It's Friday morning and I'm sitting here contemplating a huge garden work weekend. Well, I guess it won't be THAT big, but all my chores are going thru my head, especially regarding an overhauling of the pond. I can't believe how many fallen leaves have found their way to the bottom! At least that will give me more to blog about next week.

For now, I'd like to comment on the Cutting Garden I planted last Spring. Back in May or maybe April, I went thru the motions in this blog of creating a new flower bed from scratch. It was outside my backyard, next to the shed. I figured if nothing else, it would give my next door neighbors something nice to look at. I planned to plant cucumbers in the background, so they could climb up the side of the shed, with various cutting garden plants in front.



A Cutting Garden is just what it sounds like. You plant specific flowering plants that will produce blooms suitable to cut and arrange to bring inside your house, give to friends or for on the patio.

The inspiration for this garden came from a packet of seeds a friend had given me. It was called an "Instant Bouquet Garden." It featured Calendula, Dwarf Sunflower, Cosmos, Lewis Flax, Sulphur Cosmos, Baby Snapdragon, Lupine, Cornflower, African Daisy, Phlox, Chinese Forget-Me-Not, Baby's Breath, Zinnia, Delphinium, Coreopsis and Black Eyed Susan. Quite a showing, huh?

So I scattered the seeds, covered them with a thin layer of dirt and hoped for the best.

Well, as you can see here, I wasn't disappointed! I haven't taken the time to take stock of what exactly came up, but it was well worth the effort. Some of the plants are supposed to be perennial, so I can't wait to see what might come back next year!



As with the rest of my garden, however, I enjoy looking at them too much to cut them! I only cut one flower and placed it in a vase indoors. Maybe next year, when things are more established, I'll be able to create some beautiful arrangements.