Front Foundation Gardens
I don’t often post all-around garden photos that show large areas of our gardens. Right now is when I love the way our front foundation gardens look. They’re full of color and bursting at the seams with vegetables, flowers and herbs. I thought I’d share some overall photos of them.
These garden beds are pretty most of the warm months, they’re full of things that bloom throughout the season, bulbs for spring, flowers for summer and fall and kale for winter interest. July, however is my favorite season in the front foundation garden.
These gardens change every year. I plant new things and move old ones, or get rid of plants that I don’t like. This year I gave my mom a bright pink tall phlox and next year I think I’ll be getting rid of the daylillies.
They’re still a work in progress, this year I’m adding the rock edging along the front, and I also added a lot of edible plants (can you spot them?). I have bluberries, cabbage, broccoli, sweet potatoes, dill, thyme, chives, basil and hyssop growing in these beds.
I’d really like to keep all bloom colors in the purple and white category with perhaps the occasional pink or green thrown in. I’m slowing working my way towards that goal.
What’s your favorite time for your ornamental gardens?
What a good idea to use veg, flowers, and greenery to make up a garden. I have often thought that the texture and shape of veg like kale is almost as good as an “ornamental” – it adds interest and diversity to the usual round of plantings. In fact, I think that can be said of so many plants, especially this time of year when their leaves and blooms are coming out. It is amazing how simply looking at the different shades of green (for example) itself is pleasing.
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to Mangochild's comment
…Hello, I am new here, I found you the other evening when I was searching for info. on raised garden beds and strawberries. I think I spent a couple of hours on your site just soaking up the photos and all the information – what a great site! :o)
…Your foundation bed looks wonderful! I too love my flowerbeds the best in June & July. I need to work on making them appealing year round which is on my never-ending-gardening-to-do list. I edge my beds the same way that you do and find that to be the most effective and the most eye appealing.
…And next year I am going to start growing veggies and herbs in my well garden flowerbed. I’ve got to break out of this rut where only flowers go in the flowerbed and only veggies go in the garden.
…Thanks for all of the information you provide and the great photography!
…Blessings… :o)
.-= tj´s last undefined ..(Enjoy 10 returned posts for 2 weeks) =-.
to tj's comment
I really like your foundation beds, very colourful. I keep moving plants as well but then I think our tastes as gardeners change over time
to Helen's comment
Hello,
I’ve enjoyed reading your blogs and admiring your pictures. I am a gardener as well, and have several borders in my yard and 2 ponds, 1 is small the other is large enough for my fish. I was going to suggest with your leftover rocks you could make a pond and put the rocks around it and tuck in perennials for color. I bought both of my preformed ponds at a garage sale the small one was $5 and the bigger one was $10, being frugal as can be I thought it was a great deal, so I snagged them both up, I really wanted to use the plastic and shape it myself, but oh well, I still got a good price, I already had pumps leftover from my previous house,(I wish I could’ve taken the ponds too) Ha!. It’s just a suggestion to consider. Happy Gardening!
to Gardendivva's comment
I’m planning on putting in a small pond. My parents use to have a small preformed one and they actually got much bigger one so they gave us the old one. The only problem I foresee is digging the HUGE hole for it (since the ground is so rocky).
to Susy's comment
Hi Again,
Well if it’s to hard for you to dig, you can always hire my son out…ha ha. I use extra rocks as stepping stones in my borders if they are flat enough, it keeps me from walking on the soil and looks kinda cool too, the flowers sometimes creep or lay over the rocks, gives a nice touch to the borders, if nothing else put an add in the paper to give them away someone will want them I’m sure, rocks are insanely priced at quarries and places the sell rocks. Good luck!
to Gardendivva's comment