Contender Green Beans – Heirloom Bush Beans – (Phaseolus vulgaris) Image Credit: Burpee Height; 18″ – 30″ “Great bean flavor. “Contender is one of the best bush beans ever. It is a heavy cropper with round-oval pods and a strong, distinctive flavor. It’s an early bean that does well under short seasons and cool conditions,…
Tag: Cottage Garden Living
Setting Up My Flower, Herb & Plant Business – First Steps
Cottage Garden Living Plant Shop For many, many years, I have been building a plant business, but until now, my efforts have been on the back burner. But this spring, I’m moving forward with my plan. I have maintained my garden website Cottage Garden Living for at least ten years: https://cottagegardenliving.com/ This spring, I’ll set…
Bee Balm or Monarda – Queen of the Herbs in My Garden
Bee Balm or Monarda is a Native Plant, and it is a pollinatorBee Balm ‘Jacob Cline’ (Monarda didyma) Image Credit: American Meadows Height: 36-48″ tall The hummingbirds must believe that the bright red Jacob Cline is a delicacy. Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) Image Credit: American Meadows Height: 24 – 48″ tall The Native Americans made…
Basil – Beautiful Herb to Grow – Invaluable in the Kitchen – Includes Recipes
Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Image Credit: gardenia.net There are many varieties of Basil, but many sources say that Sweet Basil is the variety that every gardener should grow: “This herb is known around the world for its wonderful fragrance and flavor. The key ingredient in classic Italian pesto, Sweet Basil has big leaves that are…
Artemisia – White Sage – A Plant Traditionally Used by Native Americans
White Sage (Artemisia ludoviciana) Image Credit: gardenia.net Height: 12 – 36″ I love to share personal stories, and I have a story about how I discovered White Sage. Over the years, I have lived in many different parts of the country, and while I was living somewhere else, I was invited to a Native American…
How to Start Creeping Thyme Plants for Your Garden — Start Early — Inside
English Creeping Thyme Image Credit: Breoudo Height: 2 – 3″ Creeping Thyme Used as a groundcover for rapid spreading. Attracts beneficial insects. Handles light traffic. Great for rock gardens. Creeping Thyme is popularly sown in rock gardens, along borders, fences & walkways, in containers & pots, or directly in the garden. This versatile groundcover also…
How to Create A Kitchen Garden — A French Potager — Includes Free Plan
Jacki Kellum Kitchen Garden 2021 I have read that as people began planting their food, as opposed to hunting and gathering it, the first kitchen gardens began. The earliest cottage gardens were usually kitchen gardens–what the French would call a potager.In my mind, a kitchen garden is not the same as a place where only…
How to Create a Small Classic Symmetrical Herb Garden – Free Plan
“Growing herbs means you’ll always have a fresh supply of delicious flavors and pleasant scents whenever you need them. Many of these plants are also quite attractive, especially when carefully selected and arranged to show off their beauty, as in this plan. This classic herb garden idea features several easy-to-grow aromatic plants that are pleasing to the eyes…
How to Create a Sense of Depth and Height in Your Garden – Also a Word about Raised Beds
Jacki Kellum Garden 2022 I subscribe to the gardening principle that gardens should be layered, with taller plants in the back, medium-sized plants in front of those, and the shortest plants in front of the other two layers. T in 2022, I was gardening in the Ozark Mountains, but in 2023, I moved to my…
Mississippi Native Wildflowers – What Are They? A List
Black-Eyed Susans [Rubeckia] in Jacki Kellum’s Garden Several years ago, I wrote a post saying that I am a Black-Eyed Susan kind of gardener, and I suppose that is why I love native plants. That post begins as follows: “I have a very distinctive taste in gardening–it is a bit like me. My garden is…