TOP TEN TUESDAY | GARDEN PLANS

 

So I’m moving soon, and will have more outdoor space to play with than I’ve had in years. To say I’m excited to grow things is an understatement – I’m beyond thrilled. My kid and I both love getting our hands in the dirt, and growing things together is one of the most joyful experiences I’ve had in parenthood. I have terrible allergies and breathing issues, and generally can’t go outside during the warmer six months of the year, but DETAILS, amirite? So I’m determined to find a way to go outside for a short amount of time each day, just long enough to water, throw some seeds down, deadhead and (hopefully) pick a few things. I’ve already got a few seedlings started indoors, I’m waiting for plants to be ready for cuttings, and I’ve started collecting some seeds I can’t wait to plant. So here are some of the plants I’m excited to try to grow!

 

Allium Giganteum “Globemaster”

We have seen a lot of these in the gardening shows my kid and I have been watching, and I’m just transfixed by them. They’re related to chives, so if that globe-shaped purple flowerhead seems familiar, you’re not imagining things. But this is larger and has that really punchy pinkish-purple colour that I’m excited to see in person!

 

Eruca Sativa “Arugula”

I’m hoping if I continuously sow this along with lettuce and spinach we may get salad through most of the summer and part of the fall. I love arugula – it’s got that lovely fresh tang to it – and I like that it can be enjoyed in a salad or sandwich, or thrown into a soup or sauce and cooked down.

 

Lavendula Augustifolia “English Lavender”

If I had to pick one favourite plant of all time, this would be it. I love the colour, the scent and even the lazy companion bees it seems to attract when in flower. I have been dreaming for years of a garden bordered with lots of lavender bushes, so I’m hoping I can finally set this dream in motion. I’ve still got a lot to learn about how to care for it (I didn’t know you had to prune it back, for example), but I see it used in city landscaping here a lot, so I feel like it must be fairly easy to take care of if it can survive being planted along roadsides!

 

Tagetes “French Marigold”

My kid was lucky to have one of the best kindergarten teachers in the world. One of the projects they did was painting little plant pots and growing plants from seed. We ended up with a lovely marigold plant that flowered at the end of the summer, and we now all adore marigolds! So I’m definitely going to make sure we have lots of these. Plus apparently it’s good for attracting beneficial insects, which is always a bonus.

 

Ocimum Basilicum “Sweet Basil”

I love basil. It’s my favourite smell (aside from lavender) and taste. I love pesto sauce, and am always happy when there’s fresh basil in a salad or garnishing a plate of pasta. It tastes like summer sun to me. It’s not that hard to grow, so I’m hoping I can continually plant and pinch it back and keep it going through the whole summer!

 

Tropaeolum “Nasturtium”

Nasturtiums are another family favourite. It’s the first plant my kid grew from seed, mostly because it has very large seeds that are easy for little fingers to grasp, and it grows quickly and easily. It’s also edible (both leaves and flowers) so poses no risk to toddler gardeners. It’s pretty, you can teach it to climb or trail, has lots of different coloured flowers and leaves and helps as a trap plant for some garden pests. All time favourite.

 

Achillea Millefolium “Common Yarrow”

This is one that I think we had growing wild when I was a kid, and I want to find out if this is the flower I keep remembering. It’s also supposed to be great for attracting beneficial insects, so I’m hoping it’ll help out the other plants as well as the bug population!

 

Lupinus “Lupin”

We’ve been reading and watching the Harry Potter stories, and my kid is really into The Prisoner of Azkaban at the moment. Lupin is a favourite character, so when we went seed shopping and a flower called Lupin was discovered, it was immediately added to the pile!

 

Anethum Graveolens “Fernleaf Dill”

I love adding fresh dill to salads and rice. I think it’s got such a lovely, fresh flavour. It can be difficult because it attracts aphids and the leaves are so tiny you can’t pick them off, but I’m going to give it a try (with lots of nearby nasturtiums as trap plants) and see if I get lucky! I can always grow some under a covered pot if not.

 

Bellis Perennis “English Daisy”

These ones I like the look of, as well as the bright red colour. Mostly they’re just ones I want to add for that pop of colour throughout the borders of the garden, and in the hopes the hummingbirds will like them!

 

Borago Officinalis “Borage”

This is an interesting one. I was never that attracted to it as a plant, but I’ve recently discovered that it has all kinds of things going for it. It attracts pollinators in droves because it has a great nectar supply. It is edible – including the flowers – so it’s a great one to have around to add to summer salads. And it is also useful to use as a fertilizer for your garden, either by brewing up liquid fertilizer from it or using it to “chop and drop” around other plants. So it’s definitely going to make my list!

 

That’s it for me this week. Are there any other gardeners out there? If so, which are your favourite plants to grow? Have you grown any of the ones on my list? Any gardening tips you’d like to share?

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.