My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog

The dog ate my cutting garden.

No, not really.  I don’t have a dog, or even a goat I can pin this on. What kind of a garden offers neither food nor flora back to its house?  Mine.  In my ill-fated frenzied focus on tomatoes last spring, I somehow forgot to plan for cut flowers.   Last year, trying to fill in the border quickly, I grew cosmos and zinna from seed and had a regular fleet for vase duty.  I thought I didn’t need the fillers this year, and now I’m missing my “Green Envy” zinnias.

Fireworks of dahlias are popping all over Green Lake now. That would have been a great idea. They churn out flowers like they’re getting paid per blossom.  Oh yeah – I did buy nine dahlia tubers, but they are nowhere to be seen – I probably planted too late.

Then there are the lovely sunflowers, which shaded the tomatoes and possibly poisoned the peppers, and they do make a majestic floral frieze for the front of the porch.  But my husband – who planted the seeds – is so enamored of his giant green children that he will not let my pruners near.  One “Lemon Queen” stalk can have five or more flowerheads crammed on it! (I scavenged a stem felled by a storm last week.)

Cut flowers, like seasonal produce, are a great way to keep in touch with the seasons, and bring fresh life to the house.  So, I hope you have flowers to snip to liven up your home’s nooks and crannies.  In the meantime, here are some small moments from Green Lake to enjoy:

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Read more My Green Lake articles written by Erica Browne Grivas, freelance journalist for hire.

Check out Erica’s blog In the Details for more garden adventures.