Gardening

I am very excited to break out my spade and watering can.  I am planting my flower and herb garden this upcoming weekend with the assistance of my lovely neighbor, Megan.  She will be a benefactor of my harvests.  We both plan to indulge in a signature cocktail I create.  I am thinking something along the lines of lemonade, vodka, berries (blue or raspberry) and sage.  I let y'all know how it comes out!

My plan is to go to a few farmer's markets, the local garden center, and home depot for my plants, also one of the local high schools was selling plants from their ag program - I will stop by there as well.  I want a pretty large selection and want to compare quality and prices before I make all my purchases. 

Last year I grew one flower box full of red geraniums and pink petunias accented with green foliage.  This year, I am adding two more flower boxes, for a total of three lining my balcony.  I do know that I want all the flower boxes to be consistent with the same pattern repeating in each box.  I was planning to follow the southern living motto of container gardening.  A thriller (tall flowers), a filler (medium height flowers with thick foliage) and a spiller (flowers or ivy that cascade over the side of the box). 

Southern Living

On the other hand, I also love the idea of having all the same flowers, below is an inspiration.

Susan Jones

DC summers are pretty warm, and the plants would all get afternoon sun.  I am planning to go with a purple/blue and white (maybe with a touch of orange) color scheme.  Do you have any flowers that work well for you or that you would suggest? 

I am also significantly adding to my herb garden, pretty much tripling it's size.  Last year I grew mint, basil and a jalapeno plant.  This year I'm going big.  My main focus will again be the mint and basil, I am devoting two large planters each to these. 

Southern Living

I also plan to add cilantro, parsley and rosemary.  Here's where it gets tricky.  I want to try a few more herbs, but don't know how much of it I will actually use in my every day cooking.  The front runners are sage, chives and thyme.  I am on the fence about oregano, marjoram, and dill.  Any thoughts, suggestions, am I missing an herb that you can't live without?  Let me know!  I will post pictures after our gardening party!