it's that time of year

it's that time of year

a middle tennessee garden blog


finding beauty in the natural things around us makes for one happy self and a lovely life. ~marmee

dash home farm, leiper's fork, tennessee

Sunday, February 15, 2009

pathways to a potager

we all know there are many paths to choose in life...
welcome to the pathway to a potager...meem's potager.

this is meems second spring/summer veggie garden.
although she planted some flowers last year,
'09 is more about companion gardening. she has enlarged
her beds and included delightful flagstone/ limestone pathways.
thus enabling more room for flowers that are great
companions for the vegetables.
still she includes her wonderful combination containers,
which i believe lend a certain expression of her layering effects.


of course this is the very early stages of the potager.
her veggies have not even been planted yet.
the society garlic just barely in the ground looks to be
trying to stand up just hardly a week after the worst freeze
this florida garden has seen in forever.




dusty miller and yellow violas are prominent
in the container that is keeping watch over the garden.


as we stand out in the garden and i'm getting a feel
for what she is trying to accomplish, meems says
let me go get my clippers while we are chatting.
dead heading all the while we are talking...i'm thinking i will
just take those dead headed seeds home with me and see
how they might do up in my garden.

yellow marigolds, purple angelonia, multi-coloured gazanias,
and society garlic line the outer edges of were the pole beans,
and some different lettuces will be planted.
it is all so exciting to see the beginnings of
this new garden especially since our time to plant
in tennessee is still months away.

i am learning so much from meem's years in the garden.
she is still learning and trying new things.
this is her first time planting ostica blue eye asters.
they are lovely.

these gazanias open with the sunshine and close up as it gets dark.



three varieties of blueberries, jewel, star, and prima donna
have made it in the ground along side a flowering
ground cover called golden globe.


there is a beautiful mosaic shallow bowl nearby
readily available for butterflies and birds.
meems made this herself, she is a very talented lady.
all the blue tiles makes it a stand out in her garden.
this particular plate came from a little antique shop up in tennessee.
pathway pavers lead from the front of meems
house to her potager.
even with all the plants that have damage from
the frosts her florida garden is so expansive i am only
going to focus on one area at a time...just wait til you see what's next.

21 comments:

Corner Gardener Sue said...

It's fun to see someone's garden through another's camera lens. I love that bird bath, and the whole potager area.

I'm glad you're having a fun time in Florida.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I forgot to say my favorite pic was the dead heads. I hope the seeds grow for you!

marmee said...

sue, thank you for taking a look, it has been fun seeing meem's new areas and seeing things blooming.
i loved that picture too.

Meems said...

Marmee,
It is always intriguing to me to read such a glowing write up from any visitor to my garden. Thank you for all the kind words.

Flowers are definitely easily admired. The test will be to see how they blend with all the herbs and veggies yet to come. It has been lots of fun having you here admiring my handiwork. Geez, who wouldn't like that?

Fortunately I was able to get the garden ready for planting before you got here. It's a good week for you to be here. It has really helped to keep me from planting too early and from pruning too early... look out, garden, when you are gone. LOL

It's been a blast having you here!
Meems

tina said...

She is very talented. I just love that bird bath/butterfly bowl. The garden looks great too.

Q said...

Dear Marmee,
Meems is an inspiration! I also do lots of companion planting.
Looks as if you are having fun with your sis!
Namaste,
Sherry

Anonymous said...

Hi Marmee, Meems is indeed a very talented lady. I love the birdbath and the plates in it too. Here veggie beginnings are so wonderful, I love her combining the flowers with the food. We actually have planted some food crops here outside, radishes, sugar snap peas, carrots and beets like cooler soil temps to germinate. Keeping the critters away from the bare earth and baby plants is the hard part. Chickenwire and hardware cloth do the trick. Hi to Meems, too. :-)
Frances

marmee said...

meems,
thanks, you are truly an amazing big sis and i am glad i get to glean from all you are and you have learned.
i love it and you.

marmee said...

tina, the foundation of the garden is laid out so nicely, i am able to imagine it with all the veggies growing and green.

marmee said...

sherry,
meems is truly an inspiration.
we did some companion planting last year and will lean more towards that again this year. dh is wanting to expand the garden.
this is my last full day here so i am taking it all in the best i can.
have a wonderful week.

marmee said...

frances,
it is so good to have a big sis with all the amazing abilities that meems has. when i was younger it was a bit intimidating but now i just relish in the fact that i get to be around her and learn things.
your ground is not frozen?
i am so excited for you to be planting already...can't wait til you harvest.

Susie said...

Lucky you getting to see Meems garden even at this stage. She is definitely talented.

Roses and Lilacs said...

I love these early glimpses of spring but it's hard not to have zone envy;) All I see out my window is dirty gray snow.

I need to do a lot of work on my veggie garden this spring. I'll be watching for inspirations.
Marnie

Meadowview Thymes said...

This is a beautiful garden. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I felt so peaceful reading the post!

Kylee Baumle said...

Oh Marmee, I have pictures of some of these very same things! And as you describe things, I know exactly what you're talking about! How fun to read your descriptions! I loved her potager, too.

I remember seeing the birdbath, but she didn't say anything about the pieces in it. I'm glad you posted a picture of it close-up.

marmee said...

susie,
it was great being able to really see the outlines of the new beds. then how meems was incorperating the flowers amongst the places where the vegetables were being planted. it gave me some great ideas for ways to do things here in tn. it will be fun to watch the whole thing develop.

marmee said...

marnie,

we are expanding the boarders of our gardens too and doing some other planting out in the back acreage. i just hope we are not being to ambitious. but with my hubby helping and into the garden it will be a nice thing to do together.

marmee said...

mt,

i am glad you found peace in the garden...i certainly do. meems has her work cut out for her with all the new beds and a lot of things that were damage waiting to be trimmed up and hauled away.

marmee said...

kylee,

meems said she really enjoyed her visit with you. it is so great that you got to see her gardens in person...i know she was concerned about all the damaged plants...but seeing what she has done over the years is unmistakable even with the freezes doing so much harm. she has an eye and knack for making it all flow so beautifully.
thanks alot for coming to "things i love." you are most welcomed here.

Gail said...

Marmee,

A beautiful tour! I've long admired meem's artistic eye for beautiful plant placement...Now I see she also is also talented and crafty! The mosaic bird bath is really good looking...just the right touch of blue. I am glad you had a good visit and time in the Florida sun...wow, is it going to get cold tonight! Keep warm.

gail

SweetAnnee said...

Absolutely gorgeous.
I can't wait for Spring..
Smiles, Deena