Painting the Flower Beds

This weekend we added another compost amendment to the Eleven Beds and last evening a soaking thunderstorm gave the garden a boost. So today I was out early with my basket of seed packets. For me, sowing the annual seeds is the most enjoyable aspect of gardening because it gives a painterly chance to play with color and texture.

I’m trying a row of lavender behind the peony bed. I always enjoy a wild mix of zinnias and this year planted Lilliput Purple, Queen Lime Red and Lime Orange, and Benary Giant Coral. I mixed pink, blush and white Cupcake cosmos with purple verbena and stock to create islands of movement all around the garden. Bells of Ireland, Penstemon and Larkspur were mixed together in a bucket of soil to broadcast onto prepared beds and then raked in with my grandfather’s tilling rake; hoping the experimental planting method will make a lush blend of dark blue and apple green. The great news is, we have a lot more seed varieties and lots of room for planting them.

JRG

Blush Cosmos

JRG Flower Beds

Grandpa's Tilling Rake

Bells of Ireland

Larkspur

Penstemon

Lavender

Verbena

Benary Giant Coral Zinna

Queen Lime Red Zinna

Peony

Lilliput Purple Queen Zinnia