The Big Garden Inventory 2011

Last week we took a tour and inventory of the kitchen garden next to the house. This week it's time to go down to the Big Garden and see what's growing! This garden is planted primarily with flowers but a few vegetables did find their way in. Here's a complete list of what's growing there this year:

Seed

• "Hutterite Soup" Bush Bean - Seed Savers Exchange
• "Queen Sophia" Marigold - Johnny's Select Seed
• "Durango" Marigold - Johnny's Select Seed
• "Tangerine Gem" Marigold - Johnny's Select Seed
• "Red Gem" Marigold - Johnny's Select Seed
• "Lemon Gem" Marigold - Johnny's Select Seed
• "Persian Carpet" Zinnia - Renee's Seed
• "Zahara Double Cherry" - Zinnia -Johnny's Select Seed
• "Blue Point Bouquet" - Zinnia - Renee's Seed
• "Bling Bling" - Zinnia - Renee's Seed
• "Speckled Hound" - Winter Squash- The Cook's Garden
• 199 Misc. Dahlias - various sources

Plants

• "Profusion" Mixed Colors - Zinnia - Peoria Gardens
• "Apricot Profusion" - Zinnia - Peoria Gardens
• "Lady Bird Cream Purple Spot" - Nasturtium - Log House Plants
• "Sunrise Serenade" - Morning Glory - Log House Plants
• "Grandpa Ott" - Morning Glory - Log House Plants
• "Split Personality" - Morning Glory - Log House Plants

The "Hutterite Soup" bush beans are now about 8" tall. They are doing well but I really don't think that there will be enough time for them to grow beans to maturity before the rains come this Fall. I just got them planted too late this year. It's already a week into August and they haven't even bloomed yet.

I ended up with more rows for flowers this year then I had flowers started to plant in the rows. So it was off to the nursery! I came home with a couple of 6-packs of "Apricot Profusion" Zinnias. I have grown many of the Profusion series from seed, but hadn't ever heard of the apricot color before. I took a chance and I am so glad that I did. It is a wonderful shade of orange that just glows on overcast days. I can't wait for the plants to really branch out and be covered in this terrific color.

One of the many "new-to-me" plants that I started from seed this year are the Gem series of Marigolds. These dainty plants are getting covered in the smallest, single blooms of reds, oranges, and yellows. I think these plants would be better displayed planted in a pot closer to eye level then they are here in the ground. I do think they are awfully sweet though and it will be interesting to see how tall they get.

The "Zahara Double Cherry" Zinnias are another new one for me. I read about this variety in an issue of Organic Gardening last year and decided that I wanted to give it a try this year. It shouldn't be too much longer before the first blooms open.

My two rows of "Persian Carpet" Zinnias are finally starting to take off. These poor guys didn't get planted until quite late so they have some catching up to do. They will reach a height of only around 12" so they are a bit quicker to bloom than some of the other taller varieties.

A perfect bud on a "Bling Bling" Zinnia. This is another new variety for me. The colors on the package are super bright as the name implies. It should make for a dazzling row.

I think that this "Blue Point Bouquet " Zinnia will be the first zinnia that I started from seed to open. I haven't grown this variety for two years and I am excited to have it in my garden once again. It offers a great color assortment on nicely sized, well branching plants.

The dahlias have just started to open. Here is a bloom of a new-to-me Pom "Valda".

Another Pom, this time the pink beauty "Lismoore Peggy". This particular bloom is perfectly round, just as a pom should be. It would be a great candidate to take to a dahlia show.

One of my favorite collerettes "David Lam". It is such a beautiful shade of dark red.

A partially opened bloom of "CG Nordic".

And this bloom is all about potential! An immature bud of "Ryecroft Dave's Choice", an excellent show flower. Depending on the weather this bloom should be open in about a week I would guess.

A view looking across all of the dahlias down toward the flower rows at the far end.

Yes, there are a few vegetables in this garden! Here are two of my four "Speckled Hound" Winter Squash. Considering what a shady, and slightly damp place that I have planted them in, they are doing remarkably well.

Here are two fruit on one of the plants. The yellow fruit on the left did not get pollinated and is in the process of falling off. The one on the right did get pollinated, I think, and should begin to rapidly expand in size. Fingers crossed!

Here is my trellis planted with many varieties of Morning Glories. Because this picture was taken in the evening most of them have closed up for the day. I have had a big problem this year that when the varieties finally bloom they are not the variety printed on the plant tag. Oh well, I love them all so it's just been a bit of a surprise to see what all I have.

Here is a bloom that has started to close of "Sunrise Serenade".

I have had a lot of these open this week. Again, it is not the variety on the tag but I think it is "Flying Saucer".

And I can't forget Dorothy's rose. It is still throwing off a beautiful bloom here and there. I don't know its true name but it is a reliable performer year after year.