How are you using food plants in your cottage garden?

PrairieGirl,
Thanks for the garden compliment(also thanks to gemini sage), and yes I had the ornamental wicker balls on top of bamboo suppoort sticks- notice I said had, my difficult neighbor removed them again. I'll wait until next year to replace them. As for effortless and unaffected (so kind of you) my garden is planned and overthought and plants are continually moved. I frequently rip out whole areas and refine the plantings. Most of the really good combinations are happy accidents. Your photo of thyme and phlox in front of the beautiful rock wall is lovely and not overthought.

greenjay,
It is the bronze and green fennel that attract swallowtail butterflys. It's a host plant they use to lay eggs on. The Kale is in the cole, cabbage family, so it's the dreaded cabbage white butterflys they attract as well as aphids.
hey jude,
The kale likes cool weather and tastes sweetest after a frost. The1st crop should be planted 3-4 weeks before the last expected frost. I have them all summer(and through the winter) and they readily self sow (they even self sow in the cracks in the hot driveway asphalt). I haven't actually planted any for 5 or 6 years but do leave on the seed pods, they are quite ornamental but will need to be staked at this point. When the plant is past peak cut the whole plant down to a 3 or 4 inch piece of thick woody stem, incise an X on the top of the stem and you'll rejuvenate the plant. You can reseed in the fall. I have never seen the walking kale, you'll have to post a photo.

"not overthought" Do you mean my photo of they thyme & phlox in front of the big rock by the patio? LOL You only say that because you didn't see me moving little pots around in front of my 3 big rocks, trying to decide just what should go where, and should I put the different phlox colors on either side of the patio or mix them up for a better balance... hahaha... It's looking more random now, because I added shorter thymes at different times to fill in bare spaces around the edge of the patio... lots of subtle differences in color and texture when you start combining thymes... it's starting to look really good!

I need to get a photo of the patio next year when the thymes come back and fill in around the edges... it's a half-circle shape with 3 large rocks spaced around the curved edge... depending on which way you head out between the rocks, you're walking toward the perennial bed in back, the veggie garden & he tittle orchard, or the future formal herb garden bed tucked against the house. The rocks themselves are a nice size & height for sitting (or for climbing and jumping off if you are 5).

So, reading the above.... I'm guessing you're no longer thinking that I don't overthink my garden plans! hahaha Amazing how much thought can go into an "unplanned, informal" looking garden!

I did find another picture... Here's the middle patio rock last April, more phlox and some sun-loving (!!) coral bells that Southern_Ohio shared with me. I've since planted more thyme between the patches of phlox... should've taken a photo later in summer!

This is too funny, I thought I was the only one who obsessed over these small matters, LOL. Good thing we don't have bigger things to worry about! sempervirens - you're neighbor removed your yard ornaments?? that's outrageous, inquiring minds want to know.

sempervirens, another perfect cottage garden seen in that pic! Perfect example of what I was thinking when starting this thread. Is that an heirloom variety of kale?

sempervirens, your garden is perfect. well it could be purrfect with the addition of a kitty, but there is no other improvements to make.

Well, I think as long as it doesn't show (over fussiness) the garden isn't overthought. The truth of the matter is the cottage garden might look natural but is very planned and time and labor intensive. That is part of it's appeal to all of us "obssesive gardening types". I have at least one notebook for each year I've gardened, along with numerous photos, layouts to show where everything is, and drawings of garden placement after every change. I'm certainly not happy until I've made at least one major change a year. Just to add a little interest to the problem I also try for a winter interest garden and try to be eco friendly and use native plants whenever possible.

critter-What heuchera are you using in the sunny garden?

gemini- Red Russian is listed as an heirloom variety of kale. I think I got the seeds at Seeds Of Change.

PrairieGirl- Ongoing battle with the neighbor, I've lost plants, edging, mulch,fencing, structures-

Thanks for the compliments jude and gemini.
The grapevines(in the photo), so close to the house, have the drawback of attracting wasps and flys.

semper, I don't know the variety of heuchera... it's one that was sent to me in a trade, with a note that I could plant it in full sun if I wished. Other than a little shade from the rock, it's in fairly full sun all day long, and I'm pretty much mystified at how well it's doing. Maybe coral bells are just more sun tolerant than we think?

Sorry to hear about your neighbor. Mine hates my yard so much that he stopped speaking to me about a year after he moved in (he says his idea of perfect landscaping is uninterrupted green grass), but he is quite particular about respecting the boundary line, so I have some hope that he'll be conscientious about pruning when the leyland cypress he planted too close to the line (to screen my garden from his view) starts growing into my fruit trees. It's too bad that the folks living right behind us don't enjoy the plantings as much as our other neighbors seem to, but at least he isn't being destructive. :-(

You're right about "happy accidents" producing some of the best combinations!

I have Palace Purple in full sun, it gets the best color that way, not a muddy bronze but more purple. I have Amethest Myst in more shade and it holds its color well in shade. A new one I tried this past year was Snow Angel, I had it in a basket and planted it in the garden in fall. It got a pink tinge to it's green and white variegated leaves, very pretty, I'll have to get a picture next year. I was charging the batteries on the camera, it snowed, and I missed my window LOL! The best part about heuchera is that they're evergreen, so they have a year-round presence. I would like to try more of them, and hellebores as well.

Since you mentioned winter interest in the garden, my Bear's Claw Helebore has blooms opening! My first helebore blooms ever! Blooms in winter- the best Christmas present ever :)

Neal - Can you snap a pic? I would love to share in the happiness of the day LOL.

Here are some I snapped a week or so ago. Its snowy now, but I'll get some more to show the progress. The petals are clearly visable now.

If you look close you can see 3 spikes starting.

Hopefully these seedlings will be blooming size next winter.

That is so neat! I didn't know the foliage darkened, or are they always dark? Congratulations, and Merry early Christmas ROFL!

I'm assuming the leaves will darken. The seedlings were sent to me by another DGr last winter and the big momma came from ForestFarm in spring of '05. The leave on it have been that dark blue-green all along- very striking.

That's a great contrast.

Neal, that's so exciting! I really wanted to get some this fall. had them all picked out, but I had other priorities. next year for sure. Here's a great site...they have a contest for naming their new varieties. If they choose your name you get a free plant. I've never won, but it's fun to play. and they have some beautiful plants.

http://www.sunfarm.com/index.phtml