It seems as though there was never a good idea what to do with a section of the garden that we’ve now taken to calling “the Garden of the Future”. It’s part of the South 40, near the chicken coop, and where the previous owners had roses, irises and an what they referred to as an over-leafy, under fruiting grapevine.
We are parsimonious with water in a non-drought year, but with drought squarely in our reality plants which function purely in the realm of beauty are being pushed into supporting roles, and get watered only as a by-product of watering the edible plants. Not that we mind roses and irises, but they are not our focus (although they are thriving).
Last year we lifted and transplanted two red roses from the sunnier west side of this garden, and put the grapes in, where the roses had been. The irises were recently lifted to make room for the new grow bag groupings, and placed at the feet of the grapes. The container planted potatoes were brought down from the back of the center garden, where they did not get enough sun. The rhubarb was lifted from the entry garden to save it from the hard frosts, and brought to here.
In the past, the irises were spread randomly amongst the grassy weeds made this place really hard to maintain, being neither mower friendly nor efficient to hand sickle. No more.
The final touches will be weeding, seeding the lentil cover crop, planting the hardy kiwi and setting the paving stones. We’ll probably use either white clover or a low-growing clover mix between the pavers, to encourage visiting pollinators and beneficial insects. Some folks like alyssum, but in our garden it grows too tall and harbors snails.
As an aside: Carrots have always driven me batty, because of the long wait, but now they are out of sight. Great, right? Bonus: the kids are less likely to see them and yank them up when they are still but root-hairs!
Grow Your Bliss 