Flowers on the Homestead

[Wannabefree]

I sure picked a ton a few years ago. Amish was letting me pick for a dollar a dozen and I was selling for 3 a dozen, sold a ton. They let me do that when they have trouble moving stuff and they planted WAY too much that year lol!

 

[tortoise]

I found my hollyhock plants from last year. We had a warm week in February and they came up and the froze again. They look pretty rough and I lost half the plants. At least the apple tree didn't blossom early! We haven't had apples for 2 years because of late frosts!

 

[Britesea]

I prefer flowers with strong sweet scents. Unfortunately, DH is allergic to jasmine, honeysuckle, and wisteria so those are out. But I LOVE the old damask roses, even though they only bloom for 2 weeks. Just one plant will be enough to perfume the entire yard with the most heavenly perfume. I also like sweet peas, nicotiana, moonflower and mignonette. I try to plant a few around the vegetables every year, but I don't always manage it.

 

[freemotion]

It's a cold spring so the early flowers aren't that exciting. Food plants have pushed out many of my flowering plants but I do keep a few perennials in amongst the perennial food plants. Pink hibiscus, pink peonies, and four different irises.

My pride and joy is the shade garden. That has got so many beautiful things and I add to it every year. I splurge on one or two plants at the local Greenhouse as they have a very extensive shade garden section. Or I go to the local hosta farm and buy something very showy and usually expensive. It's a present to myself. I'm so practical and most ways. Then I buy several flats of impatiens and a few other shade annuals to go in between all the perennial plants in that garden. Then when they have their end-of-season sales in mid-June, I buy up a bunch of New Guinea impatiens which are extremely showy.

No pictures, because that garden will come into its glory in another month or so.

Of course, any of the food plants can be rather showy. Apple blossoms are quite beautiful, and peach blossoms are amazing! The large leaves and red stems of rhubarb are a great backdrop for other flowers. A neatly staked and pruned tomato plant adds color to a garden as much as flowers will. I always put two or three tomato plants up by the house and keep those ones much neater then the bulk of my tomatoes in the main Garden.

 

[Britesea]

I read that originally, potatoes were grown in flower gardens for their pretty blue flowers, because they didn't know you could eat the tubers.