What we’ve lost in space we’ve made up for in a growing climate that’s just a dream. Already I can tell that things just want to grow here, as opposed to the Colorado high desert where it is a miracle to get things to grow.
In the fall I planted some cool weather crops in our only little garden bed: parsley, cilantro, lettuce, kale and chard. Chives and strawberries were already in the bed. I planted a few perennials around the property, two David Austen roses and the rhubarb that I dug up and brought from Colorado. Earlier this spring I planted a whole bunch of ranunculus corms and some anemone plants I got at the local nursery.
We’ve started a few outdoor projects. Josh installed a path between the house and the studio that replaced a combo of grass/moss/mud that got super slippery when it rained. We’ve been spreading a fine gravel around to other muddy spots as well. Josh is working on plans for a fence that will give the dogs more yard space and provide a little bit of privacy. Currently the only place that we can put a grill without concern of it being stolen is in the backyard and we don’t love the idea of walking through the bathroom and our bedroom to grill food! Fencing in the front area will give us space to set up an outdoor table and keep our grill, smoker and pizza oven close to the kitchen and safe.
I recently had three cedar raised beds built and the soil and fish compost for those beds were delivered today. My veggies will be planted in the largest of these beds with overflow into our large garden area. I’m starting to get some seeds and other perennials planted about. And I really need to work on cutting the grape vines that have been left to go wild way, way back.
The large garden area to the side of the house (what we treat as the front of our house because we live on a corner) is full of lots of things that seem to have been left to spread. Lots of iris, white daisies and oregano fill most of the space. I’ll be digging a lot of that up to make space for annual flowers. I have a feeling the oregano will be the hardest to fight back.
I’ve started all kinds of seeds. See below for the list of everything I’m growing. I also have a few plugs on order of plants that are hard to start from seed. I’ve got dahlia tubers coming from a local farm and heirloom mums coming from 3 Porch Farms. I’ve barely scratched the surface of what I can get at local nurseries but let me tell you, it’s SO much more, and more unique than anything I ever found in GJ.
It was pretty heartbreaking to give up my brand new flower farm to move to Seattle, but it’s been so worth it. I’m endlessly excited about what’s possible here and also so grateful for a more manageable space. I really can’t wait to see what happens.
Click here to see a video tour of the garden as it is today.
Mostly comprehensive seed growing list:
Sweet Peas: dark matter, baker creek, sweet dreams, Hotham red, jack ellis
Feverfew: golden moss, organic, snowball
Blue Vervain
Larkspur: Smokey Eyes, misty lavender
Queen Anne’s Lace: Dara, queen of Africa, green mist
Yarrow: Cerise Queen, Summer Berries, Colorado Mix, Flowerburst Fruitbowl, Flowerburst Red, Summer Pastels, double diamond
Jewels of Opar
Lunaria
Verbena: purple top, vanity
Rudbekia: Chim Chiminee, cherry brandy, Denver daisy, sahara
Tassel Flower
Love in a Puff
Bachelor Buttons: Sweet Sultan Mix, Sweet Sultan the bride, tall boy, classic magic, ultra violet, blue jubilee gem
Bells of Ireland
Dahlia (seed): Cancan girls, petite florets, bee’s choice, shooting stars
Nicotania: Bronze Queen, Woodland Tobacco, crimson bedder
Marigold: crackerjack, star fire mix, Mexican mint,
Hyacinth Bean: Ruby Moon, Silver Moon
Zinnias: candy mix, cupcakes pink mix, binary’s giant mix, Lilliput mix, burpees big tetra, golden hour, second chance, peace, joy, queen lime blush, forecast, zinderella peach,
Celosia: pampas plume, pink champagne, fruit punch, vintage rose, pink chenille, lemonade, supercrest mix, glowing embers, coral reef
Amaranth: green tails, coral fountains, love lies bleeding
Dill: elephant, white, bouquet, mammoth
Fennel: Bronze, bulb
Basil: Propsera, purple ruffles, mrs burns lemon, sweet Thai, round midnight purple, Kapoor tulsi
Moon Carrot
Cosmos: cupcake blus, cupcake mix, velouette, versailles, psyche white, xsenia, apricot lemonade, double click mix, rubenza, seashells
Strawflower: tall mix, silvery rose, monstrosum mix
Clary Sage
Bee Balm: panorama, lemon, spielarten
Nasturtium: Alaska mix, Tip top pink
Scabiosa: black knight, starflower, pincushion formula mix, Fata Morgana
Echinacea: white swan, pale purple cornflowers, ruby star, Paradisio super duper
Cerinthe: pride of gilbrater
Craspedia
Gomphrena: qis mix, sunset mix, salmon pastel
Butterfly Pea
Marshmallow
Aster: Valkyrie Brunhilde, Credo Mix, Princess Mix, King sized apricot, tower
Grasses and greens: frosted explosion, bunny tails, bupulerum, apple of Peru, pennycress, attraxxa cress green dragon cress, emerald beads cress, garden mignonette, white migonette
Japanese Indigo
Sunflowers: Procut White Nite, Astra Rose, chocolate, vicent’s choice, precut white lite, Mexican sunflower mix, dwarf teddybear, Steve’s van goghs fantasy, summer breeze mix
California poppy: pink champagne, jelly beans mix
Chamomile: German, common
Nigella: love in a mist, Persian violet
Runner Bean: scarlet, sunset
Flax
Cup and Saucer Vine
Veggies: lemon cucumber, pickling cucumber, pole beans, radish, carrots, kale, arugula, beets, patty pan squash, spaghetti squash, lettuce, chard, artichoke, cardoon
Peppers: habenaro, pepperoncinin, shishito, poblano, jalapeno, purple bell, Anaheim, sprinter organic bell
Tomatoes: sun gold, green zebra, indigo cherry drops, heirloom tomato collection (4)
