New to Me Nasturtiums
In Ohio I tried growing nasturtiums many times, they never did well at all. Everyone always said they were so “easy” and did well in poor soil, yet I could never get them to do anything at all in my garden. I finally gave up trying to grow them and moved on to other annuals. When we moved to Maine and I was growing in a different area, growing them never crossed my mind until this spring. A pack of ‘Night & Day’ nasturtiums were ordered from Johnny’s, started in soil blocks, and planted throughout the garden.
I was not prepared for the exuberance of these plants. Here by the front door they’re taking over their pots, growing up the side of the house, and being fantastic. I planted one between each tomato plant in the main garden, they are growing up way too big. Last week I cut them back hoping they would regrow but be a little less crazy. I’m undecided on whether I like these plants and will grow them again next year. This pale yellow is nice, especially by the front door. I’m not a big fan of bright, brash colors in the garden, which nasturtiums tend to be. I guess I’ll watch these the rest of the summer and see what I think in another month or so.
What annual that everyone says is “easy” have you struggled to grow?
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Fennel, Fennel, and more Fennel
I’ve loved fennel for quite awhile. I’ve tried growing it for just as long, without much success. It never failed that my fennel bolted before it formed bulbs, I probably count on one hand the number of bulbs I was able to harvest in all my years of trying to grow it. Then, two years ago I tried ‘Preludio’ fennel from Johnny’s and was finally able to produce fennel bulbs with remarkable consistency. This spring, I decided to see if it was actually the variety or the conditions here in my Maine garden that caused my success.
I seeded the same number of ‘Preludio’ and the heirloom variety ‘Florence’. I planted them in the garden and watched them closely. Out of the 8 plants of each I transplanted, only one ‘Florence’ produced a bulb, the rest bolted. As you can see by the image below, the ‘Preludio’ is on the left, ‘Florence’ bulb bolted in the middle, and the single bulb of ‘Florence’.
‘Preludio’ also produced much larger and tighter bulbs. We did a taste test and they were the same in taste and texture. Overall, I’ll keep growing ‘Preludio’ since it ensures my success with fennel. If you’ve struggled to grow fennel in your garden, give this variety a try. Another tip is to not disturb the roots. Seed in a soil block if possible and transplant before the roots get too big. Root disruption can be on the causes of bolting in fennel.
Do you eat fennel? What’s your favorite way to enjoy it?
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Nooks and Crannies in the Garden
If you remember, earlier this spring I talked about planting some creeping thyme under the front porch door. It was always an awkward spot, growing weeds and generally just making the entryway look a little unkempt. This small nook isn’t very large, the tiny front vestibule/porch area is only about 3×5 and underneath it is filled with gravel. Of course weeds always thrived in this spot, which was not my idea of what I want at my front door. This spring I thought creeping thyme might just be the plant to grow here. It will thrive in the dry gravely conditions and should keep weeds from taking root.
So far it’s working beautifully. I love being able to use these tiny nooks to grow plants, especially ones that pollinators love. This short thyme is finally established and starting to bloom. Overall, I’d say I solved this problem! Sometimes we can take these troublesome nooks and crannies and fill them with just the right plant to make them a feature instead of problem.
Creeping thyme is always one of my go-to plants when I have little nooks and crannies to fill in the garden. It grows in less than ideal situations and looks beautiful most of the year. It’s definitely a favorite plant around here.
What’s your favorite plant for nooks and crannies in the garden?
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Summer Bouquets
The cutting garden is providing a lot of flowers for both our home and for the homes of friends. Every few days I head out and cut annuals and perennials.
The cosmos, dahlias, and cerinthe started blooming last week. There are a few annuals I want to add to the garden next year just for cutting, especially bupleurum.
Along with the annuals I seeded for the vase, a few climbing and spray roses are starting to really start blooming. The speedwell is also really putting on a show this year. But really, it’s the cosmos that are the queens of the bouquet at the moment.
What’s your favorite annual flower to grow for cutting?
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One of These Things…
When I replanted the front foundation garden, I wanted a hedge of ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas across the front of the house with a row of boxwood below the rock wall in front of the hydrangeas. The goal was a monchromatic garden with only a few varieties of plants to make this area by the front door more calm and peaceful.
I had one hydrangea that I brought from Ohio. Since I wanted the garden to mature quickly, I decided to buy two more to fill the space rather than wait for ones I propagated to mature.
Annoyingly, one of the hydrangeas is not an ‘Annabelle’ at all. In fact it has golden foliage and lacecap flowers. It stands out between the two ‘Annabelle’ shrubs. It’s not an ugly plant, in fact I quite like the golden foliage and the little flowers. It will have to be moved though, because it doesn’t complete the look I was going for.
The good thing is that the flanking shrubs are large enough that I should be able to simply start layering the branches towards the middle to fill in the gap. It will take a few more years, but I won’t have to risk buying another plant and ending up with the same problem.
Have you ever had a plant not end up being what it was supposed to be?
