Next up?

Now that the peppers and tomatoes have been sown, next up is the pollinator friendly flowers.  After reading a couple of articles and hearing what other people are using to attract pollinators to their garden I started a list and ordered seeds for some of the plants that were recommended.

To be honest, I had never given a lot of thought to flowers.  I have a few herbs in pots and an ignored flower bed of perennials that is not anywhere close to my vegetable gardens.  My time is limited and my focus has been on the vegetables and the mowing.  But two summers ago I had a large patch of my garden that didn't get planted and it grew up in thistles and milkweed and some other weed with yellow flowers.  It was amazing.  It was like a little patch of meadow.  I have never seen so many bees and butterflies.  They were loving it.  Actually thistles have a pretty purple flower and milkweed has a beautiful scent.

Over the last several years I have been adding more fruit to my yard. I have a small orchard started that now has three apple trees, two pears, two plums and two peaches.  I have a little blueberry patch and a strawberry patch and some black raspberries.  I have two elderberry bushes, a gooseberry bush some type of a bush cherry.  I have an established grape arbor that is hard to harvest so I planted more grapes that will grow along wires, like a traditional vineyard.  Not all are producing fruit yet but all of those fruits will benefit from a bigger pollinator presence.

So here is my plan.

Near the orchard is a cute gate that my daughter built as a 4H woodworking project.  It ended up being too heavy for the potager so it is installed at an angle on one edge of the lawn near the orchard. I have often hung something on it, a wreath in the summer made from a garden hose or a snowflake made with lights in the winter.   I have tried to get some flowers started around there.  I will plan to expand that area using some in ground perennials and some potted annuals and/or herbs.  This area is our pet burial ground.  Last year I found a cute post that will serve as a reminder/memorial of our beloved pets and livestock that is buried there.  I think I will incorporate a source for drinking water and maybe a native bee 'hotel' for the pollinators and some yard art for curb appeal.

The new vineyard is planted on each side of the second driveway.  So far it is just the first few plants with plans to expand.  Right now I have three short rows of four plants each.  None of the posts or wires have been installed yet.  Two rows flank the driveway on the east and one row is between the driveway and the pasture on the west.  The fence along the pasture needs to be replaced and the corner posts are deteriorating.  I am considering changing the fence line at that corner, perhaps cutting off the corner and putting in some plants there.  I think it would be cute and bring some pollinator activity to the vineyard.

Here is what I am starting early although I will probably add more later.  A lot of these have flowers in shades of purple. 

Jacob's Ladder (Blue Pearl)
Anise Hyssop (licorice  Mint)
Eryngium (Blue Glitter)
Phocelia (Bee's Friend)
Salvia (Transylvanian Sage)
Cilantro (Pokey Joe)
Marigold (Queen Sophia)
Sweet Alyssium
Nasturtium

Last year I tried a cutting garden but my plantings did really poorly along with the vegetables.  Maybe this year will be better and I can try again.  

The ignored perennial bed is only a few feet away from a massive maple tree and has been taken over by saplings that grew out of the helicopter seeds released every year.  This year I will be trying to rescue the perennials and relocate them in order to work to remove the saplings.

In all likelihood I will be putting up some fencing in my front yard.  I would like to put wood chips and plantings on the outside and wood chips for sure along it on the inside.  Some of the perennials will be relocated there.  My sister has an amazing flower border in her yard and I will have to try and get some suggestions from her.