Color in the garden - Yellow

Yellow is everywhere in my garden this year - florals and edibles. In the past I have been known to really over-do the yellows so I am much more aware of bringing other colors into the beds to create visual interest. Purple and yellow next to each other in the beds create tension because they are contrasting colors, or complimentary colors, meaning they are opposite each other on the color wheel. This creates tension to the eye and makes you want to look at it. My watercolor painting background comes in handy in the garden, too!

On the left: Pumpkin that appeared out of nowhere. Top left to right: Lantana, mouse melon, sunflower, blackeyed susan, State Fair zinnia, tomato.

What’s Growing in mid-July in the Mid-Atlantic

I am astonished that the lettuce (Burpee gourmet blend) has not bolted in this prolonged heat near Washington, D.C. I was planning on using the space for tomatoes when it opened up. It’s going strong and I don’t have the heart to pull it out. I have planted the tomatoes among the lettuce as it gets taller and taller. Mind you, the arugula and the spicy lettuce mix bolted weeks ago.

Clockwise from top left: Pumpkin, lettuce, mouse melon, tomato

I was able to collect mouse melon at a seed swap in February. Two plants survived from seedling and they are growing like mad. Must like the heat! They have tiny tiny flowers now and I am excited to see the fruits develop.

I got a couple of heirloom tomato varieties (German Johnson and Rinon Rippled Delight) at the seed swap and also grape variety. I had not started tomatoes from seed before but I was up for the challenge so I was seeking tomato seeds at the swap. I do not use lights or other contraptions, except for the light from the windows, and I was able to grow about 12 seedlings and get them in the ground in mid-May. Most survived – I have birds that really enjoy snapping seedlings in half in the spring and they found a couple of tomatoes and marigolds to decapitate. Because heirloom varieties can tend to grow very slowly and not bear much fruit, I also bought a couple of hybrid plants a few weeks ago to ensure a good harvest this year.

Stuttgart onions were set on St. Patrick’s Day and are going strong. That will be an empty area at the end of the summer in the raised bed. Beets? Spinach?

Green and wax beans are being planted in succession which means as space, any space, opens I put some seeds in the ground. I will continue that through the summer, curious to see how late I can plants seeds and see them through to fruit. I suspect the daylight will determine that. Bean freeze really well so I try to grow as much as possible.

Surprise, it’s a pumpkin growing in the backyard. It must have come from the jack-o'-lantern carcass I threw out there last November. I grew pumpkins intentionally last year, although I don’t think they were pumpkins at all, and they did not survive. Stay tuned!

Planning for the Fall Landscape

It has been extremely and unseasonably hot in the Mid-Atlantic where I live in USDA zone 7a. It’s hard to imagine wearing a sweater and admiring the fall foliage. But those days are coming and fall garden planning is on my mind. I have learned over the years that a successful flower bed or vegetable garden requires planning. Otherwise, I always feel like I am racing to catch up. And I never seem to catch up! 

Mum before pruning.

Mum after pruning.

One aspect of the fall garden that I love is chrysanthemums. I have collected a few plants over the years that I have kept alive over the winter and planted in the ground in spring. I get them to bloom in the fall by cutting them back about half-way around Independence Day. This allows the plants to continue growing, and forming flowers at the right time-when I am wearing a sweater and admiring the fall leaf color- and not in the heat of August. Aster is another plant that can be cut back now in order to have blooms in the fall.

How are you planning for your fall gardens?