{Planted: Front Flower Bed}

• Zinnia- Queen Red Lime, Pinwheel Mix, Cut and Come Again Mix, Giants of California
• Nasturtium- Alaska Mix, Phoenix
• Cosmos- Seashells Mix, Early Sensation
• Poppies- Mother of Pearl
• Aster- Powderfuff Mixed Colors
• Bachelor's Buttons- Double Mixed Colors
• Stocks- Dwarf Ten Weeks Mix 
• Candytuft- Umbellata Mixed Colors
• Sweet William- Single Mix, Double Imperial Mixed Colors
• Marigold- Strawberry Blonde
• Columbine- Barlow's Double MC
• Calendula- Snow Princess
• True Lavender Lavandula Verdadera
• Yarrow- Cerise Queen

{Harvesting}

• Asparagus
• Strawberries
• Radishes

{Blooming}

• Iris
• Summer Phlox
• Tiny little pink flowers
• Sage, Russian Sage
• Lilac

{Planted: Bushes & Trees}

• Annabelle Hydraneas
• Blue Smoothie Althea
• Viburnum

{Planted: Front Flower Bed}

• Snapdragons, Tetra Mixed Colors- seeds, Valley Greene
• Ranunculus- roots
• Dinner Plate Dahlia, Contraste (purple with white tips)- bulb, Garden State Bulb Company *
• Hosta, Blue Elegance, Hosta sieboldiana- root, GSBC
• Echinops, Veitch's Blue, Echinops ritro- bulb, GSBC 
• Windflowers, Anemone coronaria De Caen

*dig up Dahlias at end of season in our zone.

{Blooming}

• Lilacs, Weigela, Wild Rose
• Iris

{Building the Trellis}

Trellis and Box Tutorial

{Gardening Sites}

• Abundant Permaculture
• Weed'em and Reap

{Burpee Order}

• Nasturtium, Phoenix
• Nasturtium, Alaska Mix
• Marigold, Strawberry Blonde
• Zinnia, Queen Red Lime
• Verbascum, Southern Charm Hybrid

{Planted: Herbs}

• Basil
• Dill
• Parsley
• Cilantro

Still Growing:

• Oregano
• Thyme
• Sage
• Chives
• Marjoram
• Way too much Mint

Need to Purchase:

• Rosemary
• Tarragon
• Savory

Need to Plant Somewhere Where I Will Know What They Are:

• Salsify
• Horehound
• Fenugreek

{Planted: Shallots, Onions, & Leeks}

Last year I planted onions in my herb garden and they did really well. This year I planted them around the perimeter of the cole crops and the root vegetables. The shallots and leeks in the same beds. I had to look up how to plant shallots because my only experience was with garlic...and they are apparently a little different. Shallots have two cloves and will, if spaced farther apart, produce clusters of bulbs instead of a singular. 

• Shallots, unknown variety
• Leeks, unknown variety
• Candy, Flat Italian, Red Onions

{Planted: Salsa & Sauce Garden}

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Eggplants
• Tomatillos

Companion Plants:

• Borage keeps away tomato hornworms. Improves flavor.
• Chives improve flavor and growth. Deters aphids and Japanese beetles.
• Garlic deters Japanese beetles and aphids. Do not plant near peas or beans.
• Marigolds stimulate vegetable growth and deters bean beetles, aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, nematodes, and maggots.
• Sage improves growth of tomatoes.

{Planting Links}

• Missouri Extension Planting Guide

{Planted: Cole Crops}

• Brunswick  and Early Golden Acre Cabbage
• Snowball X Cauliflower
• Spring Broccoli Raab
• Romanesco, Calabrese, De Cicco, and Sun King Broccoli
• Early White Vienna and Early Purple Vienna Kohlrabi
• Red Rubine Brussels Sprouts

Companion Plantings:

• Marigolds repel cabbage moths.
• Nasturtiums repel aphids.
• Celery repels cabbage worms.
• Dill improves flavor and growth of cabbage but keep away from carrots.
• Garlic deters Japanese beetles and aphids. Do not plant near peas or beans.
• Onions deter most pests. Keep away from peas and beans. 

{Planted: The Root Vegetables}

• Parisienne, Chantenay Red Cored, Danvers Half Long, Tendersweet, Scarlet Nantes, Short n' Sweet, Cosmic Purple, and Little Finger Carrots
• Hallow Crown Parsnips
• French Breakfast, Crimson Giant, and Easter Egg Radishes
• Laurentian Rutabaga
• Cylindra Red Beets
• Seven Top Turnip

Companion Plantings:

• Onions and Leeks repel carrot flies.
• Chives improve flavor and growth. Deters aphids and Japanese beetles.
• Radishes deter cucumber beetles. 
• Lettuce tenderizes radishes. 

