My Little Kitchen Garden

This is the ajuga that I am writing about. Doesn't it look pretty and innocent? I would like to keep some of it, but this plant is going to know who the boss is before the end of the week.

I have a tiny "kitchen garden" of sorts on the side of the house. I started it last year...filling in with herbs and planting my cherry tomatoes in a big pot with leaf lettuce around it. The trellis with clematis is on the right and the little garden slopes down the west side of the house. There were flowers there and I have moved many of them. Right now I have iris, lilies, some susans and ajuga. I took the ajuga from the edge of the woods and transplanted it to border this little garden. A neighbor stopped by while I was transplanting, and she told me that maybe I should think it over. She had ajuga all over her yard at one time. I didn't want to spend any more money on plants that year...and this was free and would fill in all the spots. Fill in the spots indeed...It has done it's job well...too well. I can literally lift a mat of ajuga off the ground and remove it...only to have it replace itself before the season ends. So, this week, I am going to really thin it out and keep at it this year. I want to clean up this garden and make herbs the focal point. There is no reason why herbs and flowers and vegetables can't coexist in this garden. The shapes and textures and foliage colors of herbs will blend in with these flowers. First I will tackle the ajuga then sit back and see where I can tuck in some more herbs. The big pot is still there and I am going to plant a cherry tomato in it. Maybe I will plant one in the ground and do a comparison...to see which grows best for me. This is a narrow space in my yard. It is an asset for a kitchen garden as I will be able to reach plants without walking in the garden. It has good drainage and just enough sun to grow these plants. The soil has been amended and it's ready for me to do my work. I brought out the lawn ornaments last week and since Audra and Bryce live next door (on the west side) I decided to make it a place for the neighborhood kids to see. My little garden gnome will sit there along with the bunny statues. Joe made little wooden birds on spikes and I painted them red, yellow and blue..they are stuck in the ground next to the trellis. My old gardening shoes are along the house..planted with hens and chicks. A couple of chairs are behind the trellis and we can take them out to sit on, when they come to visit. All in all...it is going to be "kid friendly." I want to encourage the neighbor kids to come visit. They love to help me and they are so "close to the ground" they are really a big help sometimes. They only stay for a short time and then on to their friends houses. I love to have them visit.

Balisha