A Canvas for Flowers

This post's title isn't referring to my potato sack skirt. It's talking about my garden. This is another post that isn't about fashion, but is about style and personal taste, and I will strive to tie it to fashion.

The sign says, "Take a Peek at My Bloomers!" My son Desi is aerating the soil in the background beyond the Dwarf Japanese Maple.

This is one of the wine barrels in our garden. We grew our potatoes in it and will probably grow corn or squash in it next year. I'm going to follow the crop rotation chart in order to avoid soil disease and returning pests affecting the same crop. (Thanks for mentioning that to me, Christi!)

For now this barrel is a staging area. I tend to purchase more plants than I can get around to planting. These are a mix of ones I purchased either yesterday or two weeks ago. I have since planted nine "Stepables" groundcovers along our pathway where Desi and Augie helped me prepare the soil, and the Gooseneck Loosestrife and one of the sedums in the other wine barrel which is in front of the hedge. Per the gals at the nursery from which I purchased the Gooseneck, it is very invasive so it's good to put it in a container to contain the spreading.

I had always concentrated on planting flowers (I like flowers) so I'd have cut flowers. All it took was one winter to convince me to plant more green foliage. There are many 'native' plants to our area that will remain green all year. It's no wonder this is called "The Evergreen State." While all of the flowers die back, the evergreens stick around. So a garden doesn't have to be all dead sticks and mush.

How can I tie this to fashion? Well, the wine barrel with all of the not yet planted plants can be likened to a dressing room backstage at a fashion show with clothes that still need to be tried on and pinned, taped, or otherwise altered for the specific model. I still need to get these plants in the ground or a container and make sure I pair them with the right soil and amount of sun.

Or, you can compare the flowering--or 'floriferous,' a term I've learned this year--plants to seasonal pieces like gloves and scarfs, and the evergreens to your tried-and-true jeans or versatile black cardigan.

My bulb of choice: Allium--any kind
My flower of choice: That's tough because I love flowers. Considering hardiness, I'd say daisies. They're spreaders. I also like peonies and I'm always surprised when mine come back because I don't take the best care of them. I like dahlias because of the variety. Oh, and chrysanthemums. I like the lime green ones. I could go on-and-on.
Grass of choice: Corkscrew because they're crazy cool

Tomorrow: Chocolate Brown