{Planted: The Greens Garden}

• Florida Broadleaf and Southern Giant Curled Mustard
• Giant Noble, Teton F1, and Bloomsdale Spinach
• Swiss Chard Mixed Colors
• Black Seeded Simpson, Iceberg A, Burpee Bibb Lettuce
• Catalogna Chicory
• Rocket Arugula
• Batavian Full Heart Endive
• Red Russian and Scarlet Kale
• Upland Cress

{In Bloom}

Another purple Anemone, Daffodils, Jonquils, one singular maroon Pansy, Grape Hyacinths, and Dandelions.

{The First Greenhouse}

Today my eldest daughter and I headed down the highway to hit the first greenhouse of the year. It really wasn't quite time. The plants were mostly little seedlings and barely ready to go out into the world. I did however pick up some candy onion sets, shallots, and leeks. Then I may have added a Kolanche and a ....to my succulent collection, a variegated Wandering Jew, a pale pink double Geranium, some purple, white, and lavender Alyssum, and two red Cannas. I think we were lucky they were only starting out.

{Just a Few}

Stopped in to check out the orphans at Lowes (orphans are the clearance plants, my mother's name for them). Picked up a lovely white orchid, a succulent for a friend's birthday, a String of Pearls, a Jade in a tiny terra cotta dish. Josie wanted all the flower bulbs but we decided on a multi colored Dahlia and a mixture of Caladiums. She also chose a flower packet.

{Parsnips}

Prepping the garden for planting and I dug up a few massive parsnips. At least now I know I can grow them?

{The First Flower}

Our front flower garden receives a lot of shade since it faces east, therefore our flowers bloom later than everyone elses. There are daffodils, azaleas, even tulips, and mini iris popping up all over the place, except here. Finally though our first purple Anemone bloomed! Then Josie picked it. When confronted she said just stick it back in the ground! It will be fine! Methinks this child has been exposed to far more succulents than regular ole flowers.

{Growing a Starfruit}

The grocery store up the road often sells starfruit for a reasonable 99 cents. For a rare tropical fruit, that's a nice deal. So occasionally I pick them up, especially when I know the girls' friend who loves them is going to be around. I never really thought about attempting to grown one until I saw it mentioned somewhere today but now we are going to grow a Carombola tree from a Starfruit based on Easily Grown Garden's experience.

{Succulents}

• Succulents and Sunshine's list of places to purchase succulents.
• The name of the elusive succulent that I bought and subsequently slowly allowed to meet its demise. Orostachy Dunce Cap. Intersting name right? I've searched for this one ever since I desimated it and there it is smack in the middle of the photo. Another succulent that I intend to find somewhere, Sedum Coral Reef, that is if I don't already have it. 

{2017 Flower Garden Plan}

Divided by Location:

• Snapdragons, Sweetpeas, Yarrow, Chamomille, Iris, Gladiolia, Zinnia, Cleome, Cosmos
• Lilac, Butterfly Bush, Peony, Beauty Berry, Magnolia
• Lavender, Rosemary, Dahlias, Portulaca, Poppies, Sedum, Columbine
• Daisies, Echinecia, 
• Caladium, Ferns

{2017 Basic Edible Garden Plan}

Divided by Location:

• Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Eggplants, Peppers (Geraniums), Celery, Onions, Cucumbers
• Radishes, Carrots, Beets, Turnips, Parsnips (Nasturtiums)
• Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Broccolini, Kohlrabi, Brussel Sprouts 
• Swiss Chard, Spinach, Lettuce, Kale, Arugula, Sorrel, Leeks, Shallots, Garlic
• Beans, Corn, Squash
• Sweet Peas, Strawberries, Asparagus, Rhubarb (Calendula)
• Melons, Canteloupe, Watermelon
• Sunflowers, Artichokes, Sunchokes
• Ground Cherries, Gooseberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries
• Cherries, Apples, Pears, Plums, Nectarines, PawPaws, Mulberries, Persimmons, Limes
• Grapes, Elderberries, Goji, Acai, Kiwi, Figs
• Okra- trap crop. Never had Japanese Beetles until I planted okra...now I can't get rid of them.
• Sweet Potatoes- they take up an entire bed themselves. 
• 
  

{Looking For}

• Comfrey- much more difficult to find than I thought it would be.
• Spoon Tomatoes
• PawPaw- another one.
• Quince
• Hickory
• Pomegranate 
• Ocu- I found an article about ocu on MustardPlaster.
• Kousa Dogwood

{New Fruit for This Year}

• PawPaw
• Fig
• Kiwi
• A

{Fig & Kiwi}

• Chicago Fig
• Kiwi

{Baker Creek Order}

• Sugar Magnolia Tendril Pea
• Sunset Runner Bean
• Puerto Cortes Tomato
• Rinon Rippled Delight Tomato
• Costoluto Genovese Tomato
• Red Rubine Brussels Sprouts

• Kiwano African Horned Melon
• Minnesota Midget Melon

• Cerise Queen Yarrow
• Dwarf Ten Weeks Stocks
• Bullseye Toothache Plant
• Dara Flowering Carrot
• Snow Princess Calendula
• Bellevue Mixed Abutilon 
• Safflower Grenade Mix
• Mother of Pearl Poppy
• Giants of California Zinnia
• Thai Red Roselle
• Valerian