The Fence Garden, Year 2

Sunday, September 19, 2021

We've come a long way with the Fence Garden since first moving in 3 years ago! Last year's plan to turn it into an actual flower garden, rather than a holding pen for 3 daylilies has worked out pretty well, I'd say. A great deal of planting occurred this year and in the previous fall, and I'm hoping the perennials get bigger and bigger, and really fill out the west-side of the fence garden. This year I did a bunch of deadheading to encourage additional blooms, and the annuals in the Cut Flower Garden side had their top growth pinched- off when they were around 8-12" tall. So I ended up with lots of stems with lots of cosmos, asters, zinnias, and dahlia flowers. 'Just gotta make sure to leave a bloom or two to collect seed from...

We started with the daffodils beginning to appear in early April. The daylilies also started bursting through the soil, as did the allium shubertii planted in the autumn. I cleared some mulch to put down some breadseed poppy mix, so the dirt patches are just flowers yet to be germinated.

April 19, 2021
Skip agead 2 months to June, and the daffodils are gone, but everything else is just about to get started. The Sugar Plum foxglove transplanted from the open garden, and settled down among the other sunset-hued flowers in the Fence Garden. The Rose Marvel Meadow Sage makes its first appearance, and after deadheading the spent blooms, it continues to grow and bloom throughout the entire summer. The allium schubertii, while short and just barely pink, adds a bit of interest, and has lovely seedheads. You can slo see the tops of the dahlia tubers just breaking through the surface.

June 13, 2021
Another month later, and we're in July. The Fireball Bee Balm adds pops of red (and lovely fragrance), completmented by the blooming breadseed poppies. I purchased two 'Lilac Lipstick' meadow sage, which did not bloom nearly as prolifically as the Rose Marvel. The little blooms of the Sunburst Tickseed are picking up some of the daylily colors. I've added a photo of the Cut Flower Garden side of the fence garden. It faces the East, so gets lots of morning light, but very little afternoon light. The fringe-y cosmos foliage appeared, the Queen Lime Zinnia and Ducchess Peony Apricot Asters I direct sowed are appearing, just a bit smaller than the ones I started indoors. Not a whole lot to cut yet, but lots of potential!

July 8, 2021
Just 10 days later, and the Fence Garden appears to finally have popped. The breadseed poppies are full-on blooming in all their shades (and shapes!) of reds, purples, and pinks. Rose Marvel meadow sage is still going. The Cheyanne Spirit Echinacea Mix (all three of them) are adding some more pops of color, especially on the north end of the garden.

July 18, 2021
A month later, and it's the Cut Flower Garden side's turn! We've got Peony Duchess Apricot Asters (they're so short!), and the Queen Lime Ziinia & Echinacea continuing to contribute. The first of the Sensation Mix Cosmos appeared, but they haven't quite hit their stride. And we also got the first of our dahlia, Beatrice, a ball type variety. As soon as I could, each bloom would be cut and added to a bouquet, which has lead to tons of additional blooms from Beatrice.

August 12, 2021
It was one full month later before any of the other dahlia decided to bloom! Beatrice is still going (as ever!), but we also got Night Silence (decorative), Caitlin's Joy (ball), and the piece de resistence - Labyrinth (dinnerplate).

September 12, 2021

For next year, I'd really like to see mor extended bloom times from the flowers, it might help to propagate some of the smaller-numbered plants so they can make more of a statement once they appear. Maybe I need an entirely separate Cut Flower Garden...