Out with the old

I've been planning to clear out the cool season flowers in my cutting garden for some time now.  Between the advancing mildew and rust afflicting the spring bloomers and the need to make room for the dahlia tubers I've sprouted in temporary pots, this was weeks overdue but, as the spring flowers showed up very late this year, I admit I've been reluctant to let them go.  I decided to cut those that were still in good shape to give away to neighbors.

I filled an old beverage carrier with 6 glass jam jars with mixes of love-in-a-mist (Nigella papillosa), larkspur (Consolida ajacis), Minoan lace (Orlaya grandiflora), and assorted sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus)

I filled a second beverage carrier with the same flowers but used only a single species in each glass bottle

I placed both beverage carriers and 2 pots containing Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi' cuttings on the driveway curb a little before 1pm yesterday.  After lunch, I added 4 more bottles to the mix, filling empty spaces in the carriers.

 

I saw an elderly neighbor carry off both beverage carriers with everything that remained in them around 5pm.  My husband says the carriers were about half full when the neighbor asked him about them.  My husband encouraged him to take "some" and, as his daughter had just arrived for a visit, he took one carrier for her and the other one for his wife.  He came back a little later to offer his thanks.  It may not be what I intended but, if they appreciated them, it's all good.  The Aeonium cuttings didn't have many takers so I left them on the curb overnight.

Meanwhile, my cutting garden is still only partially cleared.  Although I included sweet peas in my giveaway, I haven't pulled any of those vines yet.  I've cleared half of the other two raised planters thus far.  I hope to clear the majority of the middle planter this weekend.  Space constraints may push me to remove the remaining Nigella in the first planter too.

The photo on the left shows my cutting garden on May 25th.  The photo on the right shows it yesterday after I removed half the Nigella, all of the Orlaya, and 2/3rds of the Consolida.  I also removed all the self-seeded Coriandrum sativum (cilantro/coriander) as the plants were flopping over and going to seed.

The sweet peas were the last to bloom and they've grown so tall it's hard for me to cut them.  The vines are also showing more mildew with every passing day.  Although the moist marine layer is a factor in that equation, I contributed to the problem by failing to properly thin the vines when they finally took off.

Dismantling the raised beds was complicated by the fact that I'd laid hardware cloth over them to keep the raccoons and other critters out.  I'd cut out sections of the wire mesh to accommodate Anemone bulbs, foxgloves and snapdragons but the areas I sowed seeds in were completely covered with it.  While I could pull up the Nigella and Consolida flower stalks relatively easily in most cases, getting the fat stalks of Orlaya and Coriandrum out was much more time-consuming.

In addition to needing space for the sprouted dahlia tubers, I'd like to sow zinnia and sunflowers seeds as soon as possible.  I'm guessing that I'll feel compelled to clear the planter occupied by sweet peas sooner rather than later, possibly by mid-month, even if it pains me to do so. 

Another weekend task is planting seven new plants I received by mail yesterday.  At least I have spots identified for six of the seven of them.

 

I received 3 Agastache 'Ambrosia', 3 Gazania 'Otomi' and one Fuchsia magellanica 'Hawkshead'

 

I hope you have enjoyable plans for the weekend, either in the garden or outside of it. 

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party