Garden Journal - Fall #1

I love to grow flowers and observe them through drawing them. Each type has it's own character that I try to capture with simple lines. This is the very first page of my garden journal done in this fashion - sketches of my favorite blooms with observations on the qualities, how they did in my garden this year, whether I will grow them again, add more of them, or decide they aren't to be a part of next year's garden. My garden is at about 7,000 feet and the zone is effectively a 3, due to it's position in a valley by a creek where cold air sinks, meaning the first frost and last frost of the season are a month earlier and later than the rest of my town. A challenging microclimate, but one which has really made me strategic on what I grow and how!

Journal:

These pincushion flowers did well for a second season. I do prefer the seed heads to the flowers themselves, but both are great. Need to collect these seeds for next year.

The coreopsis from Sarah has ended up doing best growing in the bed rather than started indoors and transplanted. Everything did better in the bed than the deck as the sun is just too intense on the deck. Maybe next year I'll go without deck plants until September and I can get some annuals on sale and avoid having to water all summer and the process of growing from seed. Zinnias way fuller in bed. Single petals on deck.