I love to add to a variety of annuals with beautiful blooms to my containers, borders, and raised beds for visual interest—and for the pollinators that frequent my edible gardens (we like to call this idea of planting ornamentals in our edible gardens, and vice versa, Garden BFFs). There are three annual flowers that I tend to plant every year in my gardens, raised beds, and containers: zinnias, nasturtiums, and calibrachoas. I have a few favourite varieties, but each gardening season seems to bring a new one to market.
Corn mache: Perfect for the winter vegetable garden
I paid a visit to my winter vegetable garden over the weekend and discovered that one of my favorite cold-weather crops, corn mache, was still cranking out the green. While most of my winter vegetable garden was decimated by the deer, these delicious, succulent greens were safely tucked under the protection of milk jug cloches. I couldn’t have been happier to see those little green sprouts surrounded by the snow. Needless to say, I snipped off a few leaves and enjoyed them in my dinner salad.
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Four flowers for the vegetable garden
In the gardens of my childhood, there were always pots of geraniums, petunias, and sweet alyssum, as well as beds of cosmos, sunflowers, and nasturtiums, but there was no room for flowers in our vegetable garden. That traditional plot was a rectangular-shaped space and reserved for long, tidy rows of beans, peas, potatoes, and beets. Happily, (and in large part thanks to my fellow Savvy expert, Jessica!) flowers now play an important role in my food garden. They entice pollinators and beneficial insects, as well as provide an endless parade of blooms for the vase. Here are four flowers for the vegetable garden:
5 Terrific theme gardens
Just in case you’re not familiar with theme gardens, let me introduce you to this fun way to grow.
Theme gardens are unique places where all the elements support a single purpose. In other words, it’s a garden where every plant fits into one particular theme. Accessories and ornamental items – such as containers, plant supports, statuary, and other accents – fit the theme as well.
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Heirloom tomato varieties for your garden
I’ve been a tomato lover my whole life. Some of my finest childhood memories involve a sunny day, my mom’s crystal salt shaker, and heirloom tomatoes. Our house on Fry Avenue may have been small, but we sure did have a big garden, filled with rows and rows of heirloom tomato varieties. My mom grew nearly every vegetable our family ate, and what we didn’t eat fresh, she made into her famous tomato soup and sauces for the winter. Needless to say, because of my mom’s garden, I’ve grown into a bit of a “tomato snob.” I know what I like in a tomato, and over the years, I’ve grown hundreds of different heirloom tomato varieties in hopes of discovering new favorites. After decades of trial and error, at long last, I think I’ve managed to create my very own list of the best heirloom tomatoes.
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Make a holiday swag in five easy steps
Our latest Savvy Gardening newsletter was filled with creative ways to use the garden for holiday decorations. There’s no easier way to do just that than to make a holiday swag out of items you probably have right in your own backyard.
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