Wildflower Meadow on My Deck

Hi! Mid-August! By now I think my deck planters garden is as good as it's going to get.

This year I made my garden from either seeds or summer bulbs, no pre-grown nursery plants [except one Spanish lavender], for two reasons: ease of carrying up to the deck/ ease of planting and mostly for budgetary considerations. You get a lot of zinnias out of a freebie seed pack from Country Living. 

I was also inspired by posts on my friend Tammy's blog, T's Daily Treasures. Tammy is an American living in Kuwait and she is often involved in community gardens in her city. She talked about growing a tiny wildflower meadow in a pot, from a packet of seeds, and how fun it was for the mystery flowers to evolve. I've always wanted to do that! Anyone remember Meadow in a Can? My dad pooh-poohed the idea: Weeds! he'd scoff.

But Tammy's version in a small planter sounded fun and doable. I planted most things mid-May.

Here are the seed packs, including Save the Bees. I added another pack called...???Butterfly Flowers too.

If we look closely, the drawing on the seed envelope closely resembles what has grown. How cool is that! Save the Bees

from web page, link above:

SOWN AT THE RATE OF 25 SEEDS PER SQ. FT., THIS MIX COVERS APPROXIMATELY 225 SQ. FT.

Mix contains by weight:
1. Basil, Sweet (A) 5%
2. Bergamot (P) 0.5%
3. Black-Eyed Susan (A/P) 1%
4. Borage (A) 16%
5. California Poppy (A/P) 6%
6. Catnip (P) 1%
7. Coriander/Cilantro (A) 13%
8. Coreopsis, Lance Leaf (P) 6%
9. Cosmos (A) 3%
10. Dill (A) 6%
11. Gaillardia, Annual (A) 6%
12. Globe Gilia (A) 2%
13. Goldenrod (P) 1%
14. Lavender Hyssop (P) 0.5%
15. Lemon Mint (A) 1%
16. Purple Prairie Clover (P) 3%
17. Siberian Wallflower (B/P) 10%
18. Sunflower, Lemon Queen (A) 13%
19. Zinnia, Cut and Come Again (A) 6% 

I have ~
Zinnias,

Cosmos.

Mexican or field marigolds.

Coreopsis.

Something tiny and adorably gorgeously sky blue. I have no idea what this is, and it was hard to get its picture. {Oh I now see this is borage, an herb. I was worried it was nightshade! Have see what borage is used for!]

Large grasses or weeds? No, fancy red corn, another heirloom from Botanical Interests. If it's successful, it will have red ''corn'' plumes in October.

Many sizes of sunflowers, just beginning to bloom. These are the Lemon Queens.

The meadow flowers are nor full or dense like a nursery planting would be but each bloom is treasured.

I also had lovely basil starting, you can see it on the list, but it was mixed with poison ivy, growing together, so I pulled it out. I guess daddy was sort of right about weeds?

This meadow was supposed to draw bees and butterflies. And indeed it has. I do not see any honey bees but many chubby busy bumblebees which are much more common here. And orange and brown unknown butterflies [not Monarchs] and white cabbage and yellow sulfur butter butterflies too. The pots of flowers are always busy with tiny visitors.
The bees like the sunflowers okay but all the good bugs especially like the very prolific lime tree that my friend brought in December and it never went home.

It loves my deck and the pollinators do a great job. Lots of little limes to harvest.[The pink pompoms are volunteers of unknown origin, in the lime tree pot,maybe from the wilflower pack?]

Then I did some summer bulbs.
Cannas---big flop, not a one. Very expensive bulbs, too. Note "easy to grow". I said we should go back and complain. My friends' cannas did not grow either. So disappointed. No blue pom poms either.

Elephant ears, also from the April Flower Show.

And dahlias from the supermarket, 4.99 per box, each with one tuber.

They are doing well, though they amuse me as both the ''blue'' and the ''red and white striped'' plants are producing basic burgundy.  And ''dinner plate'' = 4"?

And golden yellow with white tips is just...yellow. But that's okay! I like them all.

Tarragon grown from heirloom seed, for an infused vinegar.

And my lavender garden.

I'm enjoying this experiment. Ya never know!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

...yesterday: a perfect August Sunday.

PS I water my deck garden twice a day, two big watering cans full each time. Really soaking the pots. Otherwise the sun and heat and wind destroy the flowers in half  a day. I even water on rainy days, which are few anyway.