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Gardening

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So I have had this vision for a few years now ... it's been my dream to have a cottage garden in our backyard--for several reasons:



  • first, we have a tiny backyard and a tiny house, so cottage style fits our small space.

  • secondly, I have always LOVED the wild, out-of-control, natural look of a cottage garden (maybe we can attribute that to growing up in rural Southern Illinois?!).

  • Also, our entire backyard is visible from our living room and dining room, so I want to look at something beautiful this summer instead of the horrendous view you see here:


  • and, I want to teach Carlos about the process and the benefits of growing herbs and vegetables (I know--I'm such a teacher. I just can't help it).


  • lastly, I want to enjoy cut flowers in our house this summer, but I'm waaaaay too cheap to buy them on a regular basis.

I have already made several mistakes and am learning. Here are some pics:


Notice any mistakes?! The extreme "legginess" was an issue and almost all of them have died. Well, we live and we learn.


So I'm on my second go-round now. I'll post those (much more promising) pics when there's a break in the rain.


So I'm really excited!!! What am I going to be enjoying this summer? {fingers crossed!}



  • corn (supposedly really sweet, Sugarpearl variety)




  • bell peppers (California Wonder)




  • beefsteak tomatoes and cherry tomatoes



  • green beans (Garden Bean Provider variety)




  • carrots (these are supposed to be extremely sweet and tender)




  • and a ton of herbs

I'm considering planting Roma tomatoes as well, because they make excellent sauce.


In the way of flowers, I should be enjoying:




  • zinnias




  • delphinium




  • lavendar




  • sunflowers





  • poppies




  • ranunculus {LOVE these!!--it's my feeble attempt at enjoying peonies in this climate! ;) }



  • and some more annuals that I haven't figured out yet

I'm also planting some perennials and biennials so I can enjoy a garden in full bloom all next spring and summer:


  • coneflowers


  • shasta daisies


  • foxgloves


  • hollyhocks


  • canterbury bells, and


  • black-eyed susans.

I also want to plant a raspberry bush and a blackberry bush, but I might not plant them till next year because I want to do a lot of research and get the sweetest varieties.

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