. But there were some annuals that I had never grown before and it was nice to get an idea of how they grew before adding them to the borders. The plain pink malvas were way too floppy and I won't grow those again. But the tall ageratum and annual asters were perfect! I will definitely plant these again. I've heard that those tall ageratums are good self sowers. I wouldn't mind having them all over the gardens:)

With the heat and lack of rain this past month, the yard is looking a little run down. But most of the flowering is over any way and it will be time to cut things back soon. Rick and I will be going on a little road trip soon and when we come home I think I will be ready for fall. How about you? Ready for the pumpkins and gourds